Greta Scacchi ( SKAK-ee, Italian: [ˈɡrɛːta sˈkakki]; 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 in January 1995.
Scacchi had her first leading role in the romantic drama film Heat and Dust (1983), for which she received a BAFTA Award 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).
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Early life and education
Greta Scacchi was born on 18 February 1960 in Milan, Italy, the daughter of an Italian father and English mother. 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, West Sussex.
In 1975, after Scacchi's mother's remarriage, the family moved to Perth, Western Australia, where her stepfather was a visiting professor at the University of Western Australia (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'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.
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 Second Sight.
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 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 for her portrayal of Alix of Hesse in the television film Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny, and was nominated for a Golden Globe 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 Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for Broken Trail.
Scacchi is fluent in English, French, German, and Italian, 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 and Jonathan Pryce. In 1991, she played Nora in Ibsen's A Doll's House in the Festival of Perth. A year later, she played the lead role in Strindberg's Miss Julie for the Sydney Theatre Company. She returned to Sydney in 1996 to play Cecilia in Sam Shepard's Simpatico. In 1999, she took the lead in Easy Virtue in Chichester, directed by actress Maria Aitken.
Recognition and honours
Scacchi was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for Heat and Dust in 1983.
She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her portrayal of Alix of Hesse in the biographical television film Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny in 1996.
She received another Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her performance in the Western television film Broken Trail (2006).
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.
Personal life
Scacchi is an Italian citizen by birth. She applied for British citizenship after turning 18, but was refused, and again refused on appeal; she later applied again due to Brexit. In 1995, Scacchi became a Australian citizen. 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. 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, who was married to George from 2020 to 2022.
In 1997, Scacchi began a relationship with her first cousin, Carlo Mantegazza. They have a son.
Scacchi is an active supporter of campaigns and organisations that promote environmental causes. She has supported Greenpeace and Christian Aid's climate change 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. 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.
