# Lunetta Savino

Lunetta Savino (born 2 November 1957) is an Italian theatre and movie actress. She's best known for portraying Concetta Gargiulo in Italian soap opera Un medico in famiglia (1998–2009). She later played lead roles in other Italian television productions such as Il bello delle donne (2001–2002), Raccontami (2006–2008), È arrivata la felicità (2015–2018) and Le indagini di Lolita Lobosco (2021–present). Her film credits includes comedy Free the Fish (2000), drama Saturn in Opposition (2007), romantic dramedy Loose Cannons (2010), comedy An Almost Ordinary Summer (2019), and drama Diamonds (2024).

## Career

After graduating at Teatro "Alessandra Galante Garrone" in Bologna, Lunetta Savino made her stage debut in 1981 with Macbeth. Savino has enjoyed a successful stage career, performing in several plays including an Italian-language version of The Merchant of Venice (1984), Sorelle Materassi (from a novel by Aldo Palazzeschi, 1988), and Medea (1994). In 1995, she made her stage debut at Teatro dell'Orologio in Rome with Prova orale per membri esterni, a play by Claudio Grimaldi in which she starred as an oral sex instructor. The play proved to be extremely successful, being replicated for six seasons in many Italian cities.
In 1982, Savino made her screen debut, playing a small part in Grog, directed by Francesco Laudadio.
From 1998 to 2010, Savino played her breakthrough role. She starred as flamboyant au-pair girl from Southern Italy Cettina Gargiulo, a leading character in Un medico in famiglia, one of the most famous Italian TV-series of all times.
Savino has taken part in many TV series in her country, such as Il bello delle donne, Raccontami and Il figlio della luna.
In 2010, she starred as Stefania Cantone, a mother struggling with her grown-up son's sexual orientation, in Ferzan Özpetek's internationally acclaimed movie Loose Cannons
She briefly starred alongside Luciana Littizzetto in the TV series Fuoriclasse, playing the leading character's dishonest sister.
In 2015, Savino starred in Rai Uno's primetime TV series È arrivata la felicità, once again playing the role of a mother struggling with her child's homosexuality.

## Personal life

Savino has a son, Antonio, born in 1988.
She supports the Italian centre-left party, and she once took part in a rally against former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.
While playing a homophobic mother twice on screen, Savino is a supporter of gay rights in Italy. She defines herself as a Catholic.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
| 1982 | Grog | Elena De Rossi | |
| 1983 | Where's Picone? | Street Woman | Uncredited |
| 1985 | Chi mi aiuta? | Franceca | |
| 1998 | Marriages | Lucia | |
| 1998 | Cucciolo | Marisa | |
| 2000 | Free the Fish | Lunetta | |
| 2001 | Se fossi in te | Veronica | |
| 2002 | W la scimmia | Lilla | |
| 2002 | Amore con la S maiuscola | Carmela | |
| 2002 | Sono stato negro pure io | Herself | Documentary |
| 2005 | Never Again as Before | Cesare's mother | |
| 2007 | Saturn in Opposition | Minnie Marchetti | |
| 2009 | Oggi sposi | Violetta | |
| 2010 | Loose Cannons | Stefania Cantone | |
| 2011 | Bar Sport | Old Lady | Cameo |
| 2012 | Tutto tutto niente niente | Frengo's mother | |
| 2013 | Fiabeschi torna a casa | Aunt Maria | |
| 2013 | La fuga | Mother | Short film |
| 2014 | Do You See Me? | Michela | |
| 2018 | Amici come prima | Carla | |
| 2019 | An Almost Ordinary Summer | Ida | |
| 2019 | Rosa | Rosa | |
| 2022 | My Soul Summer | Daria | |
| 2023 | Io e mio fratello | Marilena | |
| 2024 | Diamonds | Eleonora | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
| 1985 | Aeroporto internazionale | Nun #1 | Episode: "Incontro ai transiti" |
| 1998–2009 | Un medico in famiglia | Concetta "Cettina" Gargiulo | Main role (seasons 1-5), guest star (season 6) |
| 2001–2002 | Il bello delle donne | Agnese Astuti-Borsi | Main role (seasons 1-2) |
| 2006–2008 | Raccontami | Elena Sorrentino | Lead role |
| 2007 | Il figlio della luna | Lucia Frisone | Television film |
| 2008 | Il coraggio di Angela | Angela | Television film |
| 2009 | Due mamme di troppo | Lellè Pelliconi | Television film |
| 2014–2015 | Il candidato | Bianca De Mojana | Main role |
| 2015 | Fuoriclasse | Beatrice Passamaglia | Main role (seasons 3) |
| 2015–2018 | È arrivata la felicità | Giovanna Fabbri | Main role |
| 2016 | Felicia Impastato | Felicia Impastato | Television film |
| 2018 | Il fulgore di Dony | Marco's mother | Television film |
| 2021–present | Le indagini di Lolita Lobosco | Nunzia | Main role |
| 2022–present | Studio Battaglia | Marina Di Marco | Main role |
| 2024 | Libera | Libera Orlando | Lead role |