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Alida Valli is a Actor and Director Italienne born on 31 may 1921 at Pula (Croatie)

Alida Valli

Alida Valli
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Birth name Alida Maria Laura Altenburger, Baronne von Marckenstein und Frauenberg
Nationality Italie
Birth 31 may 1921 at Pula (Croatie)
Death 22 april 2006 (at 84 years) at Rome (Italie)

Alida Valli (31 May 1921 – 22 April 2006), sometimes simply credited as Valli, stage name of Baroness Alida Maria Laura Altenburger von Marckenstein u. Frauenberg, was an Italian actress who appeared in more than 100 films, including Mario Soldati's Piccolo mondo antico, Alfred Hitchcock's The Paradine Case, Carol Reed's The Third Man, Michelangelo Antonioni's Il Grido, Luchino Visconti's Senso, Bernardo Bertolucci's 1900 and Dario Argento's Suspiria.

Biography

Early life
Valli was born in Pola, Istria, Italy (today Pula, Croatia; until 1918 it had formed part of Austria-Hungary). Her paternal grandfather was the Baron Luigi Altenburger (also: Altempurger), an Austrian-Italian from Trento, a descendant of the Counts d'Arco; her paternal grandmother was Elisa Tomasi from Trento, a cousin of the Roman senator Ettore Tolomei. Valli's mother, Silvia Oberecker della Martina, born in Pola, was the daughter of Felix Oberecker (also: Obrekar) from Laibach, Austria (now Ljubljana, Slovenia); her mother was Virginia della Martina from Pola, Istria (then part of Austria). Valli's maternal granduncle, Rodolfo, was a close friend of Gabriele d'Annunzio. Valli was christened Baroness Alida Maria Laura Altenburger von Marckenstein-Frauenberg. During her lifetime she also gained the titles Dr.h.c. of the III. University of Rome, Chevalier of Arts of France and Cavaliere of the Italian Republic.


Career

At fifteen, she went to Rome, where she attended the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, a school for film actors and directors. At that time, she lived with her uncle Ettore Tolomei. Valli started her movie career in 1934, in Il cappello a tre punte (The Three Cornered Hat) during the so-called Telefoni Bianchi cinema era. Her first big success came with the movie Mille lire al mese (1939). After many roles in a large number of comedies, she earned her success as dramatic actress in Piccolo mondo antico (1941), directed by Mario Soldati, for which she won a special Best Actress award at Venice Film Festival. During the Second World War, she starred in many movies including Stasera niente di nuovo (1942) (whose song "Ma l'amore no" became the leitmotif of the Italian forties) and the diptych Noi Vivi / Addio Kira! (1943) (based on Ayn Rand's novel We the Living). These latter two movies were nearly censored by the Italian government under Benito Mussolini, but they were finally permitted because the novel upon which they were based was anti-Soviet. The films were successful, and the public easily realized that they were as much against Fascism as Communism. After several weeks, however, the films were pulled from theaters as the German and Italian governments, which abhorred communism, found out the story also carried an anti-fascist message.

By her early 20s already widely regarded as the "most beautiful woman in the World," Valli had a career in English language films through David Selznick, who signed her to a contract, thinking that he had found a second Ingrid Bergman. In Hollywood, she performed in several movies: she was the murder suspect Maddalena Paradine in Alfred Hitchcock's The Paradine Case (1947), and the mysterious Czech refugee wanted by the Russians in post-war Vienna in Carol Reed's The Third Man (1949). But her foreign experience was not a great success, owing to the financial problems of Selznick's production company.

She returned to Europe in the early 1950s, and starred in many French and Italian films. In 1954, she had great success in the melodrama Senso, directed by Luchino Visconti. In that film, set in mid-19th century Venice during the Risorgimento, she played a Venetian countess torn between nationalistic feelings and an adulterous love for an officer (played by Farley Granger) of the occupying Austrian forces.

In 1956, Valli decided to stop making movies, concentrating instead on the stage. She was in charge of a company that produce Broadway plays in Italy.

In 1959, she appeared in Georges Franju's horror masterpiece Les Yeux sans visage (Eyes Without a Face). From the 1960s, she worked in several pictures with famous directors, such as Pier Paolo Pasolini's Edipo re (Oedipus Rex), 1967; Bernardo Bertolucci's La strategia del ragno, 1972; Novecento, 1976, and Dario Argento's Suspiria, 1977. Her final movie role was in Semana Santa (2002), with Mira Sorvino. In Italy, she was also well known for her stage appearances in such plays as Ibsen's Rosmersholm; Pirandello's Henry IV; John Osborne's Epitaph for George Dillon; and Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge. At the 54th Venice International Film Festival in 1997 Alida Valli obtained the Golden Lion award for her career.


