Anecdotes

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).

In 1962, she got a Nastro d'argento nomination for best supporting actress for her performance in Alfredo Giannetti's Day by Day, Desperately.

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.

From December 2022 to March 2023, the exhibition "Franca Bettoja Tognazzi. The fashion of an actress" was dedicated to her inside Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome , which retraced the artist's career through her clothes and historical photographs.

Franca Bettoia was an Italian actress known for her role as Ruth Collins in the film The Last Man on Earth.

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. Despite the critical acclaim for her performance, she was more active in genre films, mostly in adventure and sword-and-sandal films.

During 1962 she presented for seven months the variety show Tempo di Jazz , a programme that was broadcast on Rai 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.

Mother of Gianmarco Tognazzi and Maria Sole Tognazzi. Mother-in-law of Valeria Pintore.

Stepmother of Ricky Tognazzi and Thomas Robsahm. Grandmother of Andrea Viola Tognazzi and Tommaso Ugo (Gianmarco's children).