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- Stunning Italian actress Virna Lisi, a brief but lovely Hollywood import in the 1960's, was merely one of a plethora of European
movie beauties who proved over the course of their long careers, that
they were capable of more than just visual performances.
Born Virna Lisa Pieralisi on November 8, 1936, she began her film career as a 17-year-old teen with a co-starring part with the musical drama ...e Napoli canta! (1953) (Naples Sings!). Cast initially for her photographic beauty, she gained more experience in such early pictures as Lettera napoletana (1954) and La corda d'acciaio (1954) before earning her first top-billed movie lead in Piccola santa (1954) opposite Rosario Borelli. Other late 50's/early 60's films that helped steam up her image included Luna nova (1955), Le diciottenni (1955), La rossa (1955), The Doll That Took the Town (1957), Lost Souls (1959) opposite Jacques Sernas, Don't Tempt the Devil (1963) (Don't Tempt the Devil), Sua Eccellenza si fermò a mangiare (1961) (His Excellency Stayed to Dinner], the Italian-made spectacle,
Duel of the Titans (1961) and an innocent role in the French-made Eva (1962) starring the scheming Jeanne Moreau in the title role.
The pert and sexy star later made a decorative dent in late 1960's Hollywood as a tempting blue-eyed blonde opposite the likes of Jack Lemmon in How to Murder Your Wife (1965), Frank Sinatra in Assault on a Queen (1966) and Tony Curtis in Not with My Wife, You Don't! (1966). Confined once again to the same type of glamour roles (she turned down the title role of "Barbarella"), she returned to Europe within a couple of years but hardly fared better with such nothing special movies as Anyone Can Play (1967), The Girl Who Couldn't Say No (1968), The Christmas Tree (1969), The Statue (1971), Bluebeard (1972) and White Fang (1973) and its sequel Challenge to White Fang (1974).
Come middle age, however, a career renaissance occurred for Virna. She began to be perceived as more than just a tasty dish and was given a wide variety of quality mature performances. As the stature of her films improved, she began winning foreign awards right and left for such European pictures as Beyond Good and Evil (1977), The Cricket (1980), Time for Loving (1983), Buon Natale... Buon anno (1989) and Va' dove ti porta il cuore (1996) (Follow Your Heart). It all culminated in the lifetime role of the malevolent "Caterina de Medici" in Queen Margot (1994) for which she captured both the César and Cannes Film Festival awards, not to mention the Italian Silver Ribbon award.
Virna continued reigning supreme on TV as a character lead and support player into the millennium with parts in such TV movies as the title role in Anna's World (2004) and Donne sbagliate (2007) (Steel Women) as well as Italian TV series work. Starring as the matriarch in the excellent family film drama Il più bel giorno della mia vita (2002), Virna would find her last excellent movie role in the award-winning dramedy Latin Lover (2015). Having passed away on December 14, 2014, at age 78, of lung cancer, the actress received a couple of award nominations posthumously for her work here. Survived by her son Corrado, her longtime husband (from 1960), architect Franco Pesci (1934-2013), died a year earlier. - Andrea Scarduzio studied at the prestigious "Lee Strasberg Institute"
in Los Angeles where he was one of few to ever be awarded a full
scholarship. Upon graduation, Andrea worked on "Cake" with Joe Estevez
and G.W. Bailey and the "Color of the Cross", the first Hollywood movie
about a black Jesus Christ. Most recently Andrea appeared on "Til
Death" opposite Brad Garrett. - Actress
- Soundtrack
The dark, delicate and demure beauty of an Anna Maria Alberghetti is
what one envisions a princess to look like and, indeed, she did have a
chance to play a couple in her lifetime. Reminding one instantly of the
equally enchanting Pier Angeli, Anna Maria's Cinderella story did not take
on a tragic storybook ending as it did for Ms. Angeli. On the contrary,
Anna Maria continues to delight audiences today on many levels,
particularly on the concert and lecture stages.
She was born in a musical home in Pesaro, Italy, in 1936, the daughter
of a concertmaster father and pianist mother. They greatly influenced
her obvious talent and by age six she was performing with symphony
orchestras with her father as her vocal instructor. World War II had
forced the Alberghettis from their homeland and after performing in a
European tour, Anna Maria's pure operatic tones reached American ears
via her Carnegie Hall debut at age 14. The family decided to settle
permanently in the States. The teenager went on to perform with
numerous symphony orchestras during this time.
In 1950 Paramount saw a bright future in the making. Within a short
time she was capturing hearts on film, making a magical debut in the
eerie but hypnotic Gian Carlo Menotti's chamber opera The Medium (1951). Opposite the
magnificent Marie Powers in the title role as the fraudulent Madame Flora,
Anna Maria was directed by Menotti himself in the
independently-produced film. While the movie was appreciated in art
house form, Paramount wasted no time in placing the photogenic Anna
into mainstream filming. Her budding talent was strangely used,
however. She had an extended operatic solo in the breezy Capraesque
Bing Crosby/Jane Wyman comedy Here Comes the Groom (1951), and played a Polish émigré befriended
by a singer (played by Rosemary Clooney) who discovers the girl has musical
talent of her own in the so-so The Stars Are Singing (1953). Anna's songs included the
touching "My Kind of Day" and "My Heart Is Home". Thereafter, for some
strange reason, her vocals were not utilized. She acted instead in such
rugged adventures as The Last Command (1955) and Duel at Apache Wells (1957), and in the fluffy comedy
Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957) opposite Dean Martin. And, in the end, she was lovely but utterly
wasted as the Prince Charming equivalent in the gender-bending Jerry Lewis
farce Cinderfella (1960). Not only does she arrive late in the film, but Jerry
gave her no songs to sing -- he sang them all!
