Simonetta Stefanelli (; born 30 November 1954) is an Italian entrepreneur, fashion designer and retired actress. Internationally, she is best known for her performance as

Apollonia Vitelli-Corleone This is a list of characters from the film series ''The Godfather'' consisting of ''The Godfather'' (1972), ''The Godfather Part II'' (1974) and ''The Godfather Part III'' (1990), based on Mario Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same name, as ...

in the 1972 film ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caa ...

'', directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Her other roles include appearances in '' Moses the Lawgiver'', '' Scandal in the Family'' and '' Three Brothers''. In 1992, Stefanelli made her last film appearance in the drama '' Le amiche del cuore (Close Friends)'' directed by her then husband

Michele Placido Michele Placido (; born 19 May 1946) is an Italian actor, film director, and screenwriter. He began his career on stage, and first gained mainstream attention through a series of roles in films directed by the likes of Mario Monicelli and Marco ...

Personal life

Stefanelli was married to the actor/director

, with whom she appeared in a number of films, including the 1975 erotic drama '' Peccati in famiglia''. They had three children together, including actress

Violante Placido Maria Violante Placido (; born 1 May 1976) is an Italian actress and singer. Early life Placido was born in Rome, Italy. She is the daughter of actor-director Michele Placido and actress Simonetta Stefanelli. Career Film Her film debut was al ...

, and they divorced in 1994. Following their divorce, Stefanelli and her children briefly lived in London. A hoax stating that Stefanelli had died appeared on the Internet in 2006, and then again in 2008.

Career

Film and television

Before appearing in ''

'' in 1972, Stefanelli had small supporting roles in several Italian films directed by renowned Italian directors: ''La moglie giapponese'' (''The Japanese Wife'') by Gian Luigi Polidoro, ''Non commettere atti impuri'' (''Do Not Commit Adultery'') by Giulio Petroni, ''Homo Eroticus'' by

Marco Vicario Marco Vicario (20 September 1925 – 10 September 2020) was an Italian film actor, screenwriter, film producer and director. He appeared in 23 films between 1950 and 1958. He also wrote for 13 films, produced 12 and directed a further 11. He ...

, and ''In nome del popolo italiano'' (''In the Name of the Italian People'') by

Dino Risi Dino Risi (23 December 1916 – 7 June 2008) was an Italian film director. With Mario Monicelli, Luigi Comencini, Nanni Loy and Ettore Scola, he was one of the masters of ''commedia all'italiana''. Biography Risi was born in Milan. He had an o ...

. In 1972, she appeared in the German television film ''Die Sonne angreifen'' (''To Attack the Sun'') by Peter Lilienthal. The same year, Stefanelli landed her breakout role as the innocent

, the beautiful but doomed first wife of

Michael Corleone Michael Corleone is a fictional character and the protagonist of Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather''. In the three ''Godfather'' films, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Michael was portrayed by Al Pacino, for which he was twice-nominate ...

( Al Pacino) in the American crime film ''The Godfather'', directed by Francis Ford Coppola. She was shown topless, although only 16 when the production began and 17 when the film came out. Her character was featured in the 1977 miniseries '' The Godfather: A Novel for Television''. In 1973, she posed nude in the Italian edition of ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

'', but later refused a career in Hollywood, in order to avoid being

typecast In film, television, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character, one or more particular roles, or characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ...

and required to do nudity. She explained during an interview in 1997 about the offers of Hollywood filmmakers: "They wanted nothing more than to expose my body... I refused so much work." She continued her career in Italy. In 1973, she filmed one picture in Spanish, ''El mejor alcalde, el rey'' (''The Best Mayor, the King''), directed by

Rafael Gil Rafael Gil (22 May 1913 – 10 July 1986) was a Spanish film director and screenwriter. His film ''La guerra de Dios'' (1953) won the Bronze Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1953 and also won best film and best director at the San Sebastián ...

. The following year, Stefanelli appeared in the miniseries '' Moses the Lawgiver'', starring Burt Lancaster,

Anthony Quayle Sir John Anthony Quayle (7 September 1913 – 20 October 1989) was a British actor and theatre director. He was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role as Thomas Wolsey in the film '' Anne of the Thousand Days'' (1969 ...

and

Ingrid Thulin Ingrid Lilian Thulin (; 27 January 1926 – 7 January 2004) was a Swedish actress and director who collaborated with filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. She was often cast as harrowing and desperate characters, and earned acclaim from both Swedish ...

. She would later have roles in numerous Italian films, including '' Peccati in famiglia'' (''Scandal in the Family''), an erotic drama she starred opposite her husband

Eriprando Visconti Eriprando Visconti di Modrone, Count of Vico Modrone (September 24, 1932 – May 26, 1995) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was the nephew of the more famous Luchino Visconti. Born in Milan into a noble family, i ...

Walerian Borowczyk Walerian Borowczyk (21 October 1923 – 3 February 2006) was an internationally known Polish film director described by film critics as a 'genius who also happened to be a pornographer'. He directed 40 films between 1946 and 1988. Borowczyk set ...

Franco Castellano Franco Castellano (20 June 1925 – 28 December 1999) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He wrote for 94 films between 1958 and 1997. He also directed 21 films between 1964 and 1992. Most of the films he co-wrote and co-directe ...

Giuseppe Moccia Giuseppe "Pipolo" Moccia (22 June 1933 – 20 August 2006) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He wrote for 96 films between 1958 and 2001. He also directed 21 films between 1964 and 1997. Most of the films he co-wrote and co-dir ...

and

Mario Caiano Mario Caiano (February 13, 1933 – September 20, 2015) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, producer, art director and second unit director. Career Born in Rome, he directed nearly 50 films between 1961 and 2001 and wrote some 27 ...

are some of the directors she worked with. Stefanelli took a break from acting in the mid-1970s following her marriage and the birth of her daughter,

, in 1976. She returned in the early 1980s to appear in

Francesco Rosi Francesco Rosi (; 15 November 1922 – 10 January 2015) was an Italian film director. His film '' The Mattei Affair'' won the Palme d'Or at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival. Rosi's films, especially those of the 1960s and 1970s, often appeared to ha ...

's '' Tre fratelli'' (''Three Brothers''). After appearing in Michele Placido's film '' Le amiche del cuore'' (''Close Friends''), Stefanelli ended her acting career in 1992, just one year before her daughter began her own acting career. After a hoax about her death surfaced online in 2007, Stefanelli stated that if a film project came along, she might take it. "But after my death, I don't know," she joked.

Entrepreneurship

Having quit her acting career in 1992, Stefanelli now owns and operates a fashion store in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

called Simo Bloom, where she designs purses and shoes.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stefanelli, Simonetta 1954 births 20th-century Italian businesswomen Fashion designers from Rome Italian fashion designers Italian women fashion designers Italian film actresses Italian television actresses Living people Actresses from Rome 21st-century Italian businesswomen