Virna Lisi | |
|---|---|
 Lisi on 11 July 2009 | |
| Born | Virna Lisa Pieralisi (1936-11-08)8 November 1936 |
| Died | 18 December 2014(2014-12-18) (aged 78) Rome, Italy |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1953–2014 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | David 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:[ˈvirnapjeraˈliːzi]; 8 November 1936 – 18 December 2014), known as justVirna Lisi, was an Italian actress. Her international film appearances includedHow to Murder Your Wife (1965),Not with My Wife, You Don't! (1966),The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969),Beyond Good and Evil (1977), andFollow Your Heart (1996). For the 1994 filmLa Reine Margot, she wonBest Actress at Cannes and theCésar Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Born inAncona, Lisi began her film career in her teens. Discovered inRome by two Neapolitan producers, Antonio Ferrigno and Ettore Pesce, she debuted inLa corda d'acciaio (The Steel Rope, 1953). Initially, she appeared in musical films likeE Napoli canta (Naples Sings, 1953) andQuesta è la vita (Of Life and Love, 1954, withTotò). While initially cast in roles highlighting her physical appearance, such asLe diciottenni (Eighteen Year Olds) andLo scapolo (The Bachelor), both released in 1955, she went on to more demanding roles, particularly inThe Doll That Took the Town (1956),Eva (1962), and the spectacleRomolo e Remo (1961).
In the late 1950s, Lisi performed on stage atPiccolo Teatro di Milano inI giacobini by Federico Zardi under the direction ofGiorgio Strehler. During the 1960s, Lisi appeared in comedies and participated in television dramas that were widely viewed in Italy. Lisi also promoted atoothpaste 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]
Though she turned down theTatiana Romanova role inFrom Russia with Love (1963),[3] Hollywood producers sought a newMarilyn Monroe and so, Lisi debuted in Hollywood comedy as a green-eyed blonde temptress withJack Lemmon inHow to Murder Your Wife (1965) and appeared withTony Curtis inNot with My Wife, You Don't! (1966). Lisi then starred withFrank Sinatra, inAssault on a Queen (1966), inThe Girl and the General, co-starring withRod Steiger, and in two films withAnthony Quinn,The Secret of Santa Vittoria, directed byStanley Kramer, and the war dramaThe 25th Hour. She garnered attention for a photo of her 'shaving' her face that appeared on the March 1965 cover ofEsquire magazine.
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, inCasanova 70 andLe bambole (1965),Arabella (1967), andLe dolci signore (1968). She turned down the part played byJane Fonda inRoger Vadim’sBarbarella (1968).[4] Lisi also starred inThe Birds, the Bees and the Italians (1966) which shared the Grand Prix (then equivalent to thePalme d'Or, which was not awarded at the time) withA Man and a Woman at theCannes Film Festival that year.[5]
She toldThe 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, includingAl di là del bene e del male (1977),Ernesto (1979), andLa cicala (1980). For the filmLa Reine Margot (1994), Lisi's portrayal ofCatherine de' Medici won her both theCésar andCannes Film Festival awards,[6] along with aSilver Ribbon for Best Supporting Actress. In 2002, Lisi starred inIl più bel giorno della mia vita. Lisi then participated in manysitcoms and TV series. Her last movie was in the Italiancomedy dramaLatin Lover in 2014, shortly before her death.
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 oflung cancer in Rome at age 78.[7] She is survived by a son, Corrado Pesci, and three grandchildren.[4]
The Argentinian bandSumo (led byLuca Prodan) made a song for her, "TV Caliente a.k.a. Virna Lisi [es]" (1986), composed by Luca Prodan, whose brother, the actorAndrea Prodan, appeared with her in the movieI ragazzi di via Panisperna (1988). A Brazilianrock band namedVirna Lisi [pt] (1989–1997) was named after her.Meilland International SA nameda rose after her in 1989.
