Caterina Murino

Italian actress Caterina Murino might have started out as a beauty queen, but her love of acting and talent quickly proved she was more than just a passing pretty face. With her breakout role in Casino Royale and a laundry list of film projects on her plate, Murino is well on her way to becoming the newest “it” girl.

Caterina Murino was born September 15, 1977 in Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy. Her first major exposure to the limelight came in 1996 when she entered the Miss Italy contest. She came in just short at number four.

Over the years of 1999 and 2000, Murino pursued acting lessons at the Cinema of Theatre of Francesca de Sapio. At the conclusion of this training, she put her skills to the test with several stage productions, which included Richard III and many Italian-produced plays.

Beginning in 2002, she translated her acting prowess from stage to screen. Her onscreen debut came with the German TV film In der Mitte eines Lebens. She followed with Il Giovane Casanova opposite Thierry Lhermitte and Catherine H Flemming.

Her greatest exposure early in her career came with the 2002 film Nowhere, which also starred prolific actor Harvey Keitel.

For the next four years, however, Murino struggled to find a role that offered significant screen time or that reached a wide audience. Her work during this time included L’Enquete Corse, Des Jours et des Nuits, and L’Amour aux Trousses. Even with a recurring role on Vientos de Agua, Murino was still a struggling Italian actress that had received next to no exposure to an international audience.

But everything changed for her in 2006 when she appeared as Solange in the big budget, high publicity film Casino Royale. The blockbuster hit starred Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench, and Jeffrey Wright. Murino instantly became a hot topic for both her breakout performance and her stunning good looks.

Capitalizing on her newfound celebrity, Murino signed on for several of the film projects that began pouring in. She starred in Non Pensarci and had a successful turn in the 2007 comedy St. Trinian’s with Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Mischa Barton, and Stephen Fry.

She currently has an impressive four projects in the works, all of which are due for a 2008 release. She has completed The Garden of Eden opposite Mena Suvari, and she is in post-production for Made in Italy. Keeping busy, she is filming XIII, and she is also in production for Le Grand Alibi.

In her personal life, she was romantically linked to Giuseppe Pancaro from 1999 to 2001. She speaks three different languages, French, English, and Italian, and she currently resides in Paris.