Extremely disillusioned, Anna Maria departed from films in the early
60s and instead sought out work on the Broadway stage. It was here that
she found that elusive star. Following a role in the operetta "Rose
Marie" in 1960, Anna Maria won the part of a lifetime as the waif-like
Lili in the musical "Carnival", based on Leslie Caron's charming title film
role. Anna Maria was utterly delightful and quite moving in the role
and for her efforts was awarded the Tony Award -- tying in her category
with Diahann Carroll for "No Strings". Anna Maria's sister Carla replaced her
when she left the show. Throughout the 60s she continued to impress in
musical ingénue showcases -- the title role in "Fanny" (1963), Maria in
"West Side Story" (1964), Marsinah in "Kismet" (1967) (which was
televised), and Luisa in "The Fantasticks" (1968), to name but a few.
As she matured, she made a mark in other facets of entertainment. On TV
Ed Sullivan first introduced Anna Maria to millions of households and the
public was thoroughly taken by this singing angel. She appeared with
Sullivan a near-record 53 times. She also graced a number of popular TV
shows with non-singing, damsel-in-distress roles on such shows as
"Wagon Train" and "Checkmate". Her recording career has included
associations with Capitol, Columbia, Mercury and MGM Records.
In 1964, Anna married TV director/producer Claudio Guzmán who was almost a
decade older. The ten-year marriage produced two daughters, Alexandra
and Pilar. She began to downplay her career after this in favor of
parenting, particularly after her divorce in 1974.
Returning to the theater on occasion, Anna Maria later reintroduced
herself back into TV households as the housewife/pitchwoman for "Good
Seasons" salad dressing. Her one-woman stage show led to her interest
as a cabaret performer. More recent film appearances have included fun
roles in the comedies Friends and Family (2001) and The Whole Shebang (2001).- Actress
- Additional Crew
Alice Pagani was born on 19 February 1998 in Ascoli Piceno, Marche, Italy. She is an actress, known for The Croods: A New Age (2020), The Story of Your Life (2008) and Don't Kill Me (2021).- Actress
- Producer
Emanuela Postacchini was born on 7 July 1991 in Sant'Elpidio a Mare, Fermo, Marche, Italy. She is an actress and producer, known for Who Is America? (2018), The Seven Faces of Jane (2022) and The Alienist (2018).- Denise Tantucci was born on 14 March 1997 in Fano, Marche, Italy. She is an actress, known for Three Floors (2021), Darkness (2019) and Likemeback (2018).
- Manly, chiseled, exceedingly handsome, very agile Massimo Girotti was
an engineering student and polo/swimming star before entering films in
1939. He began auspiciously in serious leads, most notably
Roberto Rossellini's
Desire (1946),
Luchino Visconti's
Obsession (1943) and
Vittorio De Sica's
The Gates of Heaven (1945),
while his physical stature and all-round athletism were put to good use
in actioneers such as Spartaco (1953) in
which he played the pre-Kirk Douglas slave-turned-leader role of
Spartacus. By the 60s, however, Girotti was reduced to support roles in
swashbuckling adventure and badly-dubbed sand-and-spear spectacles,
appearing only occasionally in well-mounted films of quality, such as
Pier Paolo Pasolini's
Teorema (1968),
Bernardo Bertolucci's
Last Tango in Paris (1972)
and Visconti's
The Innocent (1976). He died only
a few weeks before the release of his last film,
Ferzan Özpetek's
Facing Windows (2003). - Luciana Ottaviani was born on 8 August 1967 in Urbino, Marche, Italy. She is an actress, known for Eleven Days, Eleven Nights (1987), Top Model (1988) and Luna di sangue (1989).
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Shaun Brown is an American actor born on March Air Force Base in
Riverside, California. Growing up Shaun Brown wanted to be a heart surgeon but
when he was cast in his first musical, "West Side Story", he instantly
fell in love with acting and continued exploring this new love with
many high school musical productions.
After doing two national tours of musical theater productions, Shaun shifted his attention to television and film and began to study the Meisner technique intensely. Having been a musical theater actor since his teen years, the Meisner technique forced him to focus on listening and simplifying his acting tremendously. This transition in thought led him to book his first guest star television credit, the short lived series Bar Karma starring William Sanderson.
Soon after shooting Bar Karma, Shaun moved to Los Angeles, California. He began working as a bar-back and cocktail server at a fine dining restaurant to support himself and pay for head shots and acting classes. While attending a comedy showcase, that he was invited to by his commercial agent, the host the of the showcase spotted Shaun in the middle of his stand-up routine and commented on Shaun's interesting look. He then made Shaun stand up and told the audience of agents to sign him. The next day he was contacted by and agent and signed with him.- Andrea Di Luigi was born on 17 October 1995 in Ascoli Piceno, Marche, Italy. He is an actor, known for Nuovo Olimpo (2023), Il Corpo and To the Top - Pier Giorgio Frassati (2023).
- Production Designer
- Art Department
- Set Decorator
Dante Ferretti was born on 26 February 1943 in Macerata, Marche, Italy. He is a production designer and set decorator, known for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Shutter Island (2010) and Silence (2016).- A staple of both the arthouse and grindhouse cinemas for nearly 50 years, Venantino Venantini only began acting as a way to finance his first passion - art. Accepted into the prestigious École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts of Paris, he took on extra work in films like Ben-Hur (1959) to finance his trip to France, which he made in a week on a Lambretta motor scooter.
