Nicoletta Braschi (; born 19 April 1960) is an Italian actress and producer, best known for her work with her husband, actor and director Roberto Benigni.
Life and career Born in Cesena, Braschi studied in Rome's Academy of Dramatic Arts, where she first met Benigni in 1980. Her first film was with Benigni in 1983, the comedy Tu mi turbi (You Upset Me). She later appeared in two Jim Jarmusch films, Down by Law and Mystery Train.
Braschi's two most successful collaborations with her husband were Johnny Stecchino (1991) and La vita è bella (Life is Beautiful) (1997). The first, an Italian comedy that cast the actress as the girlfriend of a mobster (Benigni), was a huge hit in Italy, while the second, in which Braschi played the wife of an Italian Jew (Benigni) imprisoned in a concentration camp, was a widely praised success that launched both Braschi and her husband into the international spotlight. She was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild award as a cast member of that film.
In 1997, Braschi starred in Ovosodo as a depressed teacher encouraging a student to work and study harder. The film won her a David di Donatello award (Italy's equivalent of the Oscars) and much praise from critics and the public.
In 2002, she was a member of the jury at the 52nd Berlin Film Festival.
In 2005, she starred in and produced The Tiger and the Snow (La tigre e la neve), a love story set during the initial stages of the Iraq War. This was her last film appearance until the 2018 film Happy as Lazzaro.
In 2010, she toured Italian theatres, starring in Tradimenti, based on Harold Pinter's play Betrayal.
In 2013, she was a member of the Cinéfondation and short films jury at the 66th Cannes Film Festival.
Filmography Year Film Role 1983Tu mi turbi Virgin Mary1986 Down by law Nicoletta1988Ya bon les blancs Luisa1988 The Little Devil Nina1989 Mystery Train Luisa (segment "Ghost")1990 The Sheltering Sky French Woman1991 La domenica specialmente (aka Especially on Sunday) Nicoletta (segment La domenica specialmente)1991 Johnny Stecchino Maria1993 Son of the Pink Panther Jacqueline Gambrelli1994 The Monster Jessica Rossetti 1995 Pasolini, un delitto italiano (aka Who killed Pasolini?) Graziella Chiracossi1995 Sostiene Pereira Marta1997 Ovosodo (aka Hardboiled Egg) Giovanna Fornari1997 Life is Beautiful Dora Orefice2002 Pinocchio Blue Fairy2004 Mi piace lavorare (aka Mobbing) Anna2005 The Tiger and the Snow Vittoria2018Happy as LazzaroAlfonsina De Luna
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