Theatre and movie actress, writer, screen-writer and opera director, she started at a very young age her theatrical career in the Teatro Centouno company, along with Antonio Calenda, Gigi Proietti and Nando Gazzolo. She has been the star of the Teatro Stabile in L'Aquila and got to success at the end of 1970s playing Molly monologue from James Joyce's Ulysses. Known for her outstanding acting, she debuted in movies in 1960s starring in Trio by Gianfranco Mingozzi. During her career she worked with some of the most important Italian directors, such as the Taviani brothers, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Lina Wertmüller, Nanni Moretti, Cinzia T.H. Torrini, Giuseppe Tornatore. In 1980, she worked with writer Dacia Maraini at the novel The Story of Piera, inspired by her childhood, later adapted by Marco Ferreri into a movie starring Isabelle Huppert and Hanna Shygulla. In her latest years she worked in television, starring in several series and movies. She won two David di Donatello for best supporting actress: in 2003 for her role in My Mother's Smile by Marco Bellocchio, and in 2009 for Il Divo by Paolo Sorrentino. In that same year she also won a Special Silver Ribbon. In 2013, director Peter Marcias, with whom she worked also in 2010, winning a Globo d'Oro as best leading actress, dedicated to her the documentary Tutte le storie di Piera (Silver Ribbon in 2014 as best leading actress).