A chance encounter with director Georges Lautner saw him cast in his breakthrough role, as a hitman in the Lino Ventura vehicle Crooks in Clover (1963). Venantini found quickly regular work in Italian, French, and even some American films; moving effortlessly from big-budget epics like The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965), to the grimiest of the grimey exploitation films, like several of Joe D'Amato's "Black Emanuelle" films.
In 1999, he won the Silver Ribbon for Best Supporting Actor together with the other actors in the cast of Ettore Scola's La cena (1998). He continued acting, primarily in French productions, until his death by complications from femur surgery in 2018. His son, Luca Venantini, followed in his footsteps and has become a prolific actor in his own right. - Actor
- Director
- Writer
He began his acting career in the 1990's, studying under and starring in the theatrical shows of his first teacher Giorgio Felicetti. In the subsequent years, he made small appearances in film, television and advertisements, meanwhile attending acting workshops of Nobel award winner Dario Fo to further his studies. The desire to develop a maturity in the actor's management of his own figure led Claudio to become a film-maker, studying practice with Daniele Segre.
A published scholar in Film Studies, Claudio lectures in universities and schools, throughout Italy and beyond. His publications include academic essays, books, feature films, documentaries and screenplays. Meanwhile, his films and documentaries have screened at Festivals, both in Italy and abroad.
Actively involved in the organisation and delivery of arts and educational events, Claudio is also the creator and director of Pax - International Festival of Peace, that saw its first edition in July 2019 in Fermignano, Le Marche, Italy.
2019 was also the year that saw Claudio return to acting in the role of Arlecchino in Matteo Garrone 's Pinocchio (2019).
2021 saw a return to theatrical performance for Gaetani which he received critical acclaim as the protagonist of the play "L'ombra lunga del nano" ("The Long Shadow of the Dwarf"), directed by Ludovica D'Auria and Alberto Fumagalli.- Paolo Camilli was born on 23 September 1986 in Marche, Italy. He is an actor, known for The White Lotus (2021), Leopardi&Co. and Mascarpone (2021).
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Gioele Centanni was born on 23 June 1940 in Montecassiano, Marche, Italy. He was a producer, known for Heidi: A Girl of the Alps (1974), Lady Frankenstein (1971) and L'ultimo guappo (1978). He died on 1 February 2017 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Roberto Minervini was born in 1970 in Fermo, Marche, Italy. Roberto is a director and producer, known for Stop The Pounding Heart (2013), The Other Side (2015) and What You Gonna Do When the World's on Fire? (2018).- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Vittorio Duse was born on 21 March 1916 in Loreto, Marche, Italy. He was an actor and writer, known for The Godfather Part III (1990), Il nostro campione (1955) and The Leopard (1963). He died on 2 June 2005 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.- Cinematographer
- Director
- Camera and Electrical Department
Stelvio Massi was born on 26 March 1929 in Civitanova Marche, Italy. He was a cinematographer and director, known for A Fistful of Dollars (1964), Emergency Squad (1974) and Fearless (1978). He died on 26 March 2004 in Velletri, Italy.- Valentino Rossi is an Italian professional motorcycle racer and multiple MotoGP World Champion. He is considered to be the greatest and one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name - seven of which are in the premier class.
Following his father, Graziano Rossi, Valentino started racing in Grand Prix in 1996 for Aprilia in the 125cc category and won his first World Championship the following year. From there, he moved up to the 250cc category with Aprilia and won the 250cc World Championship in 1999. After graduating to the premier class in 2000, he won the 500cc World Championship with Honda in 2001, the MotoGP World Championships (also with Honda) in 2002 and 2003, and continued his streak of back-to-back championships by winning the 2004 and 2005 titles after leaving Honda to join Yamaha, before regaining the title in 2008 and retaining it in 2009. He left Yamaha to join Ducati for the 2011 season, but it was confirmed in 2012 that he would rejoin Yamaha for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He suffered two winless seasons while at Ducati. - Lucia Mascino is a theater, cinema and television actress. She played the lead in the television series "Una mamma imperfetta," written and directed by Ivan Cotroneo, was the female protagonist in the Sky series "I delitti del Barlumem," written and directed by Roan Johnson. In 2015 she starred with Christian De Sica in "Fraulein, a winter fairy tale", the debut by Caterina Carone, and in 2016's "Love that cannot be in the world" by Francesca Comencini, for which she won the Anna Magnani award at Bifest di Bari, and for the Nastri d'Argento Award as best leading actress in 2018.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Neri Marcorè (pronounced Mark-oReh) was born in Marche (central Italy)
County in 1966. While studying Modern Languages in Bologna he enrolled
in a summer Impersonator-Comedian contest televised by the state
channel RAI, and from there on his career took off with small parts in
TV commercials, animated series voice-overs and feature films, but he
is most often recognised for his TV comedy roles and impersonation,
from the Paccoman dancer to documentary presenter Alberto
Angela.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Giuseppe Capotondi was born in 1968 in Corinaldo, Marche, Italy. He is a director and producer, known for The Double Hour (2009), Blocco 181 (2022) and Solomon Island (2006).- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
As a son of a horn player and a singer Rossini was taught instruments
early in his life. When he was older he went to the conservatory of
Bologna for lessons. His first opera was such a big success that a lot
of people wanted him to write more pieces. But nevertheless in 1816 his
masterpiece "The Barber of Seville" failed although later it received
the attention it deserved. In 1823 Rossini became the director of the
Italian Opera in Paris, but when he stopped working he left for Italy
only to return in 1853 and stay in Paris until his death in
1868.- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Iginio Straffi is an Italian artist and TV producer. He is the founder of the Rainbow animation studio, which he co-owns alongside Viacom (the American company that owns Nickelodeon).
