Katia Ricciarelli (January 16, 1946) is an Italian soprano, born in Rovigo, in the Veneto region. She was born to a very poor family and struggled during her younger years when she studied music. Because of her beauty, conductors loved her and catered to her all the time.

Beside her many theater performances, mostly in Italian operas, she has also appeared on film, playing Desdemona in the Franco Zeffirelli version of Verdi s Otello (1986), alongside Plácido Domingo. She was married to Pippo Baudo, a television personality, on her 40th birthday (January 18, 1986) but filed for divorce in the summer of 2004.