Erminia Ferrari Manfredi, the wife of Italian actor Nino Manfredi, has died at the age of 94. Her son Luca announced her death on Facebook, remembering her as an extraordinary wife, mother and woman.
Born in Taormina on November 4, 1931, Ferrari Manfredi worked as a model, costume designer and production designer. She moved to Rome at the age of 19 to pursue work as a fashion model after spending part of her childhood in Libya and Ethiopia, where her father managed a hotel.
She married Nino Manfredi in 1955. Their relationship lasted until the actor’s death in 2004, and they had three children: Luca, Roberta and Giovanna. As a costume designer, she worked on films including Il Giocattolo, Cafè Express, Nudo Di Donna and Spaghetti House.
After her husband suffered a stroke, Ferrari Manfredi became involved in supporting families of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. She later served as honorary president of the nonprofit organization Viva la Vita, which she had supported since the early 2000s, during her husband’s illness.
On June 4, 2004, when reporters gathered outside Rome’s Nuovo Regina Margherita hospital after Manfredi’s admission, she agreed to meet them to advocate for the rights of people living with disabling illnesses.
Sources: La Repubblica.