Italia Ricci (; born October 29, 1986) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for starring as April Carver in the 2014–2015

ABC Family American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...

television series ''

Chasing Life ''Chasing Life'' is an American drama television series that aired on ABC Family from June 10, 2014, to September 28, 2015. The series is adapted from the Televisa Spanish-language Mexican television series ''Terminales''. Ordered for 13 episode ...

'', for playing Siobhan Smythe / Silver Banshee in ''

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...

'' from 2015 to 2016 and for playing

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

Chief of Staff and Special Advisor Emily Rhodes in the television drama series ''

Designated Survivor In the United States, a designated survivor (or designated successor) is a person in the presidential line of succession who is kept distant from others in the line when they are gathered together, to reduce the chance that everyone in the line ...

'' from 2016 to 2019.

Early life and education

Italia Ricci was born Stephanie-Italia Ricci in

Richmond Hill, Ontario Richmond Hill ( 2021 population: 202,022) is a city in south-central York Region, Ontario, Canada. Part of the Greater Toronto Area, it is the York Region's third most populous municipality and the 27th most populous municipality in Canada. Ric ...

, and is of Italian descent. She graduated with her

Bachelor of Arts and Science A Bachelor of Arts and Science(s) (BASc), sometimes as Bachelor of Science and Arts (BScA or BSA), is an undergraduate bachelor's degree conferred by a small number of universities from countries including the United States, Canada, the United Ki ...

in 2008 from Queen's University (Kingston, Ontario), where she undertook charitable work for causes such as Water Can, a non-profit organization creating waterholes in Africa. Ricci was a Stand Up To Cancer ambassador and supporter of the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

Career

Ricci made her major acting debut in 2007, in the '' American Pie'' direct-to-video film, '' Beta House''. She then went on to have a recurring role on the

Disney XD Disney XD is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Entertainment units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years old ...

series ''

Aaron Stone ''Aaron Stone'' is a science fiction action-adventure television series created by Bruce Kalish. Originally broadcast with the launch of Disney XD on February 13, 2009, it was the first original series to air on the network. It was produced in ...

''. In 2006, Ricci also appeared in the music video Hate (I Really Don't Like You) by

Plain White T's The Plain White T's are an American pop rock band from Lombard, Illinois, formed in 1997 by high school friends Tom Higgenson, Dave Tirio, and Ken Fletcher, and joined a short time later by Steve Mast. The group had a mostly underground followin ...

as the ex-girlfriend. During 2009, Ricci began appearing in American productions with minor roles in ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...

'', ''

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

,'' and ''

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

''. During that same year, she had a recurring role in the

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

series '' Secret Girlfriend'' as Sasha. In 2010, she co-starred in the

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

live-action series '' Unnatural History'' as Maggie Winnock. She also appeared in a

Clean & Clear Clean & Clear is an American brand of dermatology products owned by Kenvue. Most products aim towards young women and men, but some treat a wider range of conditions, such as the "SOFT" line. Clean & Clear is currently available in 46 countries. ...

commercial as herself. In 2011, she appeared in the short film ''Valediction''. In 2013, Ricci appeared in a small role in

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (; born February 17, 1981) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for his leading perform ...

's directorial debut film ''

Don Jon ''Don Jon'' is a 2013 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, and Julianne Moore, with Rob Brown, Glenne Headly, ...

''. From 2014 to 2015, she starred as April Carver in the

series ''

''. Ricci joined the cast of ''

'' in December 2015 as Siobhan Smythe / Silver Banshee. In September 2016, Ricci joined the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

political drama ''

'', as Emily Rhodes. The show was renewed by

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

for a third season which was released on June 7, 2019 but was not renewed by Netflix for a fourth season. She has also appeared in films for the

Hallmark Channel Hallmark Channel is an American cable television network owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies. ...

, including ''Rome in Love'' and ''Love in Winterland''. In 2022, Ricci starred in ''

The Imperfects ''The Imperfects'' is a Canadian superhero science fiction television series created by Dennis Heaton and Shelley Eriksen that premiered on Netflix on September 8, 2022. Promoted as a "coming of rage" story, it follows three young adults pursu ...

'' as Dr. Sydney Burke. The ten-episode first season premiered on

on September 8 in the United States. In 2023, Ricci starred in the Hallmark Channel film ''Catch Me If You Claus''.

Personal life

Ricci began dating Canadian actor

Robbie Amell Robert Patrick Amell IV (born April 21, 1988) is a Canadian-American actor and producer. He is best-known for his roles as Stephen Jameson on The CW series ''The Tomorrow People'' (2013–2014), Ronnie Raymond / Firestorm on The CW series ''Th ...

in July 2008 after meeting whilst filming '' American Pie Presents: Beta House''. They became engaged on August 19, 2014, and were married on October 15, 2016. Their first child, a son, was born in September 2019. Ricci and Amell both became United States citizens in January 2020.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ricci, Italia 1986 births 21st-century Canadian actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Ontario Canadian expatriate actresses in the United States Canadian film actresses Canadian people of Italian descent Canadian television actresses Canadian emigrants to the United States American film actresses American people of Italian descent American television actresses Living people People from Richmond Hill, Ontario Queen's University at Kingston alumni Naturalized citizens of the United States