Elena "Lella" Fabrizi (; born Elena Fabbrizi; 17 June 1915 – 9 August 1993), popularly known as Sora Lella ( Romanesco for "Mrs. Lella"), was an Italian stage, television and film actress, and a television personality. She was both a

Silver Ribbon The (plural: ''Nastri d'Argento''; English: Silver Ribbon) is an Italian film award, held since 1946 by the ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani'' (Italian National Union of Film Journalists). Awards are given annually in ...

and

David di Donatello The David di Donatello Awards, named after Donatello's ''David (Donatello, bronze), David'', a symbolic statue of the Italian Renaissance, are film awards given out each year by the ''Accademia del Cinema Italiano'' (the Academy of Italian Cin ...

awardee, most prestigious Italian awards for a career in acting.

Life and career

Born in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Italy, the younger sister of the actor and director Aldo, in the late 1950s Fabrizi started occasionally appearing in films, considering the acting career just a hobby, being her true profession the restaurateur and gastronome. Mainly used for very little character roles, her acting career had her peak in early 1980s, thanks to a series of films directed by

Carlo Verdone Carlo Gregorio Verdone (born 17 November 1950) is an Italian actor, screenwriter and film director. Best known for his comedic roles in Italian classics which he also wrote and directed such as ''Fun Is Beautiful'' and ''Bianco, rosso e Verdone ...

in which she played the typical role of the good-natured, grumbling grandmother. For her role in ''

Bianco, rosso e Verdone ''Bianco, rosso e Verdone'' is a 1981 Italy, Italian comedy film directed and starred by Carlo Verdone, playing three characters. It was produced by Sergio Leone, soundtrack composed by Ennio Morricone and guest starred by Mario Brega, all forme ...

'' Fabrizi won a

for Best New Actress, while in 1984 she won a

for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in ''

Acqua e sapone ''Acqua e sapone'' (''Water and Soap'') is an Italian romantic comedy film by Carlo Verdone. Verdone, here in his fourth direction, besides interpreter is also the author of the subject and participates in the script as in his other films. Pl ...

''. Fabrizi was also a busy television personality, and for a long time she was a regular guest on the television program

Maurizio Costanzo Show Maurizio Costanzo (28 August 1938 – 24 February 2023) was an Italian television host, journalist, screenwriter, and film director. Biography Costanzo began his career as a journalist, first as a contributing writer to ''Paese Sera'' and then ...

. She suffered from

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

, and died of a stroke at

Fatebenefratelli Hospital Fatebenefratelli Hospital (officially Ospedale San Giovanni Calibita Fatebenefratelli) is a hospital located on the western side of the Tiber Island in Rome. It was established in 1585 and is currently run by the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John ...

in Rome. She was a supporter of

S.S. Lazio (; ; ''Lazio Sport Club'') is an Italian professional sports club based in Rome, most known for its football activity. The society, founded in 1900, plays in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian footba ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fabrizi, Elena Actresses from Rome Italian stage actresses Italian television actresses Italian film actresses 1915 births 1993 deaths 20th-century Italian actresses Nastro d'Argento winners David di Donatello winners Burials at the Cimitero Flaminio Italian gastronomes