Serena Rossi
Serena Rossi is an Italian actress and singer. She is/has best known for portraying Carmen Catalano in Rai 3 soap opera Un posto al sole. She subsequently starred in a variety of stage and film productions and lent her voice to animate television and film. In 2019 she gained widespread recognition for portraying singer Mia Martini in the biographical drama Io sono Mia, for which she was awarded with a Nastro d'Argento.
Biography
Born and raised in Naples, Serena Rossi comes from an artistic family originally from Montefalcone nel Sannio, in the Province of Campobasso, Molise.After a variety of small musical roles on stage, Rossi rose to prominence in 2003 starring as Carmen Catalano in Rai 3 soap opera Un posto al sole, from season eight to season fourteen. She later reprised the role in the second season of its spin-off Un posto al sole d'estate.
In 2005, Rossi returned on stage in her first lead engagement starring in Mal'aria, a musical inspired by Romeo and Juliet but set in Naples. The musical was performed at Teatro Palaparthenope in Naples.
The following year, Serena Rossi signed with EMI and released her debut extended play, Amore che, a folk-pop record conteining five song written by Franco Fasano. The songs were promoted by Rossi during the tenth season of Un posto al sole. She also guest-starred in the internationally popular hit detective series Inspector Montalbano, based on the novels by Andrea Camilleri, in the episode "La vampa d'agosto", which aired on November 2, 2008.
In 2011, Rossi starred in Rai 1 comedy-drama series Che Dio ci aiuti, playing the single mother Giulia Sabatini. For the role, she won the Massimo Troisi Award for "Best Comedy Actress". Rossi left the series after the first season. The following year, Rossi appearaed in a recurring capacity in the third season of Canale 5 police procedural series R.I.S. Roma – Delitti imperfetti.
In 2013, Serena Rossi was chosen as the Italian voice of Anna for the Disney animated fantasy film Frozen. She released the official Italian soundtrack album, featuring all the original songs in Italian with co-lead vocals by Serena Autieri, the Italian voice of Elsa. Rossi reprised the role in all the subsequent installments. In the same year, she returned on stage playing the female lead Rosetta in a new production of the popular musical Rugantino, directed by Enrico Brignano and performed at Teatro Sistina in Rome. On December 16, 2013, the artist released her debut studio album Nella casa di pepe, produced by Paolo Varriale.
In 2014, Serena Rossi made her major feature film debut starring in the heist comedy film Song'e Napule, directed by Manetti Bros. The film premiered at Rome Film Festival in 2013 and was released on April 17, 2014, in Italian theaters receiving positive reviews by critics and winning a variety of awards including two David di Donatello, three Nastro d'Argento and a Globo d'Oro. For her portrayal, Rossi won an Italian Movie Award for Best Actress. In the same year, Rossi competed during the fourth season of the reality competition series Tale e quale show, based on the format of Your Face Sounds Familiar. During the show, the artist impersonated numerous popular singers, including Pharrell Williams, Beyoncé, Tosca, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson and Elisa. On December 2, 2014, Rossi was featured in Matteo Becucci's fourth studio album Tutti quanti Mery in the cover song "Vorrei incontrarti fra cent'anni", originally performed by Ron and Tosca.
In 2017, Serena Rossi received widespread recognition starring as Fatima in Manetti Bros. musical comedy film Love and Bullets. The film premiered during the 74th Venice International Film Festival and won all the major Italian film awards including David di Donatello for Best Film, Best Costumes, Best Score and Best Original Song. Rossi also won the Nastro d'Argento for Best Original Song for "Bang Bang", and received the "Colpo di fulmine Award" during the Ciak d'Oro ceremony. In the same year, Serena Rossi was featured as a part-time host in the talk-variety show Detto fatto and as a judge in the second season of the children's talent competition series Piccoli giganti. Rossi also hosted a concert special for Radio Italia and the Rai 1 music variety special Celebration, alsongside Neri Marcorè. The following year, Serena Rossi was featured as a commentator during the finals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 and dubbed Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins in the Italian version of the 2018 film Mary Poppins Returns.
In 2019, Serena Rossi starred as singer-songwriter Mia Martini in the biographical drama film Io sono Mia, directed by Riccardo Donna. The film follows Martini's artistic career, her entourage, her sister Loredana Bertè, and the tumultuous relationships with her parents. For her portrayal, Rossi received critical acclaim and was awarded with a Special Nastro d'Argento Award. To promote the film, Serena Rossi performed Martini's huge hit single "Almeno tu nell'universo" with Claudio Baglioni during the Sanremo Music Festival 2019. In the same year, Rossi starred in the comedy film Brave ragazze and reprised the role of Anna in Disney's Frozen 2.
In 2020, Rossi starred in the romantic comedy 7 ore per farti innamorare, for which she was nominated for a Nastro d'Argento and a Ciak d'Oro for Best Actress, and appeared in Stefano Mordini's thriller You Came Back, presented as the closing film during the 77th Venice International Film Festival. The following year, Rossi starred as the titular role in Rai 1 comedy-drama series Mina Settembre, which ran for three season ending in February 2025. In the same year, Serena Rossi hosted the variety show Canzone segreta and appearaed in the Naples-themed episode of Alberto Angela's show Stanotte a…, that aired on December 25.
In 2024, Serena Rossi starred in the drama film The Children's Train, directed by Cristina Comencini and based on the novel of the same name by Viola Ardone. The film premiered during the 19th Rome Film Festival and was later released on Netflix.
In 2025, Rossi co-wrote, co-directed, co-produced and starred in the original stage musical SereNata a Napoli. Set in Rossi's native town Naples and inspired by the Canzone napoletana, the show embarked a National tour on the main Italian stages. In the same year, Serena Rossi also voiced Gal Gadot as the Evil Queens in the live-action remake Snow White.
Discography
Studio albums
- ''Nella casa di pepe''
Extended plays
- ''Amore che''