Francesca Terwilliger (Maria Grazia Cucinotta) is a recurring villainess from The Simpsons. She is the wife of Sideshow Bob and the mother of their son, Gino.
Francesca first appeared in episode 17.08, "The Italian Bob" (airdate December 11, 2005), where Bob left Springfield for Italy in an attempt at a fresh start after failing to kill Bart once again. Bob settled in a small town called Salsiccia, where he became the mayor and met Francesca, who he later married and had a son, Gino. During their entire marriage, Francesca had no knowledge of Bob's criminal past in America, and she continued showing her naivete about Bob after the Simpsons first met her and Gino.
During a farewell party, however, Lisa (drunk on wine) rambled on about Bob's criminal past, and Bob's attempt to take Lisa away resulted in her tearing off his suit to reveal a prison jumpsuit. His secret out, Bob is ousted as mayor and swore a vendetta, and he was shown apologizing to Francesca after he chased the Simpsons, vowing never to commit another violent act. However, Francesca encouraged Bob to kill the Simpsons, stating that when they dishonored him, they dishonored their entire family. Francesca and Gino joined Bob in their murderous quest, and they tracked the family to the Colosseum, where Krusty the Klown was performing Pagliacci. The villainess moved towards Homer with knife in hand, with Bob and Gino joining her, before Krusty helped them escape.
Francesca returned in episode 19.08, "Funeral for a Fiend" (airdate November 25, 2007), appearing as a grieving widow at the funeral for Bob, who died of a heart ailment while he was on trial for his latest attempt to kill the Simpsons. As later revealed, however, the evil Francesca had actually participated in a plot to kill Bart--a plot that included Bob, Gino, Robert Terwilliger, Sr (Bob's father), Dame Judith Underdunk (Bob's mother), and Bob's brother, Cecil. Bob had faked his death and planned to kill Bart at the funeral home, where Francesca and the rest of the family revealed their roles and laughed maniacally over their assumed success. Their plan was thwarted by Lisa, who noticed that Bob's casket left enough room for his large feet, as it was odd that his family would pay for the comfort of a dead man. Francesca was arrested, along with the rest of the Terwilliger family.
Trivia[]
- Maria played a henchwoman named Olga in the 1995 Italian film, "Alto Rischio" also known as "High Risk".
- Maria Grazia Cucinotta also appeared as the Cigar Girl in 1999's The World is Not Enough.
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