Franca bettoja biography for kids

Italian actress (1936–2024)

Franca Bettoia (or Bettoja; 14 May 1936 – 13 September 2024) was an Italian actress known for her role as Ruth Collins in the film The Last Man on Earth.

Life and career

Born in Rome in an upper-class family, Bettoia studied dance at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, and made her first film appearance in Un palco all'opera (1955, by Siro Marcellini).^[1] She had her breakout in 1958, starring opposite Pietro Germi in A Man of Straw, a role which got her a Grolla d'oro nomination for best actress.^[2] In 1962, she got a Nastro d'argento nomination for best supporting actress for her performance in Alfredo Giannetti's Day by Day, Desperately.^[2] Despite the critical acclaim for her performances, she was more active in genre films, mostly in adventure and sword-and-sandal films.^[1] Among them, in 1964, Bettoia co-starred with Vincent Price in the horror/science fiction film The Last Man