Valentina Cervi

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Valentina Cervi
Valentina Cervi Venice 2012.jpg
Cervi in 2012
Born (1976-04-13) 13 April 1976 (age 49)
Rome, Italy
OccupationActress
Years active1986–present
Height1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)
SpouseStefano Mordini
Children2 (Margherita (2013) and a son (2016))
Relatives

Valentina Cervi (born 13 April 1976) is an Italian film and television actress.

Contents

Life and career

Cervi was born in Rome on 13 April 1976. [1] She is the daughter of director Tonino Cervi and granddaughter of actor Gino Cervi. Her mother is the Italian producer of Austrian-Hungarian origin Marina Gefter. [2] Cervi started her acting career at age ten in Carlo Cotti's 1986 film Portami la luna. She also played an English-language role in Jane Campion's 1996 The Portrait of a Lady .

One of her most acclaimed roles was the lead in the 1997 film Artemisia , directed by Agnès Merlet. It was loosely based on the painter Artemisia Gentileschi's life, but controversially portrayed the relationship between Agostino Tassi (played by Miki Manojlović) and Artemisia as a passionate affair rather than as rape. [3]

In 2011, she appeared as Arianna in BBC TV's Italian detective mini-series Zen . She also appeared as "Valentina" in Canale 5's series Distretto di Polizia in 2011.

Cervi appeared as Bertha Mason in Cary Fukunaga's 2011 film adaptation of Jane Eyre. She was cast as the ancient vampire Salome in the HBO television drama True Blood . [4]

She is married to director Stefano Mordini and has two children, Margherita (born 2013) and a son (born 2016).

She received the America Award of the Italy–USA Foundation in 2018.[ citation needed ]

Filmography

Films

YearTitleRole(s)Notes
1988 Mignon Has Come to Stay Little girlCameo appearance
1994 Oasi Claudia
The Night and the Moment DancerCameo appearance
1996 The Portrait of a Lady Pansy Osmond
Escoriandoli Sabrina
1997 Artemisia Artemisia Gentileschi
1998 Children of Hannibal Rita
1999 Rien sur Robert Aurélie Coquille
Branchie Livia
Midsummer Night's Dance Ines
2001 Hotel Hotel maidCameo appearance
2002 Soul Mate Teresa
2003 Past Perfect Carola
Sansa Valentina
The Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 1: The Moab Story Cissie Colpitts
2004 The Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 2: Vaux to the Sea
TempestaDina Gusmano
The Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 3: From Sark to the Finish Cissie Colpitts
2005Provincia meccanicaSilvia Battaglia
2007Fine pena maiDaniela Perrone
2008 Miracle at St. Anna Renata
2009SleeplessOlga
2011 Jane Eyre Bertha Mason
R.I.F. Valérie Monnereau
2012 In a Rush Ada Savigné
2013Mi rifaccio vivoAmanda
2016Senza lasciare tracciaElena
Ho amici in paradisoGiulia
2017Dove non ho mai abitatoLaura
Agadah Ines
Lasciami per sempreAida
2018 Euphoria Tatiana
2019 Vivere Azzurra
2020 The Players Lisa
2021Codice KarimGaia
The Last Paradiso Lucia
The Catholic School Eleonora Rummo
2022 The Invisible Thread Monica Ferrari
Marcel! The Cousin
2023 The Order of Time Greta

Television

YearTitleRole(s)Notes
1993 I ragazzi del muretto LauraEpisode: "L'amore quello vero"
2001 James Dean Pier AngeliTelevision movie
2007 War and Peace Maria Bolkonskaya Main role
2008 Donne assassine MargheritaEpisode: "Margherita"
2011 Zen Arianna von FakenhaynEpisodes: "Vendetta"; "Cabal"
2011–2012 Distretto di Polizia Valentina BiniMain role (season 11); 26 episodes
2012 True Blood Salome AgrippaMain role (season 5); 11 episodes
2012–2015 Una grande famiglia Martina RuggeriSeries regular
2013 Borgia Caterina Sforza-Riaro2 episodes
2015–2017Solo per amoreGloria KellerMain role
2016 Medici Alessandra AlbizziRecurring role; 3 episodes
2019I ragazzi dello Zecchino d'Oro SilvanaTelevision movie

References

  1. Pellegrini, Francesca. "Valentina Cervi: Ritratto di un'attrice italiana". Mymovies.it . Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  2. "Marina gefter". www.italiafilmservice.com. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  3. "Artemisia, The Rape and the Trial". www.webwinds.com.
  4. Ausiello, Michael (15 November 2011). "True Blood Exclusive: Is This Season 5's Big Bad?". TVLine . Archived from the original on 16 November 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2011.