Italian-born filmmaker Giada Colagrande has written and directed several movies and documentaries in the course of her over 2-decade career. Also an actress, she has had starring roles in many of her own films as well as other projects. The multitalented star recently ventured into music, adding yet another feather to her cap. Beyond her illustrious career, Colagrande is well known for her long-running marital union with Hollywood actor, Willem Dafoe. Learn more about her below.
Giada Colagrande – Bio (Age)
Giada Colagrande was born on the 16th day of October in the year 1975 in the city of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Growing up, she attended an Italian boarding school in Lausanne, Switzerland. She also schooled in Australia as an exchange student and later, had her college education at the University of Rome. She began creating videos and making documentaries on modern art whilst still in college. However, she moved to New York after graduating from college but she later returned to Rome, Italy.
Facts About Willem Dafoe’s Wife
Career Beginning
In the late 1990s, Colagrande was part of a video art project dubbed “VOLUME” which involved making video portraits of a number of contemporary artists. While at it, she also worked on her own personal projects which include the making of three short films – “Carnaval” (1997), “Fetus – 4 brings death” (1999), and “n.3” (2000).
Giada Colagrande Feature Film Debut
Giada Colagrande worked on her first feature film Aprimi il Cuore (Open My Heart) in 2001. In addition to playing the lead role in the movie, she also served as the writer, co-producer, and director. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2002 and was selected by several other international film festivals across different continents.
As expected, the talented filmmaker earned quite a number of accolades for her work in Aprimi il Cuore (2002). The movie was awarded the “Prix de l’avenir” at the inaugural Festival of Paris Cinéma in 2003. In addition to that, Colagrande got nominated for the 2003 Nastro d’Argento (Silver Ribbon Award) for Best Director.
Other Works
The talented filmmaker worked on her second feature film Before it Had a Name (2005) which featured Hollywood A-lister Willem Dafoe. In addition to her directorial duties, she also co-wrote and co-starred in the movie. It was premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2005 and was also screened at several international film festivals across the world. The movie was later released on DVD under the title The Black Widow.
Giada Colagrande’s third movie A Woman (2010) also had Willem Dafoe as the lead star and it was premiered at the 2010 Venice Film Festival. In 2012, she worked on the short film The Woman Dress and she also released Bob Wilson’s Life & Death of Marina Abramovic, a feature-length documentary based on the biography of performance artist Marina Abramović. Both projects were premiered at the 2012 Venice Film Festival.
Colagrande’s collaboration with Abramović equally yielded another documentary The Abramovic Method (2013) which has been screened in several museums around the world after it was premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2013.
Giada’s next project was the drama film Padre (2016) which she wrote, directed and also starred in. Her regular collaborators Willem Dafoe and Marina Abramović equally had roles in the movie.
Giada Colagrande Music Career
Giada Colagrande ventured into music in the year 2017. She worked on a music project titled “THE MAGIC DOOR” in collaboration with two other Italian-born musicians Arthuan Rebis and Vincenzo Zitello. An American-born percussionist, Glen Velez also contributed to the project.
Husband and Family
Colagrande has been married for more than a decade to prolific Hollywood actor, Willem Dafoe. The couple first met in the year 2004 in the city of Rome and after dating for a while, they tied the knot on March 25, 2005. Their wedding was a private ceremony with only two witnesses present.
Interestingly, Colagrande is 20 years younger than her husband Dafoe but despite this gaping age difference, their marriage has stood the test of time. They have also recorded several collaborations in the course of their careers. Willem Dafoe’s acting career has spanned over 4 decades and he has no less than 4 Oscar nominations to his name.
Height and Body Stats
Giada Colagrande stands at a height of 5′ 4¼” (163 cm) and she maintains a trim physique. The gorgeous filmmaker-actress has long black hair which is one of her unique physical features. The details of her other body measurements including her bust, waist, and hips sizes are currently not available.
