Acting
Jan 10, 1954
Roma, Lazio, Italy
Maria Rosaria Omaggio
Acting
Biography
Maria Rosaria Omaggio (Rome, 1954 – 2024) was one of the most versatile figures in Italian entertainment, successfully spanning cinema, television, theatre, and writing. Of Neapolitan descent, she rose to fame at a very young age participating in Canzonissima (1973-74), a springboard that turned her into a household name and a beauty icon (appearing on famous covers such as Playboy and Playmen). She made her big-screen debut in 1976 in the "poliziotteschi" (Italian crime-thriller) films Rome Armed to the Teeth and The Cop in Blue Jeans. Her filmography is rich and varied, featuring international collaborations and roles for directors such as Woody Allen (To Rome with Love). The pinnacle of her artistic maturity coincided with her portrayal of Oriana Fallaci in Andrzej Wajda's film Walesa: Man of Hope (2013). For this role, she received the Pasinetti Award at the Venice Film Festival and the Oriana Fallaci Prize, earned for her extraordinary resemblance to and intense portrayal of the journalist. On television, she starred in numerous successful dramas and series, from Edera and Caro maestro to international productions like the Spanish series La sonata del silencio. The theatre was a place of experimentation and celebration for her. She portrayed great female figures such as Eleonora Duse and Dido, bringing to the stage texts by prestigious authors including Goldoni, Seneca, García Márquez, and Italo Calvino. She also distinguished herself as a director and translator (notably for Golda's Balcony). Beyond her artistic career, Omaggio was deeply dedicated to humanitarian causes as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF Italy, creating initiatives such as "Theatre for UNICEF." Gifted with a profound spirituality and an interest in Eastern disciplines, she was also an expert instructor of Taijiquan. Passing away in Rome in June 2024, she was bid a fond farewell by the world of culture. According to her wishes, her ashes were scattered in the sea off Ostia, sealing an unbreakable bond with her land and her freedom.
Feature Films (28)
Like every Saturday, Rosa Priore prepares the ragù for Sunday while her husband Peppino paces nervously around the kitchen, arguing about every little thing. When Sunday arrives, the entire Priore family gathers around the table and Mrs. Priore wears a beautiful blue scarf given to her by her neighbor, the thoughtful accountant Ianniello, who lavishes compliments on Donna Rosa and her cooking. After yet another compliment, Peppino explodes and accuses them in no uncertain terms of having an affair. Sunday is ruined, but will the family be able to pull themselves together on Monday?
Sabato, domenica e lunedì
The movie is basically two unrelated comedic features: the first one features the travails of a man who stutters and tries to woo a woman he wants to date. The second features the wonderful Renato Pozetto as a gay man who lives with a partner, but finds himself falling for a woman, and not knowing how to tell his partner, who is prone to melodrama.
Culo e camicia
A top undercover cop finds and arrests a series of purse snatchers until he discovers an American at the top of an evil ring of thieves.
The Cop in Blue Jeans
A man named Leo has the ability to speak to his dog, Beo. He falls in love with a single mother named Sabrina.
Leo e Beo
Ponziani Armando, the owner of a thriving chemical industry, lives in a beautiful villa on Lake Como with his wife and his son Franco Ersilia.
My Father's Private Secretary
Television & Series (5)
Don Matteo is a thoroughly ordinary Catholic priest with an extraordinary ability to read people and solve crimes. He’s a parish priest who never met an unjustly accused person he didn’t want to help.
Father Matteo
The plan to build a large shipping canal between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea had been around for a long time. But it took a man with the drive of Ferdinand de Lesseps to make it happen.
L'Homme de Suez
Four Edgar Allan Poe adaptations running an hour apiece, including "Night in the House of Usher," "Ligeia Forever," "The Delusion of William Wilson" and "The Fall of the House of Usher."
Racconti fantastici
The story of a group of women involved with the Mafia—notably Teresa Uncini and Cosima Sorrentini—who find the strength, courage, and determination to resist their role as passive victims of this barbarity, no matter the cost, with the help of the courageous judge Giulia Marotta.
