Greta Scacchi ( , ; born 18 February 1960) is an actress. Born in Italy to a British-Italian couple, she was raised in Britain and finally settled in Australia, becoming a naturalized citizen. Scacchi had her first leading role in the romantic drama film '' Heat and Dust'' (1983), for which she received a

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...

nomination. She subsequently played prominent roles in the films '' White Mischief'' (1987), '' Presumed Innocent'' (1990), '' The Player'' (1992), '' Emma'' (1996) and '' Looking for Alibrandi'' (2000). For her portrayal of Alix of Hesse in the biographical television film '' Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny'' (1996), she earned a

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

and a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

nomination. Scacchi received another Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her performance in the Western television film '' Broken Trail'' (2006).

Early life

Scacchi was born on 18 February 1960 in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, Italy, the daughter of Luca Scacchi, an Italian art dealer and painter, and Pamela Risbey, an English dancer and antiques dealer. Scacchi's parents divorced when she was four, and her mother returned to her native United Kingdom with Greta and her two older brothers, first to London, then to

Haywards Heath Haywards Heath ( ) is a town in West Sussex, England, south of London, north of Brighton, south of Gatwick Airport and northeast of the county town, Chichester. Nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the southwest, Horsham to the northwest, ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

. In 1975, after Scacchi's mother's remarriage, the family moved to

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, Western Australia, where her stepfather was a visiting professor at the

University of Western Australia University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Crawley, Western Australia, Crawley, a suburb in the City of Perth local government area. UW ...

(UWA). While in Perth, Scacchi attended Hollywood Senior High School and joined UWA's University Dramatic Society, where she made her theatrical debut at the New Dolphin Theatre in

Edward Bond Thomas Edward Bond (18 July 1934 – 3 March 2024) was an English playwright, theatre director, poet, dramatic theorist and screenwriter. He was the author of some 50 plays, among them '' Saved'' (1965), the production of which was instrument ...

's play '' Early Morning'' under director Arne Neeme. In 1977, Scacchi returned to the United Kingdom to study at the

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (BOVTS) is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre. BOVTS was an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance a ...

, where her contemporaries included

Miranda Richardson Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958) is an English actress who has worked in film, television and theatre. After graduating from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Richardson began her career in 1979 and made her West End theatre, West ...

and Amanda Redman.

Career

Scacchi's first on-screen role was in the first season finale of ''Bergerac'' in 1981, when she played a model who was the girlfriend of an international criminal being pursued by the eponymous detective. The following year, she made her film debut in the German film '. Scacchi's first leading role was in the British film '' Heat and Dust'' (1983), opposite Shashi Kapoor and Julie Christie; her performance earned a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

nomination for Best Newcomer to Film. She went on to give performances in films such as '' The Ebony Tower'' (1984), '' The Coca-Cola Kid'' (1985), '' White Mischief'' (1987), '' Presumed Innocent'' (1990), '' The Player'' (1992) and '' Country Life'' (1994). She turned down the role of Catherine Trammell in '' Basic Instinct'' (1992). She later reflected on her early career: "It was very clear to me even then that I was always being invited to play a male fantasy. I had to work very hard to punch some integrity into the idea of being a woman when I was placed inside that male gaze." In 1996, Scacchi won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for her portrayal of Alexandra of Hesse in the television film '' Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny'', and was nominated for a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

and numerous other awards. In 1999, she had a role as an Italian-Australian single mother in the Australian film ''Looking for Alibrandi'', a performance for which she won the 2000 AFI award for Best Supporting Actress. In 2007, Scacchi received an

nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for '' Broken Trail''. Scacchi is fluent in English, French, German, and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, which has made her a popular choice for European casting directors. Scacchi has performed in a wide range of parts in theatre. She appeared ''In Times Like These'' (Bristol Old Vic) and '' Cider with Rosie'' (Phoenix Arts Theatre, Leicester) as her film career was taking off. After making four films in 15 months, in 1985 she appeared with Mark Rylance and Kevin McNally in ''Airbase'' (Oxford Playhouse and Arts Theatre). In '' Uncle Vanya'' at the Vaudeville Theatre, London, in 1987, she played opposite

Michael Gambon Sir Michael John Gambon (; 19 October 1940 – 27 September 2023) was an Irish-English actor. Gambon started his acting career with Laurence Olivier as one of the original members of the Royal National Theatre. Over his six-decade-long career ...

and

Jonathan Pryce Sir Jonathan Pryce (born John Price; 1 June 1947) is a Welsh actor. He is known for his performances on stage and in film and television. He has received numerous awards, including two Tony Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards as well as nom ...

. In 1991, she played Nora in

Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

's ''

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' (Danish language, Danish and ; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act Play (theatre), play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 De ...

'' in the Festival of Perth. A year later, she played the lead role in

Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (; ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than 60 play ...

's '' Miss Julie'' for the Sydney Theatre Company. She returned to Sydney in 1996 to play Cecilia in

Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American playwright, actor, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned half a century. He wrote 58 plays as well as several books of short stories, essays, ...

's ''Simpatico''. In 1999, she took the lead in ''Easy Virtue'' in Chichester, directed by actress Maria Aitken. In 2001, Scacchi returned to Sydney for

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...

