# Miriam Leone
**Miriam Leone** (born 1985 in Catania, Sicily) is an Italian actress who won the 69th edition of the Miss Italia contest in 2008 and went on to a film and television career, with leading roles in the Tangentopoli trilogy *1992*, *1993*, and *1994*, as inspector Valeria Ferro in *Non uccidere*, as Eva Kant in *Diabolik* (2021), and as [Oriana Fallaci](https://www.edgepedia.org/oriana-fallaci) in *Miss Fallaci*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3409676/bio/) • [2](https://www.mymovies.it/persone/miriam-leone/198069/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1985, Catania, Sicily; spent her childhood in Aci Catena, where her parents were from[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3409676/bio/) |
| Miss Italia | Winner of the 69th edition, 2008, at age 23; proclamation entrusted to jury presidents Giancarlo Giannini and Andy Garcia[3](https://missitalia.it/news/newsdett.php?idnews=923) |
| Miss Cinema | Won the sash at Salsomaggiore performing Anna Magnani's scene from *Roma città aperta* before a jury led by Anna Strasberg; relinquished it on becoming Miss Italia[4](https://www.missitalia.it/news/newsdett.php?idnews=1420) |
| Breakthrough role | An aspiring soubrette in the Sky series *1992* (2015) on the Tangentopoli scandal[2](https://www.mymovies.it/persone/miriam-leone/198069/) |
| Signature film role | Eva Kant in *Diabolik* (2021) by the Manetti Bros.; David di Donatello nomination for Best Leading Actress and the Anna Magnani Award at the Bari International Film Festival[5](https://giannichiffi.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/MIRIAM-LEONE-CV-Inglese.pdf) |
| Recent lead | Oriana Fallaci in *Miss Fallaci*, presented at the Rome Film Fest 2024 and broadcast on Rai 1[5](https://giannichiffi.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/MIRIAM-LEONE-CV-Inglese.pdf) • [6](https://www.vogue.it/article/miriam-leone-intervista-cover-vogue-italia-febbraio-2025) |
| Family | Married Paolo Carullo on 18 September 2021; a son, Orlando Leone Carullo, born in 2023[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3409676/bio/) |
## Early life and Miss Italia
Leone was born in Catania to Gabriella Leone, a municipal employee, and Ignazio Leone, a retired teacher, and spent her childhood in Aci Catena, where her parents were from.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3409676/bio/) She attended the Liceo Classico "Gulli e Pennisi" in Acireale and then enrolled in the Faculty of Letters and [Philosophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/philosophy) at the University of Catania, choosing the Art and [Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment) track; during her university years she also worked as a DJ for a local radio station.[7](https://www.itc2000.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/cv-miriam-leone.pdf) She did not complete her degree, deciding instead to enter the 2008 Miss Italia contest.[2](https://www.mymovies.it/persone/miriam-leone/198069/)
Her pageant path began in January 2008, when she won the title of Prima Miss dell'Anno, which gave her direct access to the national finals in Salsomaggiore Terme that September.[4](https://www.missitalia.it/news/newsdett.php?idnews=1420) At the finals she was excluded and then readmitted among the finalists by a vote of her fellow contestants.[8](https://missitalia.it/news/newsdett.php?idnews=259) She won the crown at age 23, with the proclamation entrusted to jury presidents [Giancarlo Giannini](https://www.edgepedia.org/giancarlo-giannini) and Andy Garcia, and the press described her as the first Miss with red hair.[3](https://missitalia.it/news/newsdett.php?idnews=923)
