Rina Franchetti

Biography

Rina Franchetti (Naples, 1907 – Formello, 2010) was an Italian actress of stage and screen, best known for her character roles. Her career spanned almost eight decades, moving from the theatre to radio and television, and her long life earned her the nickname grandmother of Italian cinema.

She began on the stage under Luigi Pirandello and later worked with Lamberto Picasso. From the early 1930s she was a frequent presence on radio. Her film debut came in 1932 with the comedy Due cuori felici, but her screen work stayed sporadic until after the war. It then grew steadier, with titles such as La Provinciale (1953), directed by Mario Soldati, and La Dolce Vita (1960), by Federico Fellini, where she had a supporting role of real significance.

By the mid-1970s her film career declined quickly, though she stayed active on radio and television. In 1985 she took part in the variety programme Lagrime on Radio 1. She died in Formello at the age of one hundred and two, having kept working until the end of her life.

Key films

• La Dolce Vita (1960), dir. Federico Fellini: a supporting role, but a meaningful one within the film.
• La Provinciale (1953), dir. Mario Soldati: one of her most remembered post-war appearances.
• Barabbas (1961), dir. Richard Fleischer: took part in this large international production.
• Un giorno da leoni (1961), dir. Nanni Loy: one of her collaborations with the director.
• Delitto d'amore (1974), dir. Luigi Comencini: one of her later notable films.