Biography

Eleonora Ricci (19 July 1924 – 16 April 1976) was an Italian actress. Born in Viareggio, Tuscany, Ricci was the daughter of actors Renzo Ricci and Margherita Bagni. Ermete Zacconi was her mother's stepfather. At 17 years old, she moved to Rome to enroll in the Academy of Dramatic Arts, where she met Vittorio Gassman, who became her husband in 1944 and from whom she separated shortly after the birth of her only child, actress Paola Gassman (born June 1945), divorcing Vittorio in 1952 so he could marry Shelley Winters. Ricci made her professional debut in 1943, in the theatrical company led by Laura Adani.