In 1965, Straffi was born in the municipality of Gualdo, in the Province of Macerata. Gualdo is located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the city of Macerata. In 1973 his family moved to Macerata.
Straffi became interested in comic book illustration as a child, and started creating his own comics stories at the age of 7. As a teenager he participated in art competitions. He received his college education at the University of Macerata, where he studied literature and modern languages. He dated a foreign-born girl named Antonella, who was raised in Italy by foster parents. Antonella expressed a desire to someday meet her biological parents, and Straffi later used her story as an inspiration for the backstory of Bloom, Winx Club's lead character.
Straffi started his professional career as a comics artist in 1985, when his first story was published in "Tilt". His subsequent stories were published in the weekly magazines "Lanciostory" and "Skorpio",the monthly magazine "Comic Art", and the science fiction anthology magazine "Métal hurlant" (whose stories were republished in the United States under the title "Heavy Metal") .
In 1989, Straffi was recruited by veteran comics writer Claudio Nizzi (1938-) to work as an artist for the then-new detective series "Nick Raider" (1988-2005). The series was published by "Sergio Bonelli Editore", one of Italy's leading comic book publishers. From 1990 to 1992, Straffi served as the lead creative artist for Nick Raider.
Straffi was interested in joining the animation industry, and in 1992 accepted a job offer to work as a storyboard artist for the French animation studio "Telcima". He moved to France for his new job. He worked on a failed pilot for a television adaptation of the long-running science fiction series "Valérian and Laureline" (1967-2010). He also worked on a film adaptation of the medieval tales "Reynard the Fox", which ended in development hell.
By 1995, Straffi had become experienced with the many stages of work used in animation productions. He returned to Italy and secured financing to start his own animation studio, Rainbow S.p.A. He purchased computers and software for digital design.Rainbow at first offered its services to larger companies, producing commissioned work. The company first produced its own television series with the superhero tale Tommy and Oscar (2000-2002).
In 2004, Straffi created his most ambitious television series project, Winx Club. The series debuted on the Italian public television channel "Rai 2", and soon became one of the network's highest-rated programs. Winx Club became an international success, attracting the interest of the American company "Viacom", which owns the popular "Nickelodeon" brand. By the fourth season of Winx Club, Viacom began discussions with Straffi to become a co-owner of Rainbow.
In 2011, Viacom purchased a 30% share of Rainbow at the price of 83 million dollars. Viacom agreed to finance new seasons of Winx Club and other television projects by Rainbow, and to broadcast them on its Nickelodeon channels worldwide. Straffi retains the remaining 70% of Rainbow.
While Straffi has produced 3 animated films based on Winx Club, his first animated feature film based on an original story was the historical comedy "Gladiators of Rome" (2012). It cost about 80 million dollars to produce, becoming one of the most expensive Italian film productions. It performed poorly at the box office, grossing 10 million dollars in worldwide release.
Straffi served as a producer on the live-action television series Club 57 (2019-), which was a co-production with Viacom's Nickelodeon. He has stated that he plans to shift his focus from animated projects to live-action works. By 2020, he had signed off on a live-action adaptation of Winx Club, called "Fate: The Winx Saga".- Christian Ginepro was born on 7 November 1973 in Pesaro, Marche, Italy. He is an actor, known for Il candidato (2014), Rose Island (2020) and Rocco Schiavone (2016).
- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Riz Ortolani was born on 25 March 1926 in Pesaro, Marche, Italy. He was a composer and actor, known for Day of Anger (1967), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and Festa di laurea (1985). He was married to Katina Ranieri. He died on 23 January 2014 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Rinaldo Talamonti was born on 25 August 1947 in San Benedetto del Tronto, Marche, Italy. He is an actor and writer, known for Zwei im 7. Himmel (1974), The Broken Crown (2014) and Zwei Teufelskerle auf dem Weg ins Kloster (1975). He was previously married to Roswitha Talamonti.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Valeria Moriconi was born in Jesi, Marche region, in the centre of
Italy. She was very young when she acted in an art company, but the
success came with the movies "Gli Italiani si voltano" and "La
Spiaggia". She won the Golden Grolla award for "Le soldatesse". She
performed on stage in a lot of theatrical plays at Arlecchino Theater
(now Flaiano), from "Girotondo" of Schnitzler and "Per un amore a Roma"
of patti to "Arialda" of Testori and directed by Visconti. In the 60s
she met the director Franco Enriquez and for him left her husband Aldo
Moriconi, entwining a love affair. After Enriquez's death she loved
Vittorio Spiga, a journalist of Bologna and at her death he was at her
bed.
