Greta Scacchi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Greta Scacchi
Greta Scacchi.jpg
Greta Scacchi, January 2008
Born Greta Gracco
(1960-02-18) 18 February 1960 (age 53)
Milan, Italy
Occupation Actor
Spouse(s) Vincent D'Onofrio (m. 1989–1993)
Carlo Mantegazza
Children
  • Leila George D'Onofrio
  • Matteo Mantegazza

Greta Scacchi (born 18 February 1960) is an Italian-Australian actress.

Contents

Early life [edit]

Scacchi was born Greta Gracco in Milan, Italy, on 18 February 1960, the daughter of Luca Scacchi Gracco, an Italian art dealer and painter, and Pamela, an English dancer and antiques dealer.[1] Scacchi's parents divorced when she was four, and her mother returned to her native England with Greta and her two older brothers, first to London, then to Haywards Heath, West Sussex.[2] In 1975, after her mother's remarriage to Giovanni Carsaniga,[3] the family settled in Perth, Australia, where she attended Hollywood Senior High School and the University of Western Australia (UWA).[4] She made her theatrical debut at UWA's New Dolphin Theatre in Edward Bond's play Early Morning.[5]

Career [edit]

Greta Scacchi at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival.

In 1977, Scacchi left UWA to return to England to pursue an acting career, studying at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, with Miranda Richardson and Amanda Redman. In 1982, she made her film debut in the German movie, Das Zweite Gesicht (The Second Face), and gave versatile performances in films, such as Heat and Dust (1983), The Ebony Tower (1984), The Coca Cola Kid (1985), White Mischief (1987), Presumed Innocent (1990), The Player (1992) and Country Life (1994). She turned down the role of Catherine Trammell in Basic Instinct (1992).[6]

In 1996, she won an Emmy Award for her work as Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna of Russia in the television film, Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny, and was nominated for a Golden Globe and numerous other awards. In 2007, she received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for Broken Trail.

Scacchi is fluent in English, French, German and Italian, which has made her a popular choice for European casting directors and has been an asset when working for European directors and producers.

In May 2011, she appeared alongside Anita Dobson in the play Bette and Joan at London's Arts Theatre, directed by Bill Alexander, about the personal and professional relationship between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.[7]

Personal life [edit]

Scacchi was in a relationship with New Zealand musician Tim Finn from 1983 to 1989.[8] A marriage to American actor Vincent D'Onofrio[9] (1989–1993) produced a daughter, Leila (born March 1992). Scacchi also has a son, Matteo Mantegazza (born September 1997), by her Italian first cousin, Carlo Mantegazza.[10]

Scacchi applied for British citizenship after turning 18, but was turned down because her father was not a British citizen. After appealing unsuccessfully, she decided not to apply for it again, and retained her Italian citizenship.[11] In January 1995, she became an Australian citizen and has since had dual nationality.

She lived for many years in Hurstpierpoint until moving in early 2011 to a rented property in East Grinstead because of a dispute with her neighbour.[12]

Filmography [edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1981 Bergerac Annie Episode: "The Hood and the Harlequin"
1982 Das Zweite Gesicht Anna
1983 Dead on Time Pretty girl
1983 Heat and Dust Olivia Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer to Film
1984 The Ebony Tower Diana Television movie
1984 Camille Marguerite Television movie
1984 Waterfront Anna Cheri Television movie
1985 Defense of the Realm Nina Beckman
1985 Burke & Wills Julia Matthews
1985 Dr. Fischer of Geneva Anna Luise-Fischer Television movie
1985 The Coca-Cola Kid Terri
1987 White Mischief Diana Lady Broughton
1987 Good Morning, Babylon Edna Bonnano
1987 A Main in Love Jane Steiner
1990 Presumed Innocent Carolyn Polhemus
1991 Shattered Judith Merrick
1992 Fires Within Isabel
1992 The Player June
1992 Turtle Beach Judith
1994 Country Life Deborah Voysey
1994 The Browning Version Laura Crocker-Harris
1995 Jefferson in Paris Maria Cosway
1996 Emma Mrs. Weston
1996 Cosi Mental patient Uncredited
1996 Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny Tsarina Alexandra Television movie
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
1997 The Odyssey Penelope Television movie
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
1997 The Serpent's Kiss Juliana
1998 Love and Rage Agnes MacDonnell
1998 The Red Violin Victoria Byrd
1998 Macbeth Lady Macbeth Television movie
1999 Ladies Room Lucia
1999 Cotton Mary Lily MacIntosh
1999 Tom's Midnight Garden Aunt Gwen
1999 The Manor Mrs. Ravenscroft
1999 Looking for Alibrandi Christina Alibrandi Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Supporting Actress
2000 One of the Hollywood Ten Gale Sondergaard
2001 The Farm Liz Cooper Television movie
2001 Festival in Cannes Alice Palmer
2002 Jeffrey Archer: The Truth Margaret Thatcher Television movie
2002 Daniel Deronda Lydia Glasher 3 episodes
2003 Baltic Storm Julia Reuter
2004 Beyond the Sea Mary Duvan
2005 Flightplan Therapist
2006 Broken Trail Nola Johns 2 episodes
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
2006 Marple Tuppence Beresford Television movie
2006 The Book of Revelation Isabel
2007 Hidden Love Dr. Dubois
2008 Brideshead Revisited Cara
2008 Shoot on Sight Susan Ali
2008 Miss Austen Regrets Cassandra Austen Television movie
2008 The Trojan Horse Helen Madigan 2 episodes
2010 Un Altro Mondo Cristina
2010 Way to Live Forever Private instructor
2011 Hindenburg Helen Van Zandt Television movie

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Greta Scacchi". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 4 May 2010. 
  2. ^ Law, Cally; Greta Scacchi (17 Aug 2008). "Slight mischief". The Sunday Times. p. 2. 
  3. ^ "Greta Scacchi Biography – Yahoo! Movies". Movies.yahoo.com. Retrieved 10 Nov 2012. 
  4. ^ Bosworth, Michael (2000). "Hollywood Senior High School – A History" (PDF). Retrieved 6 Jan 2011. 
  5. ^ "The Octagon Takes a Bow". Uniview 29 (1): 16–19. Summer, 2010. Retrieved 6 Jan 2011. 
  6. ^ Bryce Hallett, Her world's a stage, Sydney Morning Herald, Metropolitan, 10 February 2001, p.3
  7. ^ ""Bette & Joan" At". Londontheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 10 Nov 2012. 
  8. ^ http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:x4MSRMfEUdoJ:www.imdb.com/name/nm0278178/bio+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=my&client=firefox-a
  9. ^ Macdonald, Marianne (28 Sep 2008). "Greta Scacchi: glad to be back". The Telegraph. Retrieved 14 May 2011. 
  10. ^ Maher, Kevin (26 Apr 2008). "Greta Scacchi takes on Miss Austen Regrets". The Times. Retrieved 14 May 2011. 
  11. ^ Urban, Andrew L. "Scacchi, Greta – Looking for Alibrandi". Retrieved 14 May 2011. 
  12. ^ Walker, Emily (5 Feb 2011). "Greta Scacchi's "driven out" of Sussex dream home". The Argus. Retrieved 14 May 2011. 

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Greta Scacchi
Authority control
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greta_Scacchi&oldid=555906608"