| Franca Bettoia | |
| Birth Date: | 1936 5, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Rome, Italy |
| Death Place: | Rome, Italy |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Children: | Gianmarco Tognazzi Maria Sole Tognazzi |
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.
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. Despite the critical acclaim for her performances, she was more active in genre films, mostly in adventure and sword-and-sandal films. Among them, in 1964, Bettoia co-starred with Vincent Price in the horror/science fiction film The Last Man on Earth (1964, by Ubaldo Ragone and Sidney Salkow), the first screen adaptation of Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend.
In 1963, Bettoia started a long relationship with Ugo Tognazzi, whom she married in 1972, and with whom she had two sons, film director Maria Sole Tognazzi and actor Gianmarco Tognazzi.[3]
In 1975, Bettoia and her mother Maris founded the Gran Loggia Femminile d'Italia, the first Italian Masonic obedience exclusively for women which was officially recognized by the Grand Orient of Italy.[4] [5] [6] [7]
Bettoia died in Rome in September 2024, at the age of 88.[8]