The president of Italian Republic, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, elected her
Great master of Republic. In 2000 she was the voice for Papa's comments
during Via Crucis. In 1999 she took the Renato Simoni award. She worked
until the end of her life, notwithstanding the illness, but on 7th of
June 2005 she was forced to interrupt her theater tour with "Gli
Spettri" of Ibsen.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Elsa De Giorgi was born on 26 January 1914 in Pesaro, Marche, Italy. She was an actress and director, known for Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975), La sposa dei re (1938) and Sangue + fango = Logos passione (1975). She was married to Sandro Contini Bonacossi. She died on 12 September 1997 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Renata Tebaldi was and is surely one of the best Spinto soprano voices
that any century has ever heard. She made her operatic debut, through
bombed streets in 1944 in Mefistofele, as Elena. Then was hand picked
for the reopening of La Scala, 46 by Toscanini. It was there that the
legendary "Voice of an Angel" started. He put Tebaldi upon a podium,
well above the choir, and said "I want your voice to sound as though an
angel is coming from Heaven." That is how it all started.
Her career began to grow at the same time as Maria Callas, though,
actually, if one delves into their respective careers, they were so
different, performing only three or four roles at the same time. In
1950 Tebaldi was selected by both esteemed conductors, Toscanini and De
Sabata, for their versions of the Verdi Requium. These recordings exist
today, and one can see how her vocal splendor was soon to become an
international phenomenon. Her operatic debut in the United States, was
AIDA in '50 in SF. She was booked just opon hearing a few of her
recordings.
Tebaldi was so lucky, as she began her career just as the recording
industry was beginning to record complete operas on LP. Decca/London
quickly signed this promising new talent, and she continued to record
for the label until 1974. She often recorded her repertoire twice, one
in mono, then in Stereo, as her vocal and dramatic prowess only
increased with time. Her legendary Decca recordings are mostly still in
print, Aida, La Boheme, Madama Butterfly, La Fanciulla del West, Otello
(in which she was unsurpassed as Desdemona), Andrea Chenier, Adrianna,
La Wally, La Gioconda, Manon Lescaut, and Tosca. These are all
available, on many labels, as live recordings as well.
Tebaldi's operatic career took one's breath away, just looking at the
theatres she performed in, The Met, War Memorial, Covent Garden, San
Carlos, Paris, Russia, Chicago Lyric, to name only a very few.
Her complete operas on video only give testament to her greatness, her
absolutely gorgeous voice. Tosca '61 Stuttgart is now on DVD, along
with her Andrea Chenier, with the wonderful and her recording partner,
Mario del Monaco, Japan '61, Forza del Destino '58 with Corelli and
Bastianini is also on DVD.
Her voice has been praised by Beverly Sills, Martina Arroyo, Joan
Sutherland, and the great Caballe, who saw her as a youngster, and
wanted to be like her. Also the many tenors who worked with her, Del
Monaco, Di Stefano, Bjorling, Morell, and Richard Tucker, always
praised her in every way possible. So did Franco Corelli, whom, both
tall and good-looking, often left audiences spellbound, with their
looks and singing.
To this day, she still is in great health, and loves to hear from her
fans. She does consider them as family, as she feels she sacrificed a
family for a career, way before it was acceptable for a woman to do so.
But her fan base only grows. All you have to do is put on just one
track of a Tebaldi CD, or record, to know why.- Maria Montessori was born on 31 August 1870 in Chiaravalle, Marche, Italy. She was a writer, known for Let the Child Be the Guide (2017) and The Children's House (1915). She died on 6 May 1952 in Noordwijk, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Franco Corelli was born on 8 April 1921 in Ancona, Marche, Italy. He was an actor, known for Angel Heart (1987), The Immigrant (2013) and The Killing Fields (1984). He was married to Loretta Di Lelio. He died on 29 October 2003 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy.- Actor
- Producer
- Production Manager
Walter Brandi was born on 24 January 1928 in Pergola, Marche, Italy. He was an actor and producer, known for Kong Island (1968), A... For Assassin (1966) and Aenigma (1987). He died on 28 May 1996 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.- Actor
- Soundtrack
This corpulent, balding character actor was a ubiquitous presence in
German-speaking films for almost half a century. So much so, that a
contemporary critic referred to him as 'the king of the supporting
roles'. A baker's son, Sima had at first aspired to become a writer.
When this somehow failed to materialise, he went on to study drama at
Vienna Conservatory. His first theatrical engagement in 1919 took him
to the Deutsche Theater in Prague. Afterwards, he was to divide his
time on stage between Vienna and Berlin. From 1927, Sima came under the
auspices of Max Reinhardt, who was
astute enough to recognise his singular comic talent and had him cast
in satirical or comedic roles.
Sima's screen career commenced in 1921. He made limited headway until
the arrival of sound. All of a sudden, he started to average several
films per year, often acting in commercially successful pictures like
Die Fledermaus (1931),
So ein Flegel (1934),
Liebe, Tod und Teufel (1934),
Glückskinder (1936),
Gasparone (1937),
Frau im Strom (1939) and
Jenny und der Herr im Frack (1941).
His stock-in-trade character was the surly curmudgeon: sometimes
villainous, cigar-chewing and choleric, sometimes shifty and scheming,
all the while deceptively amiable. At other times, he provided
effective, often scene-stealing comedy relief, as pompous, easily
deflatable editors, industrialists or burgomasters. Sima continued,
unabated, during the post-war era, alternating comedies with romantic
melodramas. In 1967, he was forced into retirement following a heart
attack, retreating to his horse-breeding stud near Vienna.
