Gabriella Pession

Gabriella was born in Florida and spent her childhood in the United States. At six, she moved to Italy where she finished her studies and started training in figure skating for the Italian skating team. She competed in several competitions traveling around the world to Sweden, Eastern Europe and Russia. In 1992, she spent several weeks training at St. Petersburg where she also had the opportunity to study ballet with a teacher from the famous Kirov Theatre. Gabriella had an accident when she was 15, which halted what could have been a brilliant career as a skater, but she didn't stop studying dancing.

After she quit figure skating she dedicated herself to completing her studies and getting her degree. She went to Brisbane, Australia, and attended the University of Shafston to improve her knowledge of the English language. As well as being fluent in Italian and English, Gabriella also can speak in Spanish and German.

Gabriella returned to Italy, where she enrolled at the University of Milan to get her degree in philosophy and liberal arts. While enrolled there, she auditioned and was cast in the TV movie Amiche davvero!! She then moved to Rome to continue her new acting career. She was called in for movie director Lina Wertmüller, who had been looking for almost a year for the lead in Ferdinando and Carolina. After auditioning over 1,000 candidates, Pession won the part as Princess Carolina of Asburgo.

Her collaboration with Wertmüller changed her life forever. Gabriella settled down in Rome and quickly became a rising star in TV, film and theater. Her connection to Wertmüller continued when she played Tripolina in the theater tragedy "Story of Love and Anarchy." Other roles include Salome in the mini-series "Jesus" opposite Gary Oldman. She has starred in two critically acclaimed Spanish films, Las 13 rosas and ¿Le gusta el chile?

Gabriella's rise to fame continued both on TV and on the big screen, starring opposite Giancarlo Giannini and Raoul Bova in the movie Milan Palermo, The Return. In 2008 she won the Best Actress award for her work on "Capri" and "Capri 2," the biggest TV series in Italy.

AXN