Maria Grazia Francia (Florence, September 17, 1931 – Terni, March 11, 2021) was an Italian actress, active primarily in post-war cinema. Her debut brought her immediate fame thanks to the role of Gabriella, the friend and rival of Silvana Mangano, in Giuseppe De Santis' neorealist masterpiece *Riso amaro* (1949). Her career, particularly intense during the 1940s and 1950s, saw her collaborate with some of the major directors of the era. Among her most significant performances are those in Pietro Germi's *Il brigante di Tacca del Lupo* (1952) and in the renowned *Le ragazze di Piazza di Spagna* (1952) by Luciano Emmer, where she was one of the three female leads. Also active in theater and television, her face became one of the symbols of the rebirth of Italian cinema. Although she did not receive major awards, her contribution is recognized for having embodied the figure of the young woman in Italy's reconstruction period with freshness and naturalness, leaving an important mark as a character actress and an interpreter of a crucial era.