During the national socialist era, Sima's stance towards the ruling
regime seemed ambivalent. On the one hand, he vociferously applauded
Austria's 'Anschluss' with Germany. He went as far as to join the
NSDAP, ostensibly, in order to continue performing. On the other hand,
Sima appears also to have been associated with at least one resistance
cell during the 1940's. Perhaps, that curious ambiguity accounted for
his receiving the one major award of his prolific career, the Filmband
in Gold, only just prior to his death in June 1969.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Beniamino Gigli was born in Recanati, Italy, on March 20, 1890, into a
poor family. He possessed a fine singing voice and, after struggling to
make a living for many years, he eventually made his operatic debut as
a tenor on October 15, 1914, appearing in "La Giaconda" in Rovigo,
Italy. Over the following years his reputation and stature grew. His
first recordings were issued in 1918, and he was invited to sing at the
Metropolitan Opera House in New York in 1920, where the greatest
singers of the time performed. He appeared there every year for the
next 12 seasons until 1932; he got into a wage dispute with the
management and, even though it was in the middle of the Great
Depression, he quit and left to return to Europe. During the 1920s and
1930s he was often called the World's Greatest Tenor and
Enrico Caruso's successor. He
began touring and performing all around the world, on the way becoming
an especial favorite of Nazi leader
Adolf Hitler, Italian dictator
Benito Mussolini and their cliques. His
autobiography, like many, can touch around subjects that are very
sensitive to its author, and his was somewhat reticent regarding his
ties to Hitler and Mussolini, but overall it showed him to be human and
as capable of making mistakes as anyone else.
He had a short film career, much to his surprise, but he did reach new
audiences. For a while after the war he was labeled a traitor by many
Italians because of the Hitler-Mussolini connection, but eventually he
cleared his name and resumed his career to critical success. However,
when he felt his powers were starting to wane he decided to retire; his
last performance was in Washington, DC, on May 25, 1955, after a
professional career of nearly 41 years. He returned to Recanati and
died at 67 years old in Rome on November 30, 1957.- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Actor
- Producer
Sergio Ercolessi was born in Pesaro, Marche, Italy. He is an assistant director and actor, known for Catch-22 (2019), Whiskey Cavalier (2019) and Deadly Code (2013).- Director
- Writer
- Editor
Giuliana Gamba was born on 26 November 1953 in Pesaro, Marche, Italy. She is a director and writer, known for Roma dodici novembre 1994 (1995) and Cover Boy... Last Revolution (2006).- Giorgia Fiori was born on 13 November 1992 in Ascoli Piceno, Marche, Italy. She is an actress, known for La spiaggia dei Gabbiani, The Shadow of the Day (2022) and Ancora volano le farfalle (2023).
- Giorgio Montanini was born on 17 December 1977 in Fermo, Marche, Italy. He is an actor, known for Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia (2024), Grazie ragazzi (2023) and Succo di marca (2011).
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Additional Crew
- Location Management
Elena Rotatori was born on 19 April 1984 in Senigallia, Marche, Italy. Elena is known for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) and No Time to Die (2021).- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Roberta Orlandi was born in Civitanova Marche, Italy. She got her start
in showbiz at the age of 15. She was later crowned 3 times in several
beauty contests in her native land including Miss Italy. Her first big
break was the TV show "Forum" on Canale 5, Italy. She also worked as a
model and actress in several movies and TV series in Italy and Europe.
Roberta moved to New York in early 1996 and since then she has been
very busy acting in movies, commercials, TV, videos and theatre. Among
other roles, she played "Florida De Leon" in the comedy hit My X-Girlfriend's Wedding Reception (1999)
directed by Martin Guigui. She has also been working as a model for several
magazines. She has lived in Los Angeles since 2002.- Rafael Sabatini was born near the Adriatic seaport of Ancona, Italy to
Anna Trafford, an Englishwoman, and Italian Vincenzo Sabatini, both of
whom were well known opera singers. With their careers still in full
swing and included much traveling, so baby Rafael was sent to her
parents near Liverpool for a stable home life. After seven years they
retired from opera and turned to being voice teachers and the boy
rejoined them, first in Portugal where they set up their first music
school, then back to Italy, where they settled in Milan.
By early adolescence Rafael had already been a voracious reader, with a
particular fondness for romantic historical novels. He was schooled at
Zug, Switzerland, but by 17 years of age he was well versed in some six
languages and decided it was time to make his way in the world. His
father stepped in and determined that Rafael's linguistic skill was
best served in international commerce, so he was sent back to Liverpool
in 1892--a logical decision, since he had family there and the city was
Great Britain's largest commercial port. His knowledge of Portuguese
came in especially useful in his company's dealings in Brazil, but
after four years of business, Rafael's interest in writing was bubbling
to the top. He was writing his own romance stories, which he believed
to be more interesting than just reading the works of others. All of
this work was in English, as he considered the best literature of the
world to be in that language. Some of his work was submitted by an
acquaintance to an editor and, and wound up being accepted and
published by a Liverpool publisher. By 1899 he was selling short
stories regularly to prominent magazines: Person's, London, and Royal.
He also had a translation job as well, and by 1905 with two novels
published, he decided to devote full time to writing. That same year he
married Ruth Goad Dixon, the daughter of a Liverpool paper merchant. At
that point Sabatini moved to London, the publishing hub of Britain.
