Giovanna Mezzogiorno

Giovanna Mezzogiorno

Italy had excellent actresses in the past from the legendary Anna Magnani to Monica Vitti but for a while the talented female actress arena was pretty empty. Did you ever dream that one day a genie came out of a bottle and gave a wish like 'you can marry whoever you want'. If such a thing existed probably  Giovanna Mezzogiorno would be my first choice ( sorry Giovanna!).  Giovanna Mezzogiono, together with Margherita Buy and Asia Argento, is one of my preferred Italian actresses so we have to dedicate at least an article to her achievements. The talented Giovanna was born in Rome on November 9, 1974. She is the daughter of actors Vittorio Mezzogiorno and Cecilia Sacchi. With parents like that, acting was the natural choice for her, but she decided to pursue her call the hard way. She culd have leveraged her father's influence to easily gain a role in some tv series. Instead, she was a student for two years in Paris under the tutelage of the legendary theater director, Peter Brook. Her father worked with the British-born Brook. He had played Arjuna in the Maharbharata.

Giovanna Mezzogiorno made her theater debut at the famed Parisian theater Bouffes du Nord in Qui est là, a work inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet where she plays the role of Ofelia. In 1996 Giovanna received the Coppola-Prati Prize for this portrayal of Ofelia. The following year - in 1997 - she made her film debut in Sergio Rubini's film, Il viaggo della sposa (The Bride's Journey). Her acting skills earned her the Targa d'Argento as 'Nuovi Talenti del Cinema Italiano' (the New Talent of Italian Cinema), the Grolle d'Oro and the Globo d'Oro by the Foreign Press Association as well as the Premio Flaiano as Best Actress of the 1997 - 1998 season.

Giovanna starred next in Del Perduto Amore. She was again awarded for her stellar performance. This time she received the Nastro d'Argento, the Ciak d'Oro and the Premio Pasinetti as Best Actress. Giovanna was well on her way to being one of the most celebrated - and decorated - of all Italian film actresses. At this time, she also began her relationship with Stefano Accorsi. They split up in 2001.

Giovanna Mezzogiorno received recognition in her first international film role as well. She has a supporting role as Soeur Simplice in 2000's Les Miserables, which featured Gerard Depardieu as Jean Valjean and John Malkovich as Javert. Giovanna delighted audiences and proved that she could hold her own with international luminaries such as Malkovich and Depardieu.

Giovanna Mezzogiorno models for Men's Vogue.

In 2001, Giovanna played Giulia in L' Ultimo Bacio (Last Kiss). Her pregnancy throws her longtime boyfriend's life into a tailspin. For her performance, Giovanna received her first di Donatello nomination for Best Actress. In 2003, she was nominated - and won - the di Donatello for her role as Giovanna, a wife stuck in her marriage and her life. As she cares for the Holocaust survivor her husband, who has a very mysterious job, brings home with him, she learns that perhaps her husband isn't who she thought he was.

Not only did Giovanna win the di Donatello for this role. She won awards all over the world for her sensitive portrayal of a character who shares her name. She was named Best Actress at the Bangkok Film Festival in Thailand, received the Silver Ribbon by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (again) and earned another award as Best Actress at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Giovanna has also had starring roles in 2001's Nobel and Malefemme. She worked with Klaus Maria Brandauer in 2003's made for TV movie, Entrusted. She was directed by Cristina Comencini in 2005's La Bestia nel Cuore. For this role she was awarded the Coppa volpi as Best Female Actress at the 62nd Venice International Film Festival, the movie also gained an Oscar nod in 2006 in the Foreign Film section. In 2006 she took part as one of the female leads in the indie sci-fi movie AD-Project.

The following year, 2007, is a busy year for Mezzogiorno. She has important roles in p, li { white-space: pre-wrap; }

L'amore ai tempi del colera (Love in the time of Cholera), along with spanish actor Javier Bardem, Colombia, a movie inpired by El amor en los tiempos del cólera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Lezioni di Volo (Flight Lessons), directed by Francesca Archibugi, and Notturno Bus, first movie by director Davide Marengo.

trailer of Vincere

In 2008 she leads Vincere, by Marco Bellocchio. The movie is about the alleged first wife of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and was the only Italian movie presented at the Cannes Festival 2009. For this role in 2011 she was awarded the prize as best lead actress by the National Society of Film Critics Awards 2010.

In 2009 she leads La Prima Linea, with Italian earththrob Riccardo Scamarcio and in 2010 she is part of the all star ensemble that acted in the sleeper hit comedy Basilicata Coast to Coast.