Mariangela Melato | |
|---|---|
 Melato inLo chiameremo Andrea (1972) | |
| Born | (1941-09-19)19 September 1941 Milan, Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | 11 January 2013(2013-01-11) (aged 71) Rome, Italy |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1963–2010 |
Mariangela Caterina Melato[1] (Italian:[mariˈandʒelameˈlaːto,maˈrjan-]; 19 September 1941 – 11 January 2013), sometimes billed asMaria Angela Melato, was an Italian actress.[2][3] She is most remembered for her roles in films of directorLina Wertmüller, includingThe Seduction of Mimi (1972),Love and Anarchy (1973), andSwept Away (1974).[2][3] In cinema, she also appeared in films ofClaude Chabrol,Elio Petri andVittorio De Sica, and on stage in productions byDario Fo,Luchino Visconti andLuca Ronconi.[1][2][4] Her roles in English-language films include the 1980 science fiction filmFlash Gordon.,[2]So Fine (1981) andDancers (1987).
Melato was born inMilan toTriestine traffic policeman Alfredo Melato and Milanese seamstress Lina.[1] Her father, born Alfred Hönig, was originally of Austrian descent and laterItalianised his name by translating its meaning of "honeyed".[1] While still attending school, she worked as a window dresser, attended painting courses and enrolled at theAccademia dei Filodrammatici,[1] studying acting underEsperia Sperani [it].[5][6]
In the early 1960s, she entered the stage company ofFantasio Piccoli inBolzano, giving her first performances in 1963 in plays likeBinario cieco byCarlo Terron [it],Our Town byThornton Wilder andO di uno o di niente byLuigi Pirandello.[1][4] Upon her return to Milan, she worked with Dario Fo inSettimo: ruba un po' meno andLa colpa è sempre del diavolo in 1964 and 1965.[1][7] After her engagement with Fo's company ended, she left Milan again, working with directors such asGiuseppe Maffioli [it],Damiano Damiani and Giovanni Poli.[1] In 1967, she appeared inLuchino Visconti'sThe Nun of Monza, but censors shut down the play.[2] She worked with Visconti again in 1969 inThe Advertisement byNatalia Ginzburg.[1] The same and the following year, she starred inLudovico Ariosto'sOrlando Furioso andThe Revenger's Tragedy, both directed by Luca Ronconi.[1][2]
In 1970, Melato moved toRome and made her film debut inPupi Avati'sThomas e gli indemoniati, which never saw a cinematic release.[1][8] Subsequent roles followed inNino Manfredi'sBetween Miracles (1971), Elio Petri'sThe Working Class Goes to Heaven (1971) and Vittorio De Sica'sLo chiameremo Andrea (1972).[2]
In 1972, Melato starred alongsideGiancarlo Giannini inThe Seduction of Mimi, directed by Lina Wertmüller. For this film, she had to abandonPietro Garinei's and Alessandro Giovannini's popular musical showAlleluja brava gente, which led to a dispute with the producers.[1]The Seduction of Mimi was the start of a successful relationship between Wertmüller, Melato and Giannini that continued withLove and Anarchy (1973), in which Melato played a communist prostitute, andSwept Away (1974).[2] Melato's critically acclaimed comedic performance in this film as a spoiled aristocrat is one of her internationally best-remembered roles.[2][3]
For the remainder of the 1970s, Melato worked with some of Europe's most renowned directors, including Claude Chabrol inNada (1974), Elio Petri inTodo modo (1976), andLuigi Comencini inIl gatto (1978). She also appeared on television, playing the role of PrincessBithiah in the miniseriesMoses the Lawgiver, and in two episodes of the serialised TV adaptation of Ariosto'sOrlando Furioso (both 1974).[1] During the 1970s and 1980s, she only sporadically returned to the stage in productions likeAeschylus'Oresteia in 1972[9] and Carlo Bertolazzi'sEl nost Milan in 1979, the latter directed byGiorgio Strehler.[1]
In the 1980s, Melato starred in two American productions, as the villainess General Kala inFlash Gordon and in the comedySo Fine (1981) alongsideRyan O'Neal.[3]In the Pope's Eye (1980), directed byRenzo Arbore, was heavily attacked by the Catholic press and even seized from the cinemas.[10][11] Melato and Lina Wertmüller eventually reunited for the filming ofSummer Night (1986), a variation onSwept Away.[12] Notable theatre appearances of this decade includeEuripides'Medea (1986) andWilliam Gibson'sThe Miracle Worker (1988), both directed byGiancarlo Sepe [it].[1][2]
In the early 1990s, Melato returned permanently to the stage, reducing her presence on the screen and on television.[1] She signed a long-term contract with the Teatro Stabile di Genova (nowTeatro Nazionale di Genova [it]), where she appeared in productions such asKarel Čapek'sThe Makropulos Affair (1993),Copi'sTango barbaro (1995) andEugene O'Neill'sMourning Becomes Electra (1997).[1][7][9] One of the rare film appearances during this time was the 1993The End Is Known.[9] Due to increasing health issues, she ended her career in 2010.[1]
Melato had long-term relationships with actor and directorRenzo Arbore and with musician and actorGiorgio Gaber.[1][13]
She died frompancreatic cancer in Rome on 11 January 2013, at age 71.[2][14]
Melato received numerous stage and film awards.
David di Donatello Award:[15]
Nastro d'Argento Award for Best Leading Actress:[13]