Rafael produced, in addition to about a novel a year, a steady stream
of short stories. By the time he published his first really interesting
swashbuckler, "The Sea Hawk", in 1915 he had completed 12 novels and,
although comfortable in his new living, he was not the success he had
envisioned. Though he had a modest and loyal following and his
historical research was of a high degree, Sabatini's earlier work could
be rather uneven in subject matter, of special interest to him but not
the public. For instance, his supposed illegitimacy may have led to his
half-dozen books dealing with the illegitimate despot Cesare Borgia of
early 16th-century Italy. He also sometimes hampered himself with
heavy-handed historical constraints, dragged out with extraneous
philosophizing, as well as stilted dialog--but some of these faults
were characteristic of 19th- and early 20th-century novel writing
style. He managed another novel for 1917, but through most of World War
I he was working in as a translator for the British intelligence
service--evidently of great import to the war effort (he had finally
become a British citizen, due in no small part to Italy's continued
threats to conscript him into the army).
Sabatini returned to his writing after the war but nothing was
forthcoming until 1921. He had been writing professionally for nearly
25 years when he finished "Scaramouche" and tried, but failed, to
interest several American publishers in it. It was, however, picked up
in England for publishing, and then in America as well. The story of
Andre Moreau in the period of the French Revolution became a runaway
best-seller internationally. After the success of "Scaramouche",
Sabatini was ready with a second to his 1-2 punch. In 1922 "Captain
Blood" was published, to even greater success. Suddenly his earlier
works were being rushed into reprints, the most popular being "The Sea
Hawk". Although the growing silent-film industry had already used six
of his stories for films, they quickly started optioning the new best
sellers for production. "Scaramouche" was turned into
Scaramouche (1923) and followed by
The Sea Hawk (1924) which hewed to
the book's many turns, something the 1940
Errol Flynn version didn't do,
opting for pretty much an entirely new screenplay, but was nonetheless
extremely popular. The 1935 remake of "Captain Blood", also starring
Flynn (Captain Blood (1935)), stuck
the novel's story and was just as popular. The "Scaramouche" remake
(Scaramouche (1952)) starred
Stewart Granger and was a big
hit.
By 1925 Sabatini had achieved his dream of success--he was rich and
still filled with ideas and the will to write still more novels. There
was time to rest, especially in his much beloved Wales--fishing was one
of his favorite pastimes--but he also loved to ski. There was tragedy
ahead, however. The Sabatinis' only son Rafael-Angelo (born in 1909 and
nicknamed Binkie), busy with college, was given a new car by his
parents in 1927. They were all due to go north to Scotland for a
vacation, when the son and his mother went for a drive and the car was
involved in an accident. Ruth Sabatini was thrown from the vehicle and
knocked unconscious and was unable to remember what had happened, but
Rafael-Angelo was fatally injured. Sabatini, returning from taking a
friend to the railway station in Gloucester, happened on the accident
and found his wife and son lying by the side of the road. The son died
after arrival back at their rented estate of Brockweir House. The
parents were devastated, and Sabatini went into a depression that
stopped all writing. He started again a year later, and it would
provide him enough to enable him to complete another novel, "The Hounds
of God". Thereafter the novel-a-year work ethic would continue until
1941. However, his relationship with his wife was already strained by
the time of their son's death, and they divorced in 1931. That year he
also did a sequel to "Scaramouche"--"Scaramouche the Kingmaker".
Sabatini turned to a new domesticated tranquility, having finally moved
to Wales near Hay-on-Wye and refurbishing a fine old home called Clock
Mill, complete with its own stream and stocked with trout.
In 1935 he married the sculptress Christine Goad, the wife of his first
wife's brother. They were a happy couple, spending each January in
Adelboden, Switzerland, for skiing. He finished a two-volume set of
stories centering on his Captain Blood character called "Chivalry" in
1935. By the late 1930s the clouds of war in Europe especially
disturbed Sabatini. He suffered through yet another tragedy when his
new wife's son, Lancelot, flew over their house the day he received his
RAF pilot's wings. The plane went out of control and crashed in flames
across the Wye in a field right before their eyes. Sabatini wrote no
more novels until 1944, for by this time he was developing what
appeared to be stomach cancer. He managed one more novel in 1949, his
31st. He died on one last trip to Adelboden in 1950 and was buried
there. On his headstone his wife had written the first lines from
Scaramouche: "He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the
world was mad." It made a very fitting epitaph. There have been 21
adaptations of his works for the screen, both in film and on TV. His
writings also included eight collections of short novels/stories, six
non-fiction books and many short stories, some of which are lost. - Actress
- Director
- Writer
Bellagamba began skating at the age of six. She reached the third position in couple and first single at the Italian "Acli Italian artistic skating championships". At the age of nine she began modern dancing, with Carla Giacani and Romina Muzzi. Three years later she attended a stage in Florence in the school of the "Tuscany Ballet" and the "Opus Ballet", during which she was noticed by Daniel Tinazzi. The following year, after a scholarship assigned to her by the same school under the direction of Cristina Bozzolini, Bellagamba moves to Florence where she attended the schools and studied dance. At the age of fifteen years she dropped out of school for a professional course of dance but she doesn't interrupt the studies and succeeded in graduating. In the meantime she deepens her dance studies with: Fabrizio Monteverde, Daniel Tinazzi, Eugenio Scigliano, Arianna Benedetti, Mauro Astolfi, Stefania Di Cosimo, Domenique Lesdema, Silvio Oddi, Steve La Chance and Mauro Bigonzetti. In 2002 she joined the company "Junior Balletto di Toscana" and, later, the Aterballetto, performing in theaters of China, New Zealand, Mexico, United States, South Korea and Europe.
