Profile Text
De Laurentiis in 2013, photo by PrPhotos
Birth Name: Giada Pamela De Benedetti
Place of Birth: Rome, Lazio, Italy
Date of Birth: 22 August, 1970
Ethnicity: Italian [including Sicilian], English
Giada De Laurentiis is an Italian-American chef, writer, and television personality. She was the host of the show Giada at Home from 2008 to 2015.
She was born in Rome, Italy, and later moved to California, U.S. Giada is the daughter of Veronica De Laurentiis, an author and actress, and Alexander “Alex” De Benedetti, an actor and producer. Her father, who has roots in Turin, has English citizenship as well. The surname De Benedetti may have a Sephardi Jewish origin. She is a sister of make-up artist Eloisa and Hollywood film editor Dino Alexander II.
Giada has a daughter with her former husband, fashion designer Todd Thompson.
Giada’s paternal grandmother was named Pamela Leslie-Jones. Pamela was English.
Giada’s maternal grandfather was film producer Dino De Laurentiis (born Agostino De Laurentiis, the son of Rosario Pasquale Marco Aurelio De Laurentiis and Giuseppa Luisa Anastasia “Giuseppina” Salvatore). Dino was born in Torre Annunziata, Naples, Campania, Italy. He was the brother of producer Luigi De Laurentiis. Rosario was the son of Luigi De Laurentiis and Celestina De Laurentiis, and was born in Torella dei Lombardi, Province of Avellino, Campania. Luigi and Celestina were born with the same surname. Giada’s great-grandmother Giuseppina was the daughter of Agostino Salvatore and Raffaella Mondella/Montella.
Giada’s maternal grandmother was actress Silvana Mangano (the daughter of Amadeo Mangano and Ivy Webb). Silvana was born in Rome, to a Sicilian father, from Petralia Soprana, province of Palermo, and an English mother, from Croydon.
Giada is a first cousin, once removed, of Aurelio De Laurentiis, who is also a prominent film producer.
Sources: Genealogy of Giada De Laurentiis (focusing on her mother’s side) – https://www.geni.com
Information about Giada’s father – http://ricerca.repubblica.it
Obituary of Giada’s maternal grandfather, Dino De Laurentiis – http://www.nytimes.com
Obituary of Giada’s maternal grandmother, Silvana Mangano – http://www.nytimes.com