's ''Old Times'', directed by Aarne Neeme, playing Kate. In 2004, she toured Italy with an Italian production ''Vecchi Tempi'' of the same play, but this time playing Anne. In 2005, she performed at the Theatre Royal, Bath, in Thea Sharrock's production of

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

's ''Private Lives''. Back in Australia in 2008, she was nominated for a Sydney Theatre Best Actress Award for playing Queen Elizabeth in Schiller's ''Mary Stuart'' in Sydney. In that year, Scacchi also performed in Terence Rattigan's ''The Deep Blue Sea'' at the Theatre Royal, Bath, on tour and then in the West End back at the Vaudeville Theatre. In 2010, Scacchi replaced an injured Kristin Scott Thomas in the Chatelet Theatre, Paris in the French premiere (37 years after it was written) of Stephen Sondheim's '' A Little Night Music''. As Desiree she sang "Send In The Clowns". In May 2011, Scacchi appeared alongside

Anita Dobson Anita, Lady May (born 29 April 1949), known as Anita Dobson, is an English actress and singer. She is best known for playing Landlord, landlady Angie Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from the show's inception in 1985 until 1988. She ac ...

in the play ''Bette and Joan'' at London's Arts Theatre, written by Anton Burge and directed by Bill Alexander, about the personal and professional relationship between

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...

and

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 190? was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion-picture cont ...

. At the end of that year she appeared at the

Ensemble Theatre The Ensemble Theatre is an Australian theatre company and theatre, situated in the Sydney suburb of Kirribilli, New South Wales. History It is Australia's longest continuously running professional theatre group, having given its first perfor ...

, Sydney in

David Williamson David Keith Williamson (born 1942) is an Australian playwright, who has also written screenplays and teleplays. He became known in the early 1970s with his political comic drama '' Don's Party'', and other well-known plays include '' The Clu ...

's new play, '' Nothing Personal''. In September 2013,

Jonathan Miller Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE (21 July 1934 – 27 November 2019) was an English theatre and opera director, actor, author, television presenter, comedian and physician. After training in medicine and specialising in neurology in the late 19 ...

directed a gala performance of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'' at The Old Vic in London. Scacchi played Regan. In 2014, Scacchi played Arkadina in

Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

's ''

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' () is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 in literature, 1895 and first produced in 1896 in literature#Drama, 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramati ...

'' in

. In 2015, she joined the Headlong theatre company to star on a UK tour in Tennessee Williams' '' The Glass Menagerie'' as Amanda. Greta Scacchi in She Stoops To Conquer

Between 20 August and 12 November 2016, Scacchi played Phoebe Rice opposite Kenneth Branagh's Archie Rice in a revival of John Osborne's '' The Entertainer'' at the Garrick Theatre in London's West End. The play received mixed reviews but hers were uniformly positive. In June 2024, Scacchi returned to the role of Joan in ''Darby and Joan'' after the show was renewed for a second series.

Personal life

Scacchi is an Italian citizen by birth. She applied for British citizenship after turning 18, but was refused and refused again on appeal; she later applied again due to

Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...

. She is a citizen of Italy, Australia and the United Kingdom. From 1983 to 1989, Scacchi was in a relationship with New Zealand musician

Tim Finn Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. He is best known as a founding member of Split Enz. Finn founded the band in 1972 with Phil Judd and served as lead singer and principal songw ...

. She had a four-year relationship with American actor Vincent D'Onofrio, with whom she has a daughter, actress Leila George. She was previously the mother-in-law of actor

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is known for his intense leading man roles in film. List of awards and nominations received by Sean Penn, His accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Gl ...

, who was married to George from 2020 to 2022. In 1997, Scacchi began a relationship with her

first cousin A cousin is a relative who is the child of a parent's sibling; this is more specifically referred to as a first cousin. A parent of a first cousin is an aunt or uncle. More generally, in the lineal kinship, kinship system used in the English-s ...

, Carlo Mantegazza. They have a son. Scacchi is an active supporter of campaigns and organisations that promote environmental causes. She has supported

Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...

and

Christian Aid Christian Aid is a relief and development charity of 41 Christian (Protestant and Orthodox) churches in Great Britain and Ireland, and works to support sustainable development, eradicate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster rel ...

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

campaign. In 2009, she posed nude with a codfish to promote the documentary '' The End of the Line'', a film exposing the effects of

overfishing Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish (i.e. fishing) from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e. the overexploitation of the fishery's existing Fish stocks, fish stock), resu ...

. She continues to lead the linked Fishlove campaign, which has seen a host of well known actors pose for photographs with a variety of fish. In October 2013, Scacchi was awarded the Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (Knight in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic) for her services to the arts.

Filmography

Film

Television

Radio

Theatre

References

External links

* *
Interview in the Spectator
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scacchi, Greta Living people 1960 births 20th-century Australian actresses 21st-century Australian actresses 20th-century Italian actresses 21st-century Italian actresses 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Actors from Haywards Heath Actresses from Milan Actresses from Perth, Western Australia Actresses from West Sussex Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Australian film actresses Australian stage actresses Australian television actresses Best Supporting Actress AACTA Award winners English film actresses English stage actresses English television actresses English emigrants to Australia Australian expatriate actresses in the United States Italian expatriate actresses in the United States English expatriate actresses in the United States British expatriate actresses in Australia Italian film actresses Italian emigrants to Australia Italian emigrants to England Italian people of English descent Italian stage actresses Italian television actresses Knights of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Logie Award winners Naturalised citizens of Australia Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners People of Lombard descent People with multiple citizenship