Early life

She was born in Viareggio, Tuscany, into a middle-class family, the daughter of Florida and Otello Sandrelli (who died when she was eight years old), owners of a well known pension in Viareggio.

She has a brother, Sergio, seven years older, who had a successful music career and died in 2013. At young age she approached to the music, learning to play the accordion, and studied ballet.

Career

In 1960 Sandrelli won the Miss Cinema Viareggio beauty contest, then she was the cover girl of the magazine Le Ore and had the first opportunities to make films, appearing, among others, in Luciano Salce's Il federale. Her film career was launched by Pietro Germi with Divorce, Italian Style (1961); later she worked three more times with Germi, in Seduced and Abandoned (1963), L'immorale (1967) and Alfredo, Alfredo (1970).

Sandrelli became in a short time a protagonist of the commedia all'italiana, appearing, among others, in Antonio Pietrangeli's Io la conoscevo bene, Mario Monicelli's Brancaleone alle crociate and Ettore Scola's C'eravamo tanto amati. She also starred in several Bernardo Bertolucci's drama films, including The Conformist (1970) and 1900 (1976), and in several French productions.

In 1980 she won the Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress thanks to her performance in Ettore Scola's La terrazza. In 1983 she relaunched her career with the Tinto Brass' erotic film The Key; following the success of the film she then played a brief series of erotic films of good success.

On September 10 2005 she received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 62nd Venice International Film Festival. On May 11, 2012 she received the title of Chevalier (Knight) of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Personal life

Sandrelli had a long relationship with Italian singer-songwriter Gino Paoli. Their daughter Amanda Sandrelli, born in 1964, is also an actress.

Selected filmography

• Gioventù di notte (1961) her first role
• The Fascist (Il federale) (1961)
• Divorce Italian Style (Divorzio all'italiana) (1961)
• Il Fornaretto di Venezia (1963)
• La bella di Lodi (1963)
• Seduced and Abandoned (Sedotta e abbandonata) (1964)
• I Knew Her Well (Io la conoscevo bene) (1965)
• Tender Scoundrel (Tendre Voyou) (1966)
• L'immorale (1967)
• Partner (1968)
• L'amante di Gramigna (1969)
• Alfredo, Alfredo (1970)
• Brancaleone at the Crusades (Brancaleone alle Crociate) (1970)
• The Conformist (Il conformista) (1970)
• Devil in the Brain (Il diavolo nel cervello) (1972)
• Somewhere Beyond Love (Delitto d'amore) (1974)
• We All Loved Each Other So Much (C'eravamo tanto amati) (1974)
• 1900 (Novecento) (1976)
• Death Rite (Les magiciens) (1976)
• Strange Occasion (Quelle strane occasioni) (1976)
• Police Python 357 (1976)
• Traffic Jam (L'Ingorgo : Una storia impossibile) (1979)
• Where Are You Going on Holiday? (Dove vai in vacanza?) (1979)
• La terrazza (1980)
• Desideria: la vita interiore (it) (1980)
• My Darling, My Dearest (Bello mio, bellezza mia) (1981)
• La disubbidienza (1981)
• Eccezzziunale... veramente (1982)
• Vacanze di Natale (1983)
• The Key (La chiave) (1983)
• Secrets Secrets (Segreti segreti) (1984)
• Mamma Ebe (1985)
• D'Annunzio (1985)
• The American Bride (La sposa americana) (1986)
• Let's Hope It's a Girl (Speriamo che sia femmina) (1987)
• The Family (La famiglia) (1987)
• The Gold Rimmed Glasses (Gli occhiali d'oro) (1987)
• Widow's Walk (fr) (Noyade interdite) (1987)
• Secondo Ponzio Pilato (1987)
• Mignon Has Come to Stay (Mignon è partita) (1988)
• The Sleazy Uncle (Lo zio indegno) (1988)
• Stradivari (1988)
• The Little Devil (Il piccolo diavolo) (1989)
• Dark Illness (Il male oscuro) (1990)
• The African Woman (1990)
• Traces of an Amorous Life (Tracce di vita amorosa) (1990)
• Jamón Jamón (1992)
• Of Love and Shadows (1994)
• With Closed Eyes (Con gli occhi chiusi) (1994)
• Palermo - Milan One Way (1995)
• Stealing Beauty (1996)
• The Nymph (Ninfa Plebea) (1996)
• The Dinner (La cena) (1998)
• We'll Really Hurt You (Le faremo tanto male) (1998)
• Marriages (Matrimoni) (1998)
• The Last Kiss (L'ultimo bacio) (2001)
• Sons and Daughters (L'ultimo bacio) (2002)
• A Talking Picture (Um Filme Falado) (2003)
• People of Rome (Gente di Roma) (2003)
• Life as It Comes (La vita come viene) (2003)
• The Woman of My Dreams (2010)
• The First Beautiful Thing (La prima cosa bella) (2010)
• The Passion (La passione) (2010)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]