Maddalena Ischiale

Already a respected stage, TV, and film actress in her native Italy, Maddalena's breakthrough performance as the long-suffering and steadfast mother of U.S. Olympian and POW Louis Zamperini has garnered international acclaim. While still a teenager, Maddalena studied with Susan Strasberg in Rome. She quickly landed her first role, playing opposite Rupert Everett in Michele Soavi's Dellamorte dellamore (1994)(aka "Cemetery Man") and began a national tour of "The Diary of Anne Frank" in the title role. Furthering her studies, Maddalena earned a Master's Degree in acting and directing from Teatro Emilia Romagna, she continued her career as an actress in Rome and Milan. Maddalena would go on to found "Racconti di Scena", a successful theater and event production company in Brescia. For her work, she has been awarded best director in Compagnie Bresciane al Teatro Santa Chiara. Maddalena is also the creator and artistic director of Shakespeare in Citta', an international festival inaugurated in 2008. In 2012, Maddalena was invited by Academy Award winning actor Martin Landau to become one of the few foreign finalists at the prestigious Actors Studio in Los Angeles where she continues to train. Maddalena was born in Savona and raised on her grandparent's vineyard in Tuscany. She currently makes her home in Los Angeles.