Virna Lisi

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Virna Lisi
Lisi on 11 July 2009
Born
Virna Lisa Pieralisi

(1936-11-08)8 November 1936
Died18 December 2014(2014-12-18) (aged 78)
Rome, Italy
OccupationActress
Years active1953–2014
Spouse
Franco Pesci
(m. 1960; died 2013)
Children1
AwardsDavid di Donatello
Best Actress
1980: The Cricket
Best Supporting Actress
1983: Time for Loving
Nastro d'Argento
Best Actress
1990: Merry Christmas... Happy New Year
1997: Follow Your Heart
Best Supporting Actress
1978: Beyond Good and Evil
1983: Time for Loving
1995: La Reine Margot
2002: The Best Day of My Life
César Award
Best Supporting Actress
1995: La Reine Margot
Cannes Film Festival
Best Actress
1994: La Reine Margot

Virna Lisa Pieralisi[1] (Italian: [ˈvirna pjeraˈliːzi]; 8 November 1936 – 18 December 2014), known as just Virna Lisi, was an Italian actress. Her international film appearances included How to Murder Your Wife (1965), Not with My Wife, You Don't! (1966), The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969), Beyond Good and Evil (1977), and Follow Your Heart (1996). For the 1994 film La Reine Margot, she won Best Actress at Cannes and the César Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Career[edit]

Early career[edit]

Born in Ancona, Italy, Lisi began her film career in her teens. Discovered in Rome by two Neapolitan producers, Antonio Ferrigno and Ettore Pesce, she debuted in La corda d'acciaio (The Steel Rope, 1953). Initially, she appeared in musical films, like E Napoli canta (Naples Sings, 1953) and Questa è la vita (Of Life and Love, 1954, with Totò). Nonetheless, her beauty was more valued than her talent, as seen in the films Le diciottenni (Eighteen Year Olds) and Lo scapolo (The Bachelor), both released in 1955. Despite this, she filled some demanding roles, particularly in La donna del giorno (1956), Eva (1962), and the spectacle Romolo e Remo (1961).

In the late 1950s, Lisi performed on stage at Piccolo Teatro di Milano in I giacobini by Federico Zardi under the direction of Giorgio Strehler. During the 1960s, Lisi appeared in comedies and participated in television dramas that were widely viewed in Italy. Lisi also promoted a toothpaste brand on television with a slogan that would become a catchphrase among Italians: "con quella bocca può dire ciò che vuole" (with such a mouth, she can say whatever she wants).[2]

Hollywood career[edit]

Though she turned down the Tatiana Romanova role in From Russia with Love (1963),[3] Hollywood producers sought a new Marilyn Monroe and so, Lisi debuted in Hollywood comedy as a green-eyed blonde temptress with Jack Lemmon in How to Murder Your Wife (1965) and appeared with Tony Curtis in Not with My Wife, You Don't! (1966). Lisi then starred with Frank Sinatra, in Assault on a Queen (1966), in The Girl and the General, co-starring with Rod Steiger, and in two films with Anthony Quinn, The Secret of Santa Vittoria, directed by Stanley Kramer, and the war drama The 25th Hour. She garnered attention for a photo of her 'shaving' her face that appeared on the March 1965 cover of Esquire magazine.

Later career in Europe[edit]

In The Birds, the Bees and the Italians (1966)

To overcome her typecasting playing seductresses, Lisi sought new types of roles, of evil women or of a lover in relationships of disparate age for example. In those years, she participated in Italian productions, in Casanova 70 and Le bambole (1965), Arabella (1967), and Le dolci signore (1968). She also turned down the part played by Jane Fonda in Roger Vadim’s Barbarella (1968).[4] Lisi also starred in The Birds, the Bees and the Italians (1966) which shared the Grand Prix (then equivalent to the Palme d'Or, which was not awarded at the time) with A Man and a Woman at the Cannes Film Festival that year.[5]

She told The New York Sunday Times that after marrying Franco Pesci, an Italian builder and architect, she briefly retired from acting in the early 1970s to spend more time with her husband and their son, Corrado.[4] Nonetheless, Lisi's career underwent a renaissance with a number of projects, including Al di là del bene e del male (1977), Ernesto (1979), and La cicala (1980). For the film La Reine Margot (1994), Lisi's portrayal of Catherine de' Medici won her both the César and Cannes Film Festival awards,[6] along with a Silver Ribbon for Best Supporting Actress. In 2002, Lisi starred in Il più bel giorno della mia vita.

Virna Lisi then participated in many sitcoms and TV series. Her last movie was in the Italian comedy drama Latin Lover in 2014, shortly before her death.

Personal life and death[edit]

She was married to Franco Pesci, an Italian property developer and architect. They were married for 53 years until his death, a year before her. After her marriage she briefly retired from acting, saying: “My husband was not very happy about my career, Franco is a jealous man — thank God! After we married he tried to take me away from all this movie business.” She said he eventually relented.[4]

On 18 December 2014, Lisi died of lung cancer in Rome at age 78.[7] She is survived by a son, Corrado Pesci, and three grandchildren.[4]

Legacy[edit]

The Argentinian band Sumo (led by Luca Prodan) made a song for her, "TV Caliente a.k.a. Virna Lisi [es]" (1986), composed by Luca Prodan, whose brother, the actor Andrea Prodan, appeared with her in the movie I ragazzi di via Panisperna (1988). A Brazilian rock band named Virna Lisi [pt] (1989–1997) was named after her. Meilland International SA named a rose after her in 1989.