**The Miss Cinema audition.** During the Salsomaggiore selection for the Miss Cinema sash, a genuine audition among five candidates, Leone performed [Anna Magnani](https://www.edgepedia.org/anna-magnani)'s famous fall scene from *Roma città aperta* before a jury presided over by Anna Strasberg, widow of [Lee Strasberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-strasberg), with press agent Enrico Lucherini and actress Fioretta Mari also on the panel.[4](https://www.missitalia.it/news/newsdett.php?idnews=1420) She won the Miss Cinema title together with a scholarship for a three-month acting course in the United States at one of the three campuses of the [Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-strasberg-theatre-and-film-institute).[3](https://missitalia.it/news/newsdett.php?idnews=923) Two days later she was crowned Miss Italia, and by the contest's rules she had to leave both the sash, which passed to the runner-up Valentina Mio, and the scholarship.[4](https://www.missitalia.it/news/newsdett.php?idnews=1420) • [8](https://missitalia.it/news/newsdett.php?idnews=259) In a 2026 account at Taormina, Leone said she had met Susan Strasberg, who chose five girls from more than two hundred and gave her a scholarship and taught her the Actors Studio method; the Miss Italia and MYmovies accounts name Anna Strasberg for the jury and the scholarship instead.[9](https://www.ansa.it/amp/sito/notizie/cultura/cinema/2026/06/22/miriam-leone-il-successo-avere-sempre-la-valigia-pronta_59a4f044-4ebe-49ad-ad09-59fb46e100f7.html) • [4](https://www.missitalia.it/news/newsdett.php?idnews=1420)
## Television beginnings
The title brought immediate television work. After an appearance as the new Miss Italia on *Uno Mattina*, Rai's head of daytime programming asked Patrizia Mirigliani, the contest's president, to contract Leone at once as a presenter for the summer edition of the program.[3](https://missitalia.it/news/newsdett.php?idnews=923) She hosted *Unomattina Estate* in 2009 and then *Mattina in famiglia* on Saturdays and Sundays on Rai 2.[10](https://www.corriere.it/foto-gallery/spettacoli/17_maggio_11/miriam-leone-87f43cac-3680-11e7-94ce-afebf1f6f61a.shtml) • [11](https://www.tgcom24.mediaset.it/televisione/articoli/475509/debutto-da-attrice-per-miriam-leone.shtml) She also served as a judge for the Ciak Award and hosted the Nastro d'Argento ceremony in 2011.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3409676/bio/)
In interviews she later described presenting as not her place, saying she had to say what pleased others rather than what she thought, and she declined a Rai contract to pursue acting; she has recalled being told she was crazy to turn down *Domenica In* for the cinema.[12](https://www.iodonna.it/personaggi/star-italiane/2021/02/02/miriam-leone-donna-forte-che-non-scende-mai-a-compromessi-in-amore-e-sul-lavoro/) • [13](https://brescia.corriere.it/notizie/spettacoli/26_febbraio_01/miriam-leone-miss-italia-il-servizio-militare-sui-tacchi-ero-una-zia-rifiutai-domenica-in-per-fare-cinema-mi-dissero-che-ero-90e3c51e-af61-4694-a0d1-72c5bc97dxlk.shtml)
## Acting career
**Debuts.** Her acting debut came in the television film *Il ritmo della vita*, directed by Rossella Izzo with Anna Safroncik and Antonio Cupo, broadcast on Canale 5 in March 2010.[11](https://www.tgcom24.mediaset.it/televisione/articoli/475509/debutto-da-attrice-per-miriam-leone.shtml) Her film debut followed the same year in Giovanni Veronesi's *Genitori & figli – Agitare bene prima dell'uso*.[12](https://www.iodonna.it/personaggi/star-italiane/2021/02/02/miriam-leone-donna-forte-che-non-scende-mai-a-compromessi-in-amore-e-sul-lavoro/) A period of small parts followed, including *I soliti idioti – Il film* (2011), *La scuola più bella del mondo* and *Fratelli unici* (both 2014), the latter alongside [Raoul Bova](https://www.edgepedia.org/raoul-bova), Carolina Crescentini, and Luca Argentero.