Laura Betti (1927-2004) was an Italian actress with an intense and multifaceted film career. Her filmography is inextricably linked to Pier Paolo Pasolini, for whom she was a muse and favorite actress.

She starred in many of his masterpieces, including *Teorema* (1968), a role that earned her the Coppa Volpi in Venice, *Porcile* (1969) and the disturbing *Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma* (1975).

Betti was known for her magnetic and often disturbing stage presence, capable of embodying bourgeois female characters on the verge of neurosis or eccentricity, often with an underlying cruelty or deep unease. She also collaborated with other great directors, such as Vittorio De Sica in *The Garden of the Finzi-Contini* (1970) and Bernardo Bertolucci in *Novecento* (1976). Her mark on Italian cinema is that of a daring and unforgettable performer.