Born and raised in
Naples, Serena Rossi comes from an artistic family originally from
Montefalcone nel Sannio, in the
Province of Campobasso,
Molise. After a variety of small musical roles on stage, Rossi rose to prominence in 2003 starring as Carmen Catalano in
Rai 3 soap opera
Un posto al sole, from season eight to season fourteen. She later reprised the role in the second season of its spin-off ''
Un posto al sole d'estate''. In 2005, Rossi returned on stage in her first lead engagement starring in ''Mal'aria
, a musical inspired by Romeo and Juliet'' but set in
Naples. The musical was performed at Teatro Palaparthenope in
Naples. The following year, Serena Rossi signed with
EMI and released her debut extended play,
Amore che, a
folk-pop record conteining five song written by Franco Fasano. The songs were promoted by Rossi during the tenth season of
Un posto al sole. She also guest-starred in the internationally popular hit
detective series Inspector Montalbano, based on the novels by
Andrea Camilleri, in the episode "La vampa d'agosto", which aired on November 2, 2008. In 2011, Rossi starred in
Rai 1 comedy-drama series
Che Dio ci aiuti, playing the single mother Giulia Sabatini. For the role, she won the Massimo Troisi Award for "Best Comedy Actress". Rossi left the series after the first season. The following year, Rossi appearaed in a recurring capacity in the third season of
Canale 5 police procedural series
R.I.S. Roma – Delitti imperfetti. In 2013, Serena Rossi was chosen as the Italian voice of
Anna for the
Disney animated fantasy film
Frozen. She released the official Italian
soundtrack album, featuring all the original songs in Italian with co-lead vocals by
Serena Autieri, the Italian voice of
Elsa. Rossi reprised the role in all the subsequent installments. In the same year, she returned on stage playing the female lead Rosetta in a new production of the popular musical
Rugantino, directed by
Enrico Brignano and performed at
Teatro Sistina in
Rome. On December 16, 2013, the artist released her debut studio album
Nella casa di pepe, produced by Paolo Varriale. In 2014, Serena Rossi made her major feature film debut starring in the
heist comedy film ''
Song'e Napule'', directed by
Manetti Bros. The film premiered at
Rome Film Festival in 2013 and was released on April 17, 2014 in Italian theaters receiving positive reviews by critics and winning a variety of awards including two
David di Donatello, three
Nastro d'Argento and a
Globo d'Oro. For her portrayal, Rossi won an Italian Movie Award for Best Actress. In the same year, Rossi competed during the fourth season of the reality competition series
Tale e quale show, based on the format of
Your Face Sounds Familiar. During the show, the artist impersonated numerous popular singers, including
Pharrell Williams,
Beyoncé,
Tosca,
Mariah Carey,
Michael Jackson and
Elisa. On December 2, 2014, Rossi was featured in
Matteo Becucci's fourth studio album
Tutti quanti Mery in the cover song "
Vorrei incontrarti fra cent'anni", originally performed by
Ron and
Tosca. In 2017, Serena Rossi received widespread recognition starring as Fatima in
Manetti Bros. musical comedy film
Love and Bullets. The film premiered during the
74th Venice International Film Festival and won all the major Italian film awards including
David di Donatello for Best Film,
Best Costumes,
Best Score and
Best Original Song (for "Bang Bang", performed by Rossi, Franco Ricciardi and
Giampaolo Morelli). Rossi also won the
Nastro d'Argento for Best Original Song for "Bang Bang", and received the "Colpo di fulmine Award" during the
Ciak d'Oro ceremony. In the same year, Serena Rossi was featured as a part-time host in the talk-variety show
Detto fatto and as a judge in the second season of the children's talent competition series
Piccoli giganti. Rossi also hosted a concert special for
Radio Italia and the
Rai 1 music variety special
Celebration, alsongside
Neri Marcorè. The following year, Serena Rossi was featured as a commentator during the finals of the
Eurovision Song Contest 2018 and dubbed
Emily Blunt as
Mary Poppins in the Italian version of the 2018 film
Mary Poppins Returns. In 2019, Serena Rossi starred as singer-songwriter
Mia Martini in the biographical drama film
Io sono Mia, directed by Riccardo Donna. The film follows Martini's artistic career, her entourage, her sister
Loredana Bertè, and the tumultuous relationships with her parents. For her portrayal, Rossi received critical acclaim and was awarded with a
Special Nastro d'Argento Award. To promote the film, Serena Rossi performed Martini's huge hit single "
Almeno tu nell'universo" with
Claudio Baglioni during the
Sanremo Music Festival 2019. In the same year, Rossi starred in the comedy film
Brave ragazze and reprised the role of
Anna in
Disney's
Frozen 2. In 2020, Rossi starred in the romantic comedy
7 ore per farti innamorare, for which she was nominated for a
Nastro d'Argento and a
Ciak d'Oro for Best Actress, and appeared in
Stefano Mordini's thriller
You Came Back, presented as the closing film during the
77th Venice International Film Festival. The following year, Rossi starred as the titular role in
Rai 1 comedy-drama series
Mina Settembre, which ran for three seasons, ending in February 2025. In the same year, Serena Rossi hosted the variety show
Canzone segreta and appeared in the
Naples-themed episode of
Alberto Angela's show
Stanotte a…, that aired on December 25. In 2024, Serena Rossi starred in the drama film ''
The Children's Train'', directed by
Cristina Comencini and based on the novel of the same name by
Viola Ardone. The film premiered during the
19th Rome Film Festival and was later released on
Netflix. In 2025, Rossi co-wrote, co-directed, co-produced and starred in the original stage musical
SereNata a Napoli. Set in Rossi's native town
Naples and inspired by the
Canzone napoletana, the show embarked a National tour on the main Italian stages. The official soundtrack album, featuring all the songs performed by Rossi during the show, was released on January 30, 2026 through
Warner Music Italy. In the same year, Serena Rossi also voiced
Gal Gadot as the
Evil Queens in the live-action remake
Snow White. == Filmography ==