Andrea Manzella was born on 8 December 1933 in Palermo, Italy. He received a law degree from the University of Naples in 1956. In 1969 Manzella started to work as teacher of law at the University Institute of Trento. He was also professor at the University of Genoa, at the University of Padua and at the Free University for Social Studies (LUISS Guido Carli) of Rome. In 1995, he became Director of the Study Center on Parliament at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the Free University for Social Studies (LUISS Guido Carli) of Rome.
In 1994, Manzella was elected member of the European Parliament for Italy and remained an MEP until 1999. During this period he was member of the Group of the Party of European Socialists, Vice-Chair of the Delegation for relations with the countries of Central America and Mexico, member of the Committee on Institutional Affairs, member of the Committee on the Rules of Procedure, the Verification of Credentials and Immunities, member of the Delegation for relations with the countries of Central America and Mexico, member of the Delegation to the EU-Romania Joint Parliamentary Committee and member of the Committee on the Rules of Procedure, the Verification of Credentials and Immunities.
Between 1999 and 2008, Manzella served as Senator of the Italian Republic.