Cortellesi debuted in the show business at the age of 13, as a singer for
Cacao meravigliao, the jingle of the popular
RAI TV show
Indietro tutta! by
Renzo Arbore. At 19 she began studying as an actress at the "Teatro Blu" in Rome (the same theatre school that
Kim Rossi Stuart,
Gianmarco Tognazzi,
Claudia Gerini,
Stefania Rocca, and
Claudio Santamaria, among others, have attended). She began her career in television with the show
Macao, presented by
Alba Parietti, but eventually reached nationwide popularity as a comic actress in the TV show
Mai dire Gol by the
Gialappa's Band (2000), which, in particular, showcased her skills at parodying famous people, a genre where she collected some of her most appreciated performances (the latest one being her parody of
Milan's mayor
Letizia Moratti in the 2010–2011 edition of the popular TV show
Zelig). After
Mai dire Gol, Cortellesi has collaborated in several other TV Show of the
Mai dire... franchise by Gialappa's Band. Other major performances of Cortellesi on television include the 2004 edition of the
Sanremo Music Festival and the leading role in the TV movie
Maria Montessori: Una vita per i bambini, a biography of
Maria Montessori, for which Cortellesi received the "Maximo Award" at the Roma Fiction Fest. Her career in cinema includes several appreciated performances in comedies and comic movies, including a leading role in
Tu la conosci Claudia?, a very popular production starring the comic trio
Aldo, Giovanni & Giacomo. In 2008, she was nominated for the
David di Donatello award for
Best Supporting Actress for her role in the movie
Piano, solo by Riccardo Milani. In 2011 she won the David di Donatello for
Best Actress for her leading role in
Escort in Love. One of her most appreciated theatrical performances was
Gli ultimi saranno gli ultimi ("Last will be last") by
Massimiliano Bruno, which has been staged 189 times from 2005 to 2007 in over 50 theatres, and for which Cortellesi has collected a number of awards. As a singer, Cortellesi has been described by
Mina as "one of the best Italian voices" and has cooperated with several notable Italian musicians, including
Elio e le Storie Tese,
Renato Zero,
Claudio Baglioni,
Frankie Hi-NRG MC, and
Neri per Caso. In 2019 she was filmed in the title role of
Petra for the four-part Italian TV crime drama, broadcast from September 2020. In 2023 her directorial debut ''
There's Still Tomorrow (C'è ancora domani'') was a major hit. It was the
most successful film at the Italian box office in 2023, and the
10th highest-grossing film in the country's history. It was the opening film at the
18th Rome Film Festival, at the
69th David di Donatello it brought Cortellesi 6 awards, including the Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay. In 2025, Cortellesi was appointed the jury president of the Progressive Cinema Competition at the
20th Rome Film Festival. == Personal life ==