Tezeta Abraham (born 15 February 1985) is an Italian-Ethiopian model and actress.

Tezeta Abraham
Born (1985-02-15) 15 February 1985 (age 39)
NationalityItalian-Ethiopian
Occupation(s)Model, actress
Height177 cm (5 ft 10 in)

Biography

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Abraham was born in Djibouti to Ethiopian parents. She moved with her family to Italy at the age of five. Abraham struggled with her identity in her youth, often being the only black girl in her class at school. In 2002, she won the "Miss Italy Africa" contest which catapulted her into the fashion world.[1][2] As a model, she worked for the brands Fendi, Gianfranco Ferre, Replay, Moschino, and Jean Paul Gaultier, among others.[3] Abraham received her diploma as a tourist consultant. She participated in Miss Italy in 2010.[4]

Abraham became interested in the cinema world and began participating in film auditions at age 18, often receiving marginal roles. She was told at the audition that she was too beautiful, which surprised her.[1] In 2012, Abraham had a small role in the film A Flat for Three. One month after auditioning for director Ivan Cotroneo in 2015, Abraham received a role in the TV series È arrivata la felicità.[3] Since 2015, she has worked with Cotroneo on several films and TV series.[1] In 2017, Abraham played a university student interested in Lord Byron and Mary Shelley's life in Italy in the short film L'ultima rima.[5] She played a mother in the 2018 short film La festa più bellissima. In 2019, Abraham helped launch the MiWorld Young Film Festival.[6]

Abraham has a son. She is outspoken against racism in Italy, saying that black people living on the margins of society is a reflection of the Catholic culture. Abraham also promotes travel as a way of opening the mind to new cultures.[1] She currently lives in Rome.[4]

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Casolaro, Carlotta (12 July 2019). "L'attrice Tezeta Abraham: "Viaggiare e studiare sono le armi per battere il razzismo"". Business Insider (in Italian). Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  2. ^ Parati, Graziella (2013). Migration Italy: The Art of Talking Back in a Destination Culture. University of Toronto Press. p. 160. ISBN 1442620080.
  3. ^ a b "#4 – Tezeta, a Debut in Prime Time". Cinema Afrodiscente. 3 October 2015. Archived from the original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Miss Italia, le 60 finaliste". Corriere.it (in Italian). Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  5. ^ ""L'ultima rima" di Fracanzani". Il Mattino di Padova (in Italian). 20 March 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  6. ^ De Franceschi, Leonardo. "FESCAAAL 2019: Tezeta e le piccole zebre del MiWY". Ciemafrica.org (in Italian). Retrieved 28 November 2020.
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