Ornella Muti facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ornella Muti
Muti in 2003
Born	Francesca Romana Rivelli (1955-03-09) 9 March 1955 (age 70) Rome, Italy
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1970–present
Spouse(s)	Alessio Orano ​ ​ (m. 1975; div. 1981)​ Federico Fachinetti ​ ​ (m. 1988; div. 1996)​
Children	3; including Naike Rivelli

Francesca Romana Rivelli (born on March 9, 1955), known professionally as Ornella Muti, is a famous Italian actress. She is one of Italy's best-known actresses and has worked in many different types of movies. She has starred in films by well-known Italian directors like Mario Monicelli and Ettore Scola. Outside of Italy, she is most famous for playing Princess Aura in the science fiction movie Flash Gordon (1980).

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Ornella Muti was born in Rome, Italy. Her father was a journalist from Naples, and her mother, Ilse Renate Krause, was a sculptor from Estonia. Her mother's parents had moved from Saint Petersburg (then called Leningrad) to Estonia.

Ornella started modeling when she was a teenager. She made her very first movie at just 14 years old. This was in 1970, in a film called La moglie più bella (which means The Most Beautiful Wife).

Becoming a Star in Italy

After her first movie was a big hit, Ornella Muti starred in many comedies in the early 1970s. In 1974, she appeared in Mario Monicelli's film Come Home and Meet My Wife. This movie was very successful and made her widely popular.

During the 1970s and 1980s, she worked with many popular Italian actors. These included Ugo Tognazzi, Vittorio Gassman, and Marcello Mastroianni. She starred in many successful comedies such as Nobody's Perfect, Bonnie and Clyde Italian Style, and Madly in Love. She also acted in serious movies like The Last Woman and Tales of Ordinary Madness.

Ornella Muti made two of the most successful Italian comedies ever with actor Adriano Celentano. These were The Taming of the Scoundrel and Madly in Love.

In recent years, she has continued to act in both independent and mainstream films. She has also appeared in TV dramas and even hosted the Sanremo Music Festival in 2022.

International Success

Ornella Muti is one of the few Italian actresses who has had a successful career all over Europe. She has worked with directors from Spain, France, Germany, and the UK. Some of her well-known European movies include Swann in Love, where she acted with Jeremy Irons and Alain Delon. She also starred in The Bilingual Lover with Javier Bardem and Hotel with stars like Salma Hayek and John Malkovich.

In the United States, she has worked with famous directors like Woody Allen and John Landis. Her American movies include Oscar, Once upon a Crime, and To Rome with Love. She also appeared in American TV movies like Casanova.

In 1981, she was offered the main role in the James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only. However, she turned it down because her costume designer was not hired for the film.

Personal Life

Muti visiting Moscow in October 1995

In 2008, Ornella Muti launched her own collection of jewelry. She later opened several jewelry stores around the world.

Ornella Muti has been married twice. Her first marriage was to Alessio Orano, who was also an actor in her first film. They were married from 1975 to 1981. Her second marriage was to Federico Fachinetti, from 1988 to 1996.

She has three children. Her oldest daughter, Naike Rivelli, was born in 1974 and is a fashion model, singer, and actress. She also has a son named Andrea and another daughter named Carolina, both from her marriage to Federico Fachinetti.

In 1994, she moved to live in Monaco. On February 1, 2022, Ornella Muti shared that she would like to become a Russian citizen. She said it would be a nice gift for her mother, who had passed away that year, because Russian culture was part of her mother's background.

Filmography

Films

Television

See also

In Spanish: Ornella Muti para niños