Bella Cortez (born Alicia Paneque, also known as Bella Cortese) is a

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

n actress and dancer known for her work in Italian

sword-and-sandal Sword-and-sandal, also known as peplum (pepla plural), is a subgenre of largely Italian-made historical, mythological, or Biblical epics mostly set in the Greco-Roman antiquity or the Middle Ages. These films attempted to emulate the big-budget H ...

films of the 1960s.

Career

Alicia Paneque was spotted by an Italian film producer visiting Cuba. She accepted the proposal and moved to Italy. Her first release was

Primo Zeglio Primo Zeglio (8 July 1906 – 30 October 1984) was an Italian film director and writer. Selected filmography * ''The Mask of Cesare Borgia'' (1941) *'' Accadde a Damasco'' (1943) *''Febbre'' (1943) *'' Genoveffa di Brabante'' (1947) *'' Nero ...

's ''

The Seven Revenges ''The Seven Revenges'' ( it, Le sette sfide, also known as ''Ivan the Conqueror'') is a 1961 Italian adventure film directed by Primo Zeglio. It features American actress Elaine Stewart and was filmed in Yugoslavia. Plot The leaders of Circassi ...

'' (1961). Cortez played niece to

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

character and formed "an attractive pair of young lovers" with

Luciano Marin Luciano Marin (9 December 1931 – 12 November 2019) was an Italian actor. He appeared in more than twenty films since 1957. Filmography References External links * 1931 births 2019 deaths Italian male film actors {{Italy-f ...

in the international film ''

The Tartars ''The Tartars''/''I Tartari'' is a 1961 Italian-Yugoslavian epic historical Technicolor film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Victor Mature and Orson Welles. It is one of the sword-and-sandal genre films made in Italy in the 1950s and e ...

'' (1961). The same year, she was paired opposite

Gordon Mitchell Gordon Mitchell (born Charles Allen Pendleton; July 29, 1923 – September 20, 2003) was an American actor and bodybuilder who made about 200 B movies. Biography Charles Allen Pendleton was born in Denver, Colorado, and began working out in hi ...

in the Seven Arts production ''

The Giant of Metropolis ''The Giant of Metropolis'' ( it, Il gigante di Metropolis) is a 1961 color Italian fantasy adventure film that was produced by Decio Salvi and Emimmo Salvi, directed by Umberto Scarpelli, that stars Gordon Mitchell and Bella Cortez. Plot Muscle ...

'' (1961), directed by

Umberto Scarpelli Umberto Scarpelli (25 May 1904 – 15 May 1980) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He was assistant director on more than fifteen films and directed five films. Selected filmography References External links * 1904 b ...

. They appeared together in two more films; '' Vulcan Son of Jupiter'' (1962) and ''

Ali Baba and the Seven Saracens ''Ali Baba and the Seven Saracens'' ( it, Sindbad contro i sette saraceni, also known as ''Sinbad Against the 7 Saracens'') is a 1964 Italian adventure film written and directed by Emimmo Salvi and starring Gordon Mitchell. The film was released ...

'' (1964). Cortez's characters were that of and Greco-Roman mythological

Aetna Aetna Inc. () is an American managed health care company that sells traditional and consumer directed health care insurance and related services, such as medical, pharmaceutical, dental, behavioral health, long-term care, and disability plans, ...

an Arabian princess, respectively in these films. She continued her starring roles with

Antonio Leonviola Antonio Leonviola, sometimes Leon Viola (1913–1995), was an Italian screenwriter and film director and co-founder of the "Libera Università del Cinema di Roma". Life and career Leonviola was born in 1913 in Montagnana as Antonio Leone Viol ...

-directed epic drama ''Taur, The Mighty'' (1963). Cortez played the female lead in ''Ali Baba and the Sacred Crown'', directed by Erminio Salvi. The book ''Italian Sword and Sandal Films, 1908-1990'' noted that Cortez was a "major asset to the production". She made appearance in a supporting character in Gothic horror ''

Katarsis ''Katarsis'' ( it, Sfida al diavolo), is a 1963 Italian horror film directed and written by Giuseppe Vegezzi. It is his only film. A group of people enter an old castle where they come across an old man (Christopher Lee) who turns out to be the De ...

'' (1963). Beside starring in 11 films, Cortez also did print modelling for cars and graced the covers of several European magazines. Following her marriage, she left the film industry.

Personal life

Cortez was romantically involved with Emimmo Salvi. After her marriage, she relocated to the United States and as of 2011 Cortez was living at her daughter's house.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cortez, Bella 1944 births Living people Cuban film actresses Italian film actresses