Maria Tucci (born June 19, 1941) is an American actress. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 1967 for her performance in '' The Rose Tattoo''. She played Koula in the 2015 mini-series '' The Slap''. She also won an OBIE award for her performance as Phaedo in "Talk" by Carl Hancock Rux at the Joseph Papp Public Theater.

Personal life

Tucci was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

, the daughter of Laura Tucci (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth ...

Rusconi; 1911-1989) and

Niccolò Tucci Niccolò Tucci (May 1, 1908 – December 10, 1999) was a short story writer and novelist who wrote in English and Italian. Early life and family Tucci was born in Lugano, Switzerland, on 1 May 1908, to a Russian mother and an Italian father who be ...

(1908-1999), a writer. She has a brother, Vieri. Her parents came to America in 1938 to escape from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. She is married to writer Robert Gottlieb. Her daughter,

Lizzie Gottlieb Elizabeth "Lizzie" Alice Gottlieb (born January 5, 1971) is an American film and theater director best known for her documentaries '' Turn Every Page'', ''Today's Man'', and ''Romeo Romeo''. Early life Elizabeth Alice Gottlieb, known as "Li ...

, is a documentary filmmaker. Her film ''Today's Man'' featured her family and tells the story of Tucci's son, Niccolo "Nicky", and his fight with Asperger syndrome. Tucci began her acting education at a young age, studying with

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American theatre director, actor and acting teacher. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 193 ...

and Joseph Papp. She briefly attended

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Col ...

Film and television

Tucci began appearing in film in 1969. Her first credits were in

Robert Frank Robert Frank (November 9, 1924 – September 9, 2019) was a Swiss Documentary photography, photographer and documentary filmmaker, who became an American binational. His most notable work, the 1958 book titled The Americans (photography), ''The ...

's '' Me and My Brother'' and a CBS Playhouse production titled ''Shadow Game''. She played Lisa in Sidney Lumet's 1983 film ''

Daniel Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...

''. In Gus Van Sant's 1995 film '' To Die For'' she portrayed Angela Maretto.

Theatre

Tucci made her Broadway debut in 1963, in '' The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore''. She has fourteen Broadway credits. Principal roles include Rose Delle Rose opposite

Maureen Stapleton Lois Maureen Stapleton (June 21, 1925 – March 13, 2006) was an American actress. She received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Tony Awards, in addition t ...

in the 1966 production of '' The Rose Tattoo'' by

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

. In 1967 she starred as Alexandra Giddens in a revival of '' The Little Foxes'' by

Lillian Hellman Lillian Florence Hellman (June 20, 1905 – June 30, 1984) was an American playwright, prose writer, memoirist and screenwriter known for her success on Broadway, as well as her communist sympathies and political activism. She was blacklisted aft ...

, with Anne Bancroft as her mother. In 1969 she was a replacement for Jane Alexander in '' The Great White Hope''. In 1988, she starred in a revival of '' The Night of the Iguana'' as Hannah Jelkes. In 2009, she appeared in the production of ''

Mary Stuart Mary Stuart or Mary Stewart may refer to: People *Mary Stewart, Countess of Buchan (before 1428–1465), fifth daughter of James I of Scotland, 1st Countess of Buchan *Mary of Guelders (c. 1434–1463), queen to James II of Scotland * Mary Stewart, ...

'' as Hanna. Off-Broadway
Tucci began her career

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

. One of her earliest credits is a 1963 production of ''

The Trojan Women ''The Trojan Women'' ( grc, Τρῳάδες, translit=Trōiades), also translated as ''The Women of Troy'', and also known by its transliterated Greek title ''Troades'', is a tragedy by the Greek playwright Euripides. Produced in 415 BC during ...

''. In 1986, she starred in a production of '' A Man for All Seasons'' as Alice More. Tucci played the role of Ruth Steiner in '' Collected Stories'', in its 1997 New York debut. The play was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. In 2014, she appeared in a production of ''

Love and Information ''Love and Information'' is a play written by the British playwright Caryl Churchill. It first opened at the Royal Court Theatre in September 2012. It received many positive reviews from critics. Synopsis The play is a compilation of seven sec ...

'' at the Minetta Lane Theatre. Regionally she has performed in many shows with the

Long Wharf Theatre Long Wharf Theatre is a nonprofit institution in New Haven, Connecticut, a pioneer in the not-for-profit regional theatre movement, the originator of several prominent plays, and a venue where many internationally known actors have appeared. Fou ...

and the

Williamstown Theatre Festival The Williamstown Theatre Festival is a resident summer theater on the campus of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1954 by Williams College news director Ralph Renzi and drama program chairman David C. Bryant. I ...

.1988 Playbill biography
accessed 11/23/2016

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tucci, Maria 1941 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American people of Italian descent