Paola Cortellesi (born 24 November 1973) is an Italian actress, comedian, film director, screenwriter and producer. She has starred in about 20 movies as well as a number of theatrical, television and radio shows. In 2023, she made her directorial debut with the black-and-white feminist comedy-drama There's Still Tomorrow, which received critical acclaim and became one of the highest-grossing films of all time in Italy.
Paola Cortellesi | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Cortellesi in 2009 | |
| Born | 24 November 1973 Rome, Italy |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouse |
Riccardo Milani (m. 2011) |
| Children | 1 |
Biography
editCortellesi debuted in the show business at the age of 13, as a singer for Cacao meravigliao, the jingle of the popular RAI TV show Indietro tutta! by Renzo Arbore. At 19 she began studying as an actress at the "Teatro Blu" in Rome (the same theatre school that Kim Rossi Stuart, Gianmarco Tognazzi, Claudia Gerini, Stefania Rocca, and Claudio Santamaria, among others, have attended).
She began her career in television with the show Macao,[1] presented by Alba Parietti, but eventually reached nationwide popularity as a comic actress in the TV show Mai dire Gol by the Gialappa's Band (2000), which, in particular, showcased her skills at parodying famous people, a genre where she collected some of her most appreciated performances (the latest one being her parody of Milan's mayor Letizia Moratti in the 2010–2011 edition of the popular TV show Zelig).[2]
After Mai dire Gol, Cortellesi has collaborated in several other TV Show of the Mai dire... franchise by Gialappa's Band. Other major performances of Cortellesi on television include the 2004 edition of the Sanremo Music Festival and the leading role in the TV movie Maria Montessori: Una vita per i bambini, a biography of Maria Montessori, for which Cortellesi received the "Maximo Award" at the Roma Fiction Fest.[3]
Her career in cinema includes several appreciated performances in comedies and comic movies, including a leading role in Tu la conosci Claudia?, a very popular production starring the comic trio Aldo, Giovanni & Giacomo. In 2008, she was nominated for the David di Donatello award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the movie Piano, solo by Riccardo Milani. In 2011 she won the David di Donatello for Best Actress for her leading role in Escort in Love.[4]
One of her most appreciated theatrical performances was Gli ultimi saranno gli ultimi ("Last will be last") by Massimiliano Bruno, which has been staged 189 times from 2005 to 2007 in over 50 theatres, and for which Cortellesi has collected a number of awards.[5]
As a singer, Cortellesi has been described by Mina as "one of the best Italian voices"[6] and has cooperated with several notable Italian musicians, including Elio e le Storie Tese, Renato Zero, Claudio Baglioni, Frankie Hi-NRG MC, and Neri per Caso. In 2019 she was filmed in the title role of Petra for the four-part Italian TV crime drama, broadcast from September 2020.[7]
In 2023 her directorial debut There's Still Tomorrow (C'è ancora domani) was a major hit. It was the most successful film at the Italian box office in 2023,[8][9][10][11] and the 9th highest-grossing film in the country's history.[12] It was the opening film at the Rome Film Festival,[13] at the 69th David di Donatello it brought Cortellesi 6 awards, including the Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay.[14]
Personal life
editCortellesi married director Riccardo Milani on 1 October 2011, after being engaged for nine years.[15] The couple have a daughter, Laura, born in 2013.[16]
Filmography
edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The King and I | Anna Leonowens (voice) | Italian voice-over |
| 2000 | Ask Me If I'm Happy | Dalia | Feature film debut |
| 2001 | Un altr'anno e poi cresco | Alessia | |
| 2001 | Se fossi in te | Caterina | |
| 2002 | A cavallo della tigre | Antonella | |
| 2002 | Bell'amico | Damiana | Cameo appearance |
| 2002 | Stuart Little 2 | Margalo the Bird (voice) | Italian voice-over |
| 2003 | Past Perfect | Claudia | |
| 2003 | The Soul's Place | Nina | |
| 2004 | Do You Know Claudia? | Claudia | |
| 2006 | Don't Make Any Plans for Tonight | Cinzia | |
| 2007 | Piano, solo | Baba | |
| 2007 | Persepolis | Marjane Satrapi (voice) | Italian voice-over |
| 2009 | Turtle: The Incredible Journey | Narrator (voice) | Italian voice-over |