Name used in billing
When Valli came to the United States, she was billed by only her last name "to make her sound even more exotic." In 1951, she complained that she disliked the single-name reference. "I feel silly going around with only one name," she said. "People get me mixed up with Rudy Vallee."


Personal life
Her teenage love, Carlo Cugnasca, a fighter pilot with the Regia Aeronautica, was posted as missing after failing to return from a mission over British-held Tobruk on 14 April 1941. Cugnasca had been a famous Italian aerobatic pilot before the war. He was confirmed to have been shot down and killed in action by Flight Lieutenant James Smith, an ace from No. 73 Squadron RAF. Smith died in action later that day.

Valli's movie career suffered in 1953 from a scandal surrounding the death of Wilma Montesi, a fashion model whose body was found on a public beach near Ostia; prolonged investigations resulted, involving allegations of drug and sex orgies in Roman society. Among the accused – all of whom were acquitted, leaving the case unsolved – was Valli's lover, jazz musician Piero Piccioni (son of the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs).

Valli married Oscar de Mejo in 1943 and filed for divorce from him in 1949, but they reconciled. She had two sons with him.

Best films

The Third Man (1949)
(Actress)
The Dialogue of the Carmelites (1960)
(Actress)
1900 (1976)
(Actress)

Usually with

Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Alida Valli (92 films)