[2](https://www.mymovies.it/persone/miriam-leone/198069/) • [14](https://www.ecodelcinema.com/miriam-leone-biografia-filmografia.htm)
**Breakthrough.** Her consolidation came when she was cast as an aspiring soubrette in *1992*, the Sky series set in Milan at the time of the Mani Pulite corruption investigations; the trilogy continued with *1993* (2017) and *1994* (2019).[2](https://www.mymovies.it/persone/miriam-leone/198069/) In the same period she played the lead role of chief inspector Valeria Ferro in *Non uccidere* (2015) and returned for *Non uccidere 2* (2017).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3409676/bio/) • [3](https://missitalia.it/news/newsdett.php?idnews=923) Her 2016 films included Marco Bellocchio's *Fai bei sogni*, Pif's *In guerra per amore*, and Massimo Gaudioso's *Un paese quasi perfetto*; later film work included *Metti la nonna in freezer* (2018) and *The Invisible Witness* (2018).[5](https://giannichiffi.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/MIRIAM-LEONE-CV-Inglese.pdf)
**Diabolik and later roles.** In 2021 she played Eva Kant, the female lead of the Manetti Bros.' screen adaptation of the comic series *Diabolik*, and reprised the role in the 2022 and 2023 sequels.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3409676/bio/) • [5](https://giannichiffi.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/MIRIAM-LEONE-CV-Inglese.pdf) For *Diabolik* she received a David di [Donatello](https://www.edgepedia.org/donatello) nomination for Best Leading Actress and the Anna Magnani Award for Best Leading Actress at the Bari International Film Festival.[5](https://giannichiffi.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/MIRIAM-LEONE-CV-Inglese.pdf) On television she appeared in Paolo Genovese's *I leoni di Sicilia* (2023), an adaptation of Stefania Auci's novel about the Florio family that won the Nastri d'Argento 2024 for Best Drama Series, and then took the title role of *Miss Fallaci*, playing the young Oriana Fallaci as a reporter for *L'Europeo* sent to Los Angeles to profile the film stars of the day; the series was presented at the Rome Film Fest in 2024 and broadcast on Rai 1 from 25 February 2025.[15](https://www.servizitelevideo.rai.it/televideo/pub/articolo.jsp?id=23077&idmenumain=0&p=) • [5](https://giannichiffi.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/MIRIAM-LEONE-CV-Inglese.pdf) • [6](https://www.vogue.it/article/miriam-leone-intervista-cover-vogue-italia-febbraio-2025) Her later films include Elisa Amoruso's *Amata* (2025), presented at the [Venice Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/venice-film-festival), and Gabriele Muccino's *Le cose non dette* (2026), in which she plays Elisa opposite Stefano Accorsi, Carolina Crescentini, and Claudio Santamaria.[5](https://giannichiffi.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/MIRIAM-LEONE-CV-Inglese.pdf) • [16](https://www.iodonna.it/video-iodonna/spettacoli-video/5-domande-a-miriam-leone-e-stefano-accorsi/)
## Recognition
Leone received the Taormina Achievement Award in 2026, accepting it in Taormina, where she said her career had begun with a suitcase packed for Salsomaggiore.[9](https://www.ansa.it/amp/sito/notizie/cultura/cinema/2026/06/22/miriam-leone-il-successo-avere-sempre-la-valigia-pronta_59a4f044-4ebe-49ad-ad09-59fb46e100f7.html) She was co-host of the second evening of the Sanremo Festival in February 2025.[17](https://www.corriere.it/spettacoli/festival-sanremo/25_febbraio_13/miriam-leone-intervista-2021-sanremo-67a18c94-5ddb-4dbf-98b5-b6265e71axlk_amp.shtml) She has also appeared on the February 2025 cover of *Vogue Italia* and in the magazine's video formats around the release of *Miss Fallaci*.[6](https://www.vogue.it/article/miriam-leone-intervista-cover-vogue-italia-febbraio-2025)