| 2009 | The Ladies Get Their Say | Sofia | |
| 2009 | La fisica dell'acqua | Giulia | Direct-to-video film |
| 2010 | Men vs. Women | Chiara | |
| 2011 | Women vs. Men | Chiara | |
| 2011 | Cars 2 | Holley Shiftwell (voice) | Italian voice-over |
| 2011 | Escort in Love | Alice Bottini | |
| 2011 | Some Say No | Irma Camuzzo | |
| 2014 | A Boss in the Living Room | Cristina D'Avola/ Carmela Cimmaruta | |
| 2014 | Sotto una buona stella | Luisa Tombolini | |
| 2014 | Do You See Me? | Serena Bruno | |
| 2015 | Wondrous Boccaccio | Usimbalda | |
| 2015 | The Little Prince | Mother (voice) | Italian voice-over |
| 2015 | The Last Will Be the Last | Luciana Colacci | |
| 2016 | Qualcosa di nuovo | Lucia | |
| 2017 | Mom or Dad? | Valeria Mozzati | |
| 2017 | Like a Cat on a Highway | Monica | |
| 2018 | The Legend of the Christmas Witch | The Witch | |
| 2018 | Early Man | Goona (voice) | Italian voice-over |
| 2019 | Detective per caso | Inspector Bellamore | |
| 2019 | Don't Stop Me Now | Giovanna Salvatori | |
| 2020 | Figli | Sara | |
| 2020 | Soul | 22 | Italian voice-over |
| 2021 | Like a Cat on a Highway 2 | Monica | |
| 2022 | Marcel! | Jewels seller | Cameo appearance |
| 2023 | There's Still Tomorrow | Delia | Also director and co-writer |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Maria Montessori: Una vita per i bambini | Maria Montessori | Miniseries |
| 2010 | Le cose che restano | Nora | 4 episodes |
| 2020–present | Petra | Petra Delicato | Lead role |
| 2023 | Call My Agent - Italia | Herself | Season 1, episode 1[17] |
Writings
edit- Gianluca Maria Tavarelli; Paola Cortellesi; Massimo Poggio; Gianmarco Tognazzi, Alberto Cracco (2006). Maria Montessori: [una] vita per i bambini. Erscheinungsort nicht ermittelbar: Taodue. OCLC 819807992. (both a book and a film)
References
edit- ^ "Il talk-show sperimentale Macao". RAI. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
- ^ "Paola Cortellesi compie 50 anni. Da Macao a C'è ancora domani, la sua carriera". Sky TG24. 2023-11-24. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
- ^ "Paola Cortellesi a Domenica In: il marito Riccardo, la vita privata e la carriera, dal debutto in radio alla sua prima volta". Il Messagero. 2023-10-29. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
- ^ Cortellesi, escort (imbranata) per caso
- ^ "Premio Anima". Archived from the original on 2007-05-14. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
- ^ Mina: La migliore a Sanremo è Paola Cortellesi
- ^ Vivarelli, Nick (March 7, 2019). "Italy's Cattleya Producing Female Detective Series Petra for Sky". Variety. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
- ^ Vivarelli, Nick (2023-11-02). "Paola Cortellesi's Feminist Dramedy 'There's Still Tomorrow' Beats 'Saw X' at Italy's Box Office". Variety. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ Povoledo, Elisabetta (2023-12-08). "A Beloved Comedian's Film on Domestic Abuse Draws Italians, in Droves". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ Niola2023-12-22T14:22:00+00:00, Gabriele. "Paola Cortellesi's 'There's Still Tomorrow' overtakes 'Barbie' admissions at Italian box office". Screen. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Roxborough, Scott (2023-12-18). "'There's Still Tomorrow': The Italian Box Office Success Sparking Discussion About Domestic Violence". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "Anno Corrente 01/01/2024 Al 29/02/2024". cinetel.it (in Italian). 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (2023-10-18). "Paola Cortellesi Talks 1940s Italy Women's Rights Drama 'There's Still Tomorrow' + First Clip – Rome Film Festival". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ D'Angelo, Francesca (2024-05-04). "David di Donatello 2024: Io capitano Miglior film, ma a sbancare è Paola Cortellesi". Elle. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
- ^ "Paola Cortellesi sposa superstar". Il Messaggero.it. 2 October 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ^ Rogledi, Cristina (20 March 2013). "Paola è il mio film più bello" (PDF). Oggi. p. 86-. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ Manca, Mario (20 January 2023). "Call My Agent Italia è il remake italiano migliore di sempre" [Call My Agent Italia Is the Best Italian Remake of All Time]. Vanity Fair Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 19 March 2024.
External links
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