Detailed Biography

Greta Scacchi is an English actress.

Early life

Scacchi was born Greta Gracco in Milan, Italy on February 18, 1960, the daughter of Luca Scacchi Gracco, an Italian art dealer and painter, and Pamela Carsaniga, an English dancer and antiques dealer. Scacchi's parents divorced when she was four, and her mother returned to her native England with Greta and her two older brothers, first to London, then to Haywards Heath, West Sussex. In 1975, after her mother's remarriage to Giovanni Carsinga, the family settled in Adelaide, Australia.

Career

In 1977, Scacchi returned to England to pursue an acting career, studying at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, with Miranda Richardson and Amanda Redman. In 1982, she made her film debut in the German movie Das Zweite Gesicht and gave versatile performances in films such as Heat and Dust , The Ebony Tower , The Coca Cola Kid , White Mischief , Presumed Innocent , The Player and Country Life . She turned down the role of Catherine Trammell in Basic Instinct .

In 1996 she won an Emmy Award for her work as Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna of Russia in the television film Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny and was nominated for a Golden Globe and numerous other awards. In 2007 she received an Emmy Award nomination for Supporting Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie for Broken Trail.

Scacchi is fluent in English, French, German and Italian, which has made her a popular choice for European casting directors and has been an asset when working for European directors and producers.

Personal life

Between 1983 and 1989, Scacchi was romantically involved with New Zealand singer/songwriter Tim Finn. A relationship with American actor Vincent D'Onofrio produced a daughter Leila . Scacchi also has a son Matteo Mantegazza by her Italian first cousin, Carlo Mantegazza.

In January 1995 Scacchi became an Australian citizen and currently lives in Hurstpierpoint.