Antonella Ponziani

Antonella Ponziani (born 29 February 1964 in Rome, Italy) is a celebrated Italian actress, director, and screenwriter whose career has spanned more than three decades. She began her artistic training at the academy Mimo Teatro Movimento under the mentorship of Lidia Biondi, where she honed a rigorous physical and expressive technique that would later define her on‑screen presence. Ponziani made her film debut in 1986 with Salvatore Samperi’s La Bonne, a modest yet significant entry that marked the start of a prolific period in Italian cinema, during which she quickly attracted the attention of renowned directors. In 1987 she appeared in Federico Fellini’s experimental Intervista, an experience that exposed her to avant‑garde storytelling, and the following year she played the daughter of Donald Pleasence in Ruggero Deodato’s giallo thriller Phantom of Death, showcasing her versatility across genres. Her breakthrough came with the 1992 dramatic road‑movie Verso Sud, for which she earned both a Nastro d’Argento and a David di Donatello for Best Actress, solidifying her status as one of Italy’s most talented performers. The mid‑1990s saw her take on comedic roles, notably in Dear Goddamned Friends (1994), and she received a Ciak d’Oro for Best Supporting Actress in 1996 for her nuanced work in Paolo Virzì’s Ferie d’Agosto. Expanding her creative horizons, Ponziani debuted as a director and screenwriter in 1999 with the comedy L’ultimo Mundial, a project in which she also performed, demonstrating her willingness to explore new facets of filmmaking. Throughout her enduring career, she has remained a vibrant figure in Italian culture, consistently delivering powerful performances and contributing to the evolution of contemporary cinema.