Maria Grazia Cucinotta

Maria Grazia Cucinotta — Biography

Born in Messina, Sicily, on 27 July 1968, Maria Grazia Cucinotta became one of Italy's internationally recognized screen actresses, also working as a producer and occasional director. She entered cinema around 1990 and gained international attention in 1994 as Beatrice, the postman's love interest in Il Postino, alongside Massimo Troisi and Philippe Noiret, in a film that went on to earn worldwide acclaim. Five years later she played the assassin known as Cigar Girl opposite Pierce Brosnan in the James Bond entry The World Is Not Enough. Following these two breakthrough parts she assembled a long filmography of comedies and dramas, including Cominciò tutto per caso, Italiani, Our Italian Husband, Vanilla and Chocolate, Last Minute Marocco, The Museum of Wonders and American Night, and later in her career she moved into producing. She also guest-starred on American television in an episode of The Sopranos and provided a voice for a character in an episode of The Simpsons.