Franca Faldini
Franca Faldini | |
|---|---|
 Totò and Franca Faldini | |
| Born | 10 February 1931 Rome, Italy |
| Died | 22 July 2016 (aged 85) Rome, Italy |
| Occupation | Actor |
Franca Faldini (10 February 1931 – 22 July 2016) was an Italian writer, journalist and actress.
Life and career
Born in Rome into a middle-class Jewish family, Faldini was forced to flee to Tuscany because of the Fascist racial laws. After the war, she was noticed by Ben Stahl, who pictured her in a painting called "Moment at Villa D'Este" for the magazine Esquire. She later moved to Hollywood, where she won a beauty contest for aspiring actresses called "Miss Cheesecake", and made her film debut in Sailor Beware.[1]
Returning to Italy, where she was initially billed as "The Italian who comes from Hollywood",[2] Faldini started a relationship with the popular comedian Totò, also appearing in several of his films. In 1954, they had a son, Massenzio, who died a few weeks after his birth. Totò dedicated a song to her, "Principessa".[3]
In 1955, dissatisfied with her roles, Faldini eventually retired from acting, making occasional returns in 1957, when she replaced on stage the injured main actress Franca Maj in a revue alongside Totò, and in 1998, appearing in Incontri proibiti, the last film by Alberto Sordi.[2] Faldini eventually started a career as a journalist and writer, co-writing with Goffredo Fofi a history of Italian cinema, L’Avventurosa storia del cinema italiano, and writing several books about Totò.[1][2]
Filmography
- Sailor Beware (1952)
- Toto and the Women (1952)
- Neapolitan Turk (1953)
- Funniest Show on Earth (1953)
- Man, Beast and Virtue (1953)
- Where Is Freedom? (1954)
- Poverty and Nobility (1954)
- Are We Men or Corporals? (1955)
- Toto in Hell (1955)
- Incontri proibiti (1998)
References
- ^ a b Fabio Ferzetti (22 July 2016). "Addio Franca Faldini, compagna di Totò e scrittrice, antidiva eccentrica e preziosa, oggi i funerali". Il Messaggero. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
- ^ a b c Enrico Lancia. "Faldini, Franca". Dizionario del cinema italiano, Le Attrici. Gremese Editore, 2003. ISBN 888440214X.
- ^ Alessandro Chetta (22 July 2016). "È morta Franca Faldini, ultima compagna di Totò". Corriere del Mezzogiorno. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
External links
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