Display filmography as list

Actress

Angel of Death, 1h29
Directed by Pepe Danquart
Genres Thriller, Action
Themes Films about religion
Actors Mira Sorvino, Olivier Martinez, Alida Valli, Yohana Cobo, Féodor Atkine, Peter Berling
Roles Doña Catalina
Rating42% 2.1212752.1212752.1212752.1212752.121275
During the Spanish Civil War the 14-year-old Doña Catalina (Yohana Cobo) is captured by war criminal Antonio Alvarez. She is forced to witness how her father is murdered with a traditional bullfighting weapon known as „rejón de muerte“. Following that her father's murderer rapes her. After this traumatic experience she can get hold of a knife and attempts to take revenge. But she is grabbed by one of Alvarez' accomplices who also tries to abuse her. She stabs him and escapes. A friendly couple saves her. Doña Catalina recovers but turns out being pregnant. The birth is difficult and the couple tells Doña her boy had died. Later they disappear and take the allegedly dead boy with them.
A Month by the Lake, 1h32
Directed by John Irvin
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Romantic comedy, Romance
Actors Vanessa Redgrave, Edward Fox, Uma Thurman, Alida Valli, Alessandro Gassmann
Roles Signora Fascioli
Rating61% 3.0978353.0978353.0978353.0978353.097835
In 1913, spinster Miss Bentley (Vanessa Redgrave) enjoyed spending her summer holiday in Lake Como, Italy, with her father before World War I. The year is now 1937, and her father has recently died. To clear the air, she returns to Lake Como on her own to spend a month's summer holiday.
Cinema Paradiso, 1h58
Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
Origin Italie
Genres Drama, Romance
Themes L'adolescence, Films about films, Films about children, Medical-themed films, Seafaring films, Transport films, Films about disabilities, La cécité
Actors Philippe Noiret, Salvatore Cascio, Marco Leonardi, Jacques Perrin, Brigitte Fossey, Antonella Attili
Roles La contessa Livia Serpieri (archive footage) (uncredited)
Rating84% 4.2491754.2491754.2491754.2491754.249175
In Rome, in the 1980s, famous Italian film director Salvatore Di Vita returns home late one evening, where his girlfriend sleepily tells him that his mother called to say someone named Alfredo has died. Salvatore obviously shies from committed relationships and has not been to his home village of Giancaldo, Sicily in 30 years. As his girlfriend asks him who Alfredo is, Salvatore flashes back to his childhood.
To Our Late Husband, 1h32
Directed by Serge Korber, Alain Nauroy
Origin France
Genres Comedy, Comedy thriller
Actors Jacqueline Maillan, Alida Valli, Jacques Dufilho, Pierre Tornade, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Francis Lemaire
Roles Catarina
Rating54% 2.715642.715642.715642.715642.71564
Dans son château tombant quelque peu en ruines, Hermione apprend le décès de son mari. Elle apprend du même coup qu’il était un grand escroc, bigame de surcroît, ayant dérobé une grande quantité de lingots d’or. Hermione et quelques personnes peu fréquentables se mettent à la recherche de ce trésor dans le château. Pour cela, ils vont être obligés de déterrer et ré-enterrer le corps du feu mari de Madame... sans compter ceux de quelques autres défunts, victimes de leur curiosité.
Manuela's Loves
Directed by Pascal Laëthier, Geneviève Lefebvre
Origin France
Genres Drama, Romance
Themes Films about sexuality, LGBT-related film, Lesbian-related films
Actors Alida Valli, Marie-Christine Barrault, Loïc Brabant, Michel Favory, Jean Negulesco, Julian Negulesco
Roles Bacha
Rating54% 2.7088652.7088652.7088652.7088652.708865
À Paris, Bacha, Manuela et Claude, trois femmes d'âge et d'univers sociaux très différents, sont entraînées dans une histoire d'amour d'un grand romantisme où plane le souvenir maléfique des camps nazis dont Bacha porte encore les séquelles. À travers cette aventure placée sous le signe de la fulgurance et de la réserve, elles comprendront que nul n'échappe à sa propre violence et à sa propre destinée.
Aspern
Aspern (1982)
, 1h36
Directed by Eduardo de Gregorio
Origin France
Genres Drama, Comedy-drama, Romance
Actors Jean Sorel, Bulle Ogier, Alida Valli, Teresa Madruga
Roles Juliana Barther
Rating63% 3.158723.158723.158723.158723.15872
Une maison française d'éditions délègue à Lisbonne l'un de ses experts, Jean Decaux, dans le but de mettre la main sur des documents inédits du défunt Jeffrey Aspern, célèbre romancier des années 1930. Les éditeurs croient savoir que ces papiers seraient détenus par Juliana Barther, la maîtresse d'Aspern, dans la maison de laquelle l'écrivain est mort. Usant de subterfuges, Jean convainc Juliana de lui louer une chambre. Celle-ci vit recluse avec sa nièce Tita, une austère vieille fille. Jean noue pourtant des liens amicaux avec cette dernière, lui dévoile la raison de sa présence et obtient son aide dans ses investigations. Mais, après avoir été surpris par Juliana alors qu'il était en train de fouiller dans ses affaires, il quitte la maison afin que le temps apaise l'évènement. Lorsqu'il revient, Tita lui apprend que Juliana est morte et qu'elle est en possession des fameux manuscrits. Elle lui propose alors un étrange marché : en échange des papiers tant convoités, elle veut connaître le bonheur en devenant sa femme. Devant son refus, elle brûle immédiatement tous les manuscrits.
Forbidden Dreams, 1h35
Directed by Neri Parenti
Origin Italie
Genres Comedy
Themes La bande dessinée, Films about writers
Actors Paolo Villaggio, Janet Ågren, Alessandro Haber, Antonio Allocca, Alida Valli, Camillo Milli
Roles Madre di Marina
Rating56% 2.809382.809382.809382.809382.80938
Paolo Coniglio is a naive and bumbling writer in a publishing house of comics, bullied by the director and by his future mother-in-law. To escape the dreary daily routine, he finds himself the protagonist of very vivid daydreams in the company of Dalia, the beautiful heroine of the comic books who is responsible of translating.
Season of Peace in Paris, 1h42
Directed by Predrag Golubović
Origin France
Genres Drama, Historical
Actors Maria Schneider, Dragan Nikolić, Predrag Laković, Alain Noury, Alida Valli, Miki Manojlović
Rating61% 3.088863.088863.088863.088863.08886
Un cinéaste yougoslave, en voyage à Paris en quête d'archives pour un film qu'il prépare sur la Seconde Guerre mondiale, tombe amoureux d'une jeune sculptrice française.
Inferno
Inferno (1980)
, 1h47
Directed by Mario Bava, Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava
Origin Italie
Genres Thriller, Fantasy, Horror
Themes Films about magic and magicians, Ghost films, Witches in film, Children's films
Actors Irene Miracle, Leigh McCloskey, Eleonora Giorgi, Daria Nicolodi, Alida Valli, Veronica Lazăr
Roles Carol
Rating65% 3.2516553.2516553.2516553.2516553.251655
Rose Elliot (Miracle), a poet living alone in New York City, finds an ancient book called The Three Mothers. It tells of three evil sisters who rule the world with sorrow, tears, and darkness. The book, written by an architect named Varelli, reveals that the three dwell inside separate homes that had been built for them by the architect in Rome, Freiburg, and New York. Rose suspects that she is living in one of the buildings and writes to her brother Mark (McCloskey) in Rome, urging him to visit her. Using clues provided in the book as a guide, Rose searches the cellar of her building and discovers a hole in the floor which leads to a water-filled ballroom. She accidentally drops her keys and enters the water to find them. After she reclaims the keys, a putrid corpse suddenly rises from the depths, frightening her.
Zoo zéro
Zoo zéro (1979)
, 1h41
Directed by Alain Fleischer
Origin France
Genres Drama, Science fiction
Actors Catherine Jourdan, Klaus Kinski, Pierre Clémenti, Lisette Malidor, Rufus, Pieral
Roles Yvonne, la mère
Rating57% 2.8561552.8561552.8561552.8561552.856155
Au cabaret « L'Arche de Noé », Eva chante face à un public dissimulé derrière des têtes d'animaux.