Maria Carta

Biography

Maria Carta (24 June 1934 – 22 September 1994) was a Sardinian folk music singer-songwriter. She also performed in film and theatre. In 1975 she wrote a book of poetry, Canto rituale (Ritual Song). Throughout her 25-year career she covered the richly diverse genres of traditional music of her native Sardinia (Cantu a chiterra, ninne nanne—children's lullabies, gosos, Gregorian chants, and more), often updating them with a modern and personal touch. She succeeded in bringing Sardinian folk music into wider popular awareness in demonstrations at a national level in Italy (like the Canzonissima in 1974) as well as internationally (especially in France and the United States). Maria Carta won the Miss Sardinia beauty contest in 1957 and later participated in the national Miss Italy competition. Around 1960, she moved to Rome where she met the screenwriter Salvatore Laurani whom she later married. She attended the Centro Nazionale di Studi di Musica Popolare, directed by Diego Carpitella, at the National Academy of Santa Cecilia and at the same time she pursued a musical and ethnographic research path with important productions and collaborations. In 1971, she made two albums: Sardeg…

Movies & TV Shows

1. The Godfather Part II (1974) — Mrs. Andolini
2. Jesus of Nazareth (1977) — Martha
3. The Professor (1986) — Madre
4. Illustrious Corpses (1976) — Madame Cres
5. Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television (1977) — Mrs. Andolini
6. The Godfather: The Complete Epic 1901–1959 (2016) — Vito's Mother
7. Champs-Elysées (1982) — Self
8. La Cecilia (1976) — Olimpia
9. Il camorrista - Una serie di Giuseppe Tornatore (2025) — Madre
10. Disamistade (1988) — Madre di Sebastiano
11. Un reietto delle isole (1980) — Joanna Willems
12. I padroni dell'estate (1987)
13. Incontro con Maria Carta (1972) — Self
14. Domenica In (1976) — Self