Ornella Muti was born Francesca Romana Rivelli on March 9, 1955 in Rome. Even as a child, she inherited genes that really suited her in life. She was born to the Italian doctor Francesco Rivelli and his lovely wife, the Estonian sculptor Ilse Renate Krause. She was not an only child and had an older sister, but she hoped that her sibling would be a brother. At first she was slightly disappointed, later a certain rivalry developed between the girls.
When the sisters were young, they were clear about their future. Both thought they would become great artists. Claudia saw herself standing in front of the canvas, but Francesca knew that one day she would be in front of the cameras. But there was one big problem and that was the father. He, being a slightly conservative man, had a clear idea of what his two daughters would do. He wanted them to open private surgeries and treat only the richest people. When Ornelle was 11, her father died.
Photo: Photo: Leo Medvedev/Creative Commons/4.0 international
Ornella Muti in 1995 in Moscow
She didn’t become a model, she was a few centimeters short
However, her mother knew that she would support her daughter in her dreams. The girl tried the catwalk like a pod. But they didn’t want to let her go there. It bothered them that she was not tall enough, although she was 168 cm. So she decided to try acting. A true coincidence helped her become a movie star at such an early age. Director Damiano Damiani originally wanted to cast her sister in the drama The Most Beautiful Wife. But she arrived at the rehearsals with Ornella and the choice was clear.
However, one major problem had to be solved. Ornelle was only fourteen years old at the time, and in Italy children under fifteen were not allowed to make films. Therefore, the filmmakers had to falsify her employment contract and date of birth. They also had to appoint a responsible person who will write excuses to the school on a daily basis. The actress’s life turned one hundred and eighty degrees in a moment. More than once, what she had wished for since she was a child happened. She was famous and everyone liked her. In addition, during the filming of the film, she fell in love with her fellow actor, whom she married a year later. Her daughter Naike was born, but the relationship was going through a major crisis.
Foto: Foto: 9ekieram1/Creative Commons/3,0 unported
Ornella Muti in 2016
She was an exotic in Hollywood, loved in Czechoslovakia
When it came to acting, she was doing better than she dared to hope. And so she decided to go across the ocean and try her luck in America. Little did she know that it would be the worst experience she could ever have. They constantly told her that she was a foreigner and came from Europe. And they even told her that she looked like an exotic. So she quickly calculated that she would not find her happiness here and returned back to Italy. And in Czechoslovakia, people loved her.
She sold out theaters and made sure that when her movies were on TV, the dads from the families were home on time. In 1998, she even participated in the International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary, where she appeared as an ambassador for the newly filmed comedy Somewhere in the City. Two years later, she took part in the International Film Festival in Zlín.
