Perhaps most their for her Donatello Award-nominated roles in the Italian films Il Dolce Rumore Della Vita, Io Amo Andrea, and La Felicita Non Costa Niente, Neri also appeared in several Spanish and American films, including, respectively, Dispara! and Hannibal.
Early in her career, she played the role of Maria in a 1989 Swiss and Italian-produced film titled Bankomatt.
Her role in the 1991 Massimo Troisi-directed feature Pensavo Fosse Amore Invece Era Un Calesse earned her the Italian National Film Journalists Syndicate's Silver Ribbon Award. She received the same honor for her performance in the 1997 film Carne Tremula.
In 1999, she and actor and director Claudio Amendola welcomed a son named Rocco.
She appeared with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 2002 film Collateral Damage.