Filmography[edit]

Year Film Role Notes
1953 Naples Sings Maria Mariani
1954 Desiderio 'e sole Laura
Violenza sul lago Laura, Marco's daughter
Letter from Naples Anna Esposito
The Steel Rope Stella
Cardinal Lambertini Maria di Pietramelara
The Courier of Moncenisio Jeanne Thibaud
Piccola santa Maria
1955 Eighteen Year Olds Maria Rovani
Addio Napoli!
New Moon Lucia
Disowned
La rossa Maria
Les Hussards Elisa
The Bachelor Extra Uncredited
1956 Vendicata!
1957 La donna del giorno (The Woman of the Day) Liliana Attenni
1958 Il Conte di Matera Greta Tramontana, Rambaldo's daughter
Toto, Peppino and the Fanatics Girl
1959 Vite perdute Anna
Il padrone delle ferriere Claire de Beaulieu
World of Miracles Laura Damiani
Caterina Sforza, la leonessa di Romagna Caterina Sforza
1960 Un militare e mezzo Anita Rossi
1961 Sua Eccellenza si fermò a mangiare Silvia
5 marines per 100 ragazze Grazia
Romolo e Remo Julia
1962 Eva Francesca Ferrara
1963 The Shortest Day Naja, an Austrian spy
Don't Tempt the Devil Gina Bianchi
1964 The Black Tulip Caroline "Caro" Plantin
Coplan Takes Risks Ingrid Carlsen
1965 How to Murder Your Wife Mrs. Ford
The Dolls Luisa (segment "La telefonata")
The Possessed Tilde
Casanova 70 Gigliola
Made in Italy Virginia (segment "3 'La Donna', episode 1")
Kiss the Other Sheik Dorothea (segment "L'ora di punta"), also known as The Man, the Woman and the Money
1966 The Birds, the Bees and the Italians Milena Zulian
A Maiden for a Prince Giulia
Assault on a Queen Rosa Lucchesi
Not with My Wife, You Don't! Julie Ferris / Lieutenant Julietta Perodi
1967 The 25th Hour Suzanna Moritz
The Girl and the General Ada
Arabella Arabella
1968 Anyone Can Play Luisa
The Girl Who Couldn't Say No Yolanda Nominated—Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress
Better a Widow Rosa Minniti
1969 If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium John's Beautiful Cousin in Rome
The Christmas Tree Catherine Graziani
The Secret of Santa Vittoria Caterina Malatesta
1970 The Heist Stella
The Voyeur Claude
1971 The Statue Rhonda Bolt
Love Me Strangely Nathalie Revent
Roma Bene Duchess Silvia Santi
1972 The Pebbles of Étretat Alny
Bluebeard Elga
1973 Night Flight from Moscow Annabel Lee
White Fang Sister Evangelina
1974 Challenge to White Fang Sister Evangelina
1977 Beyond Good and Evil Elisabeth Nietzsche Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress
Golden Grolla for Best Actress
1979 Ernesto Ernesto's Mother
Bugie bianche Luisa Herrighe
1980 The Cricket Wilma Malinverni David di Donatello for Best Actress
Golden Grolla for Best Actress
1982 Miss Right Anna
1983 Time for Loving Adriana Balestra David di Donatello for Best Supporting Actress
Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress
1984 Amarsi un po' Princess Marisa Cellini
1987 I Love N.Y. Anna Cotone
1989 I ragazzi di via Panisperna (Via Panisperna Boys) Ettore Majorana's Mother
Merry Christmas... Happy New Year Elvira Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress
Nominated—David di Donatello for Best Actress
1994 La Reine Margot Catherine de Medici Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award
Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress
César Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—David di Donatello for Best Supporting Actress
1995 One Hundred and One Nights Herself – in Cannes
1996 Follow Your Heart Olga Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress
Italian Golden Globe for Best Actress
Nominated—David di Donatello for Best Actress
2002 The Best Day of My Life Irene Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress
Flaiano Prize for Best Actress – Audience Award
2015 Latin Lover Rita Posthumous
Nominated—David di Donatello for Best Actress
Nominated—Italian Golden Globe for Best Actress

Television[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Virna Lisi obituary | Movies | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Virna Lisi" (in Italian). Rai Uno. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  3. ^ "VIRNA LISI/ Quando disse di no a James Bond e a Playboy... (Techetechetè)". IlSussidiario.net. 22 July 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d Santora, Marc (19 December 2014). "Virna Lisi, Italian Actress Lured to Hollywood, Dies at 78". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  5. ^ Codelli, Lorenzo (13 February 2018). "Italian Films at Cannes 1960–1990 (2/3)". Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  6. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Queen Margot". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
  7. ^ Vivarelli, Nick (18 December 2014). "Italian Actress Virna Lisi Dies At 78". Variety.

External links[edit]