Giovanna Ralli

Born in Rome, Ralli debuted as a child actress at 7; at 13, she made her theatrical debut, entering the stage company of Peppino De Filippo. After appearing in Federico Fellini and Alberto Lattuada's Variety Lights (1950), Ralli had her first film roles of weight in the mid-1950s, often in comedy films. In 1959, she had a leading role in Roberto Rossellini's General Della Rovere that won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, while in 1960 her performance in Escape by Night, also directed by Rossellini, was awarded with the Golden Gate Award for Best Actress at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Ralli later won a Nastro d'Argento award, as best actress, for La fuga (1964). In the mid-1960s, she had a brief Hollywood career, starting from Blake Edwards' What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?. In 1974, she won her second Nastro d'Argento, as best supporting actress, for We All Loved Each Other So Much. Starting from the early 1980s, Ralli focused her activities on stage. In 1993, she received a Flaiano Prize for her career. In 2003, she was made a Grand Officer of the Italian Republic. At the 2015 Taormina Film Fest, where she received a special award for her career, Ralli announced her retirement from acting. Jasmine Trinca eventually convinced her to make a final appearance in her 2022 directorial debut film Marcel!. The same year, Ralli was awarded a David di Donatello for her career.

Ralli considers herself Roman Catholic.