Marina Fiorato is an Italian English designer, actress, film producer and author.

Early life

Fiorato was born in Manchester, with a Venetian father, but was raised in Langcliffe, North Yorkshire. She studied history at Durham University, before specialising in the study of Shakespeare for a Master's at the University of Warwick. On completing her degrees, she studied art and worked for a period as an illustrator and film reviewer.

Career

Fiorato co-produced and starred in the award-winning short film Devilwood (2006), and also appeared in The Wrong Blonde, An Ideal Husband (both 1999), Maybe Baby (2000) and Tuesday (2008). She also designed tour visuals for bands such as U2 and The Rolling Stones and for films including Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Fiorato's first novel, The Glassblower of Murano (2008), was written in bookshop coffee-shops so that she could research the Venetian setting. It was rejected by numerous publishers before being accepted by Beautiful Books Ltd. and becoming an international success. Two years later, Fiorato's The Botticelli Secret (2010) earned a large advance. Her other works also have an Italian theme or setting.

Family life

Fiorato is married to filmmaker Sacha Bennett and they have two children.

As Marina Fiorato

Notable US editions

As M. A. Bennett

S.T.A.G.S.

Other