Elena Sofia Ricci

Elena Sofia Barucchieri, better known by her stage name Elena Sofia Ricci, was born on 29 March 1962 in Florence, Tuscany, Italy, to Paolo Barucchieri, an educator, and Elena Ricci Poccetto, a production designer. Growing up in a culturally rich household, she shared her formative years with a younger sister, Elisa, who later pursued a career as an artistic director and dancer. After completing her studies, Ricci entered the Italian entertainment world in the early 1980s, securing minor roles that honed her craft. Her breakthrough arrived in 1984 with Pupi Avati’s film Impiegati, a performance that earned her the Globo d'oro for Best New Actress and announced her as a fresh talent on the cinematic scene. The subsequent years cemented her reputation: in 1988 she captured both a David di Donatello and a Silver Ribbon for Best Supporting Actress in Carlo Verdone’s Io e mia sorella, and two years later she was honored with another David di Donatello and a Ciak D'Oro for her leading role in Ne parliamo Lunedì. These early accolades highlighted her versatility across drama and comedy, and established lasting collaborations with directors such as Paolo Sorrentino, Ferzan Özpetek, Giovanni Veronesi, and Luciano Odorisio.

Beyond the silver screen, Ricci has become a household name on Italian television, headlining popular series like Orgoglio, I Cesaroni, and Che Dio ci aiuti. Her television work has been recognized with multiple Telegatti, the 2005 Fiore di Roccia, and the 2006 Premio Afrodite for Best TV Actress. In 2010 she shared a Silver Ribbon for Best Supporting Actress with Lunetta Savino for Özpetek’s Mine vaganti, and later, in 2018, she earned the Silver Ribbon for Best Actress portraying Veronica Lario in Sorrentino’s Loro, a role that also secured her a David di Donatello in 2019. Ricci’s personal life includes two marriages—first to Luca Damiani (now divorced) and, since 2003, to musician Stefano Mainetti—and two daughters, one from a prior relationship with actor Pino Quartullo and Maria, born in 2004. Formerly agnostic, she now identifies as Roman Catholic, reflecting a spiritual shift that parallels her evolving artistic journey.