## Personal life
Leone married Paolo Carullo, who is not a public figure, on 18 September 2021.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3409676/bio/) • [17](https://www.corriere.it/spettacoli/festival-sanremo/25_febbraio_13/miriam-leone-intervista-2021-sanremo-67a18c94-5ddb-4dbf-98b5-b6265e71axlk_amp.shtml) Their son Orlando Leone Carullo was born in 2023.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3409676/bio/) In interviews around *Le cose non dette* she has spoken about motherhood as a still-difficult subject for working actresses, saying she was told she was not the only actress playing a mother.[18](https://www.vanityfair.it/article/miriam-leone-intervista-cose-non-dette-muccino-maternita-segreti-coppia)
## References
1. [Miriam Leone – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3409676/bio/)
2. [Miriam Leone biografia, MYmovies.it](https://www.mymovies.it/persone/miriam-leone/198069/)
3. [Miriam Leone, da Miss Italia alla carriera di attrice, Miss Italia](https://missitalia.it/news/newsdett.php?idnews=923)
4. [Un'inedita Miriam Leone interpreta Anna Magnani, Miss Italia](https://www.missitalia.it/news/newsdett.php?idnews=1420)
5. [Miriam Leone – Curriculum Vitae, Gianni Chiffi](https://giannichiffi.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/MIRIAM-LEONE-CV-Inglese.pdf)
6. [Miriam Leone sulla cover di Vogue Italia di febbraio 2025, Vogue Italia](https://www.vogue.it/article/miriam-leone-intervista-cover-vogue-italia-febbraio-2025)
7. [Curriculum Miriam Leone, Itc2000](https://www.itc2000.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/cv-miriam-leone.pdf)
8. [Miriam Leone: da Miss Italia a attrice rivelazione, Miss Italia](https://missitalia.it/news/newsdett.php?idnews=259)
9. [Miriam Leone, Il successo? Avere sempre la valigia pronta, ANSA](https://www.ansa.it/amp/sito/notizie/cultura/cinema/2026/06/22/miriam-leone-il-successo-avere-sempre-la-valigia-pronta_59a4f044-4ebe-49ad-ad09-59fb46e100f7.html)
10. [Miriam Leone: da Miss Italia ai ruoli in tv, Corriere.it](https://www.corriere.it/foto-gallery/spettacoli/17_maggio_11/miriam-leone-87f43cac-3680-11e7-94ce-afebf1f6f61a.shtml)
11. [Debutto da attrice per Miriam Leone, Tgcom24](https://www.tgcom24.mediaset.it/televisione/articoli/475509/debutto-da-attrice-per-miriam-leone.shtml)
12. [Miriam Leone: miss Italia, film, età e capelli, iO Donna](https://www.iodonna.it/personaggi/star-italiane/2021/02/02/miriam-leone-donna-forte-che-non-scende-mai-a-compromessi-in-amore-e-sul-lavoro/)
13. [Miriam Leone: «Rifiutai Domenica In per fare cinema...», Corriere.it](https://brescia.corriere.it/notizie/spettacoli/26_febbraio_01/miriam-leone-miss-italia-il-servizio-militare-sui-tacchi-ero-una-zia-rifiutai-domenica-in-per-fare-cinema-mi-dissero-che-ero-90e3c51e-af61-4694-a0d1-72c5bc97dxlk.shtml)
14. [Miriam Leone – Biografia e Filmografia, Ecodelcinema](https://www.ecodelcinema.com/miriam-leone-biografia-filmografia.htm)
15. [I Leoni di Sicilia, Televideo Rai](https://www.servizitelevideo.rai.it/televideo/pub/articolo.jsp?id=23077&idmenumain=0&p=)
16. [5 domande a... Miriam Leone e Stefano Accorsi a Venezia, iO Donna](https://www.iodonna.it/video-iodonna/spettacoli-video/5-domande-a-miriam-leone-e-stefano-accorsi/)
17. [Miriam Leone: «Io Miss Italia bullizzata per le mie sopracciglia...», Corriere.it](https://www.corriere.it/spettacoli/festival-sanremo/25_febbraio_13/miriam-leone-intervista-2021-sanremo-67a18c94-5ddb-4dbf-98b5-b6265e71axlk_amp.shtml)
18. [Miriam Leone: «La maternità è ancora un grande tabù...», Vanity Fair Italia](https://www.vanityfair.it/article/miriam-leone-intervista-cose-non-dette-muccino-maternita-segreti-coppia)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Italian actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license