Forlani was born in Twickenham in London, the daughter of Barbara (née Dickinson), who was English, and Pier Forlani, a music manager from Ferrara, Italy. At the age of eleven, Forlani entered the Arts Educational School in London, where she began to study acting. During her six years at the school, she also studied dance, which led to performances on stage in The Nutcracker and Orpheus in the Read more...

Forlani's parents moved to San Francisco in 1993, in order to allow for wider casting opportunities in Hollywood films. Subsequently, Forlani was cast in the television mini-series J.F.K.: Reckless Youth and the film Police Academy: Mission to Moscow. In 1995 she played the supporting role of Brandi Svenning in Kevin Smith's Mallrats. In 1996, Forlani appeared in a supporting role as Sean Connery's Read more...

Forlani has dated actors Benicio del Toro, John Cusack (between 1997 and 1998), Brad Pitt, and Ben Stiller (between 1998 and 1999). In June 2007, Forlani married actor Dougray Scott.