5 October 2008: Alice becomes a students of the talent Amici di Maria De Filippi. At the end of the television program, she was the only dancer in the show, and she was classified fourth in the eighth edition of Amici di Maria De Filippi. Her debut was in the musical Io Ballo, under the direction of Chicco Sfondrini and Patrick Rossi Gastaldi, with choreography by Garrison Rochelle, and the other "boys and girls" of the TV show Amici di Maria De Filippi. After that, she was one of the show Amici Tour.
She was noticed by the director Rossella Izzo for the new fiction of Canale 5: Ritmo della vita. In 2009 she starred in the film Balla con noi, directed by Cinzia Bomoll. The film was released in cinema on 27 May 2011. On 5 June 2009, she becomes testimonial for the Foundation "G. SALESI ONLUS", making her own image " available... with the goal to express the joy and the strength of the life.. " for the research and the improvement of the quality hospital accommodation for the children and their families, and for the social support for women and children in conditions of uneasiness.
In 2010 she began studying acting with Francesca Viscardi Leonetti. In June 2010 she made her debut on stage with Non ci posso fare niente based on the 1782 epistolary novel of C. de Laclos Les Liaisons dangereuses. In the same year, she worked in Anna e i 5 - la nuova serie, directed by Franco Amurri. In October of the same year she began her new TV series on Channel 5 Non smettere di sognare by Roberto Burchielli. The series will be broadcast on TV since March 2011.
In 2012 Bellagamba joined the cast of the TV series Provaci ancora prof 4, in the role of Valentina Grassetti, with an international cast of actors and actress, also in 2012, she had a role of Salome in the television miniseries Mary of Nazareth and, after that in the cast of the drama Un passo dal cielo 2 with Terence Hill. In the same year she became the star of the sitcom Talent High School - Il sogno di Sofia, in which she plays the role of a dancer enrolled in an academy show.
In 2013, Bellagamba is the protagonist of the second season of the sitcom produced by LuxVide for DeAgostini: Talent High School 2 - Il sogno di Sofia. In June of the same year she was chosen by Leonardo Pieraccioni for his new holiday movie "A fantastic goings" where she plays Clelia. In October of the same year, Bellagamba presents the Grand Gala of the sixth edition of the International Short Film Festival: "Corti and Cigarettes". On 19 December 2013 he made his debut as a TV presenter with Marche Show! - The living room of Alice on by local broadcast Tv Center Marche.
On 30 August, at the 71ª edition the Venice Film Festival, she is rewarded as "Best Emerging Actress" in the first edition of the "International Award", dedicated to Anna Magnani.
In 2015, in the TV miniseries "Pietro Mennea - The arrow South" interprets Carlotta, first love Olympian athlete Pietro Mennea.
In the summer of 2015 he began collaborate, as master trainer, with Madonna's project "Hard Candy Fitness", giving lessons to Rome. In September of the same year he became professor of Modern/Contemporary, always Rome, at the "Kledi Dance" dance school owned by Kledi Kadiu.
On April 28, 2017, at the Festival Tulipani of Seta Nera, she presented her first short film entitled "Last Chance", that has directed, written and she sees it the protagonists as well.
On 10 May 2018, goes out to the cinema the psychological thriller "Le Grida del Silenzio" of which he is co-protagonist. On March 14, 2018 he founded the Company of "Balletto delle Marche", of which he is Artistic Director, dancer and choreographer. The Compagnia, after two months of rehearsals, is engaged to perform in the stages of Miss Italy Marche and Abruzzo and in the important Festival evenings of the Marche Region.- Production Designer
- Art Department
- Art Director
Ferdinando Scarfiotti was born on 6 March 1941 in Potenza Picena, Marche, Italy. He was a production designer and art director, known for The Last Emperor (1987), Toys (1992) and Death in Venice (1971). He died on 30 April 1994 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Director
- Writer
Director, writer, anthropologist born in Pesaro, Italy. He wrote and directed his first feature film which was screened in theaters at the age of 15. He graduated in Communication Sciences (University of RomaTre), in Cultural Anthropology (La Sapienza University), and graduated in Cinematographic Direction at the Cinecittà Film and Television Academy (Rome).- Anna Bisciari was born on 13 May 1994 in Cagli, Marche, Italy. She is an actress, known for Cattiva coscienza (2023) and Blanca (2021).
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Silvano Ippoliti was born on 23 January 1923 in Cagli, Marche, Italy. He was a cinematographer, known for Caligula (1979), Miranda (1985) and Capriccio (1987). He died on 1 January 1994 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Ave Ninchi was born on 14 December 1915 in Ancona, Marche, Italy. She was an actress, known for Purple Noon (1960), To Live in Peace (1947) and The Good Time Girls (1960). She died on 10 November 1997 in Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Glauco Mauri was born on 1 October 1930 in Pesaro, Marche, Italy. He is an actor and writer, known for Deep Red (1975), I vecchi e i giovani (1978) and Macbeth (1975).- Actor
- Additional Crew
Carlo Alighiero, stage name of Carlo Art Animals (Ostra, February 2, 1927) is an American actor, voice actor, director and playwright Italian.
Played theater, films and television. His voice still remains in the memory of the large television audience as a masterful narrator of the historical drama "L'Odissea".
He is married to actress and voice actress Elena Cotta, with whom he had two daughters.
After attending the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera in Milan, he enrolled at Bocconi University and later studied at the National Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome, where he had for teachers, among others, Wanda Capodaglio, Sergio Tofano and Silvio d'Amico.