Italian Actress Virna Lisi Dies At 78
She was not on the list.
ROME – Italian actress Virna Lisi who played memorable roles
in European and Hollywood films including 1965 comedy classic “How To Murder
Your Wife,” with Jack Lemmon, in which she famously pops out of wedding cake
wearing a bikini, and also a masterfully maleficent queen in Patrice Chereau’s
“La Reine Margot,” died in Rome on Thursday. She was 78.
Lisi had been recently diagnosed with an unspecified form of
cancer, according to Italian press reports.
Born in Ancona 1936 as Virna Pieralisi, she began her film
career as a teenager in 1953, initially thanks to her stunning looks. Her
increasingly important parts in Italian postwar pics include 1957 drama “La
Donna Del Giorno,” 1963 crimer “Il Delitto” Dupre, with Alain Delon, and Mario
Monicelli’s 1965 Italo comedy classic “Casanova ’70’,” in which she co-starred
with Marcello Mastroianni.
In 1965 Lisi was put under contract by Paramount. She
debuted in Hollywood as a blue-eyed temptress opposite Jack Lemmon in Richard
Quine’s “How To Murder Your Wife,” followed by “Not With My Wife, You Don’t”
with Tony Curtis, in 1966, directed by Norman Panama, and “Assault on a Queen”
with Frank Sinatra, also in 1966, directed by Jack Donohue.
Tired of being relegated to playing “dumb blonde” roles,
Lisi in the late ’60’s broke her seven-year Paramount contract, after paying a
costly penalty fee and reportedly turning down the lead role in Roger Vadim’s
“Barbarella,” which went to Jane Fonda.
Back in Europe, Lisi struggled to find roles appropriate to
her stature. But one came along in 1994 with her performance as the witchy
queen Caterina de’ Medici in “La Reine Margot,” which won her the Prix Du Jury
prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and also a Cesar, France’s top film nod. She
was honored with a career Italian Golden Globe in 2004 and also received
numerous other Italian nods.
More recently, Lisi’s career mostly involved Italian TV
series with the notable exceptions of Cristina Comencini’s ensemble drama “The
Best Day Of My Life.” Lisi’s last film performance, after a twelve year hiatus,
is in Cristina Comencini’s upcoming comedy “Latin Lover,” now in post.
Lisi is survived by a son, Corrado, and three grandchildren,
Franco, Federico, and Riccardo.
Filmography
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
Il cardinale 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 prend des risques 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
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