Harriet White Medin (March 14, 1914 – May 20, 2005) was an American actress and dialogue coach who worked in Italian and American films. She appeared in the

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Death Race 2000 ''Death Race 2000'' is a 1975 American science fiction action film produced by Roger Corman, directed by Paul Bartel, and starring David Carradine. The film takes place in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, where the murderous Transco ...

''.

Early life

Born to Dr. and Mrs. Edward P. White of

Winthrop, Massachusetts Winthrop is a town in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,316 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Winthrop is an ocean-side suburban community in Greater Boston situated at ...

, Harriet, one of five children graduated from Winthrop High School in 1932 where she appeared in many school plays. She later performed in many amateur theatrical productions in the area. She graduated from

The Forsyth Institute The Forsyth Institute, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of the leading centers for dental and craniofacial research in the world. It was envisioned in 1908 by James Forsyth, who left $500,000 in his will for the establishment of a dent ...

where she studied dentistry and worked for five years as a dental assistant where some of her patients included

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

and

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, a ...

. Harriet moved to New York City to engage in work as an actress. During World War II she became an entertainer with the United Service Organizations where she toured American military bases in the US and Europe as part of a production of ''

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''. Following the war she was one of a group of American actors recruited by

Rod E. Geiger Rod E. Geiger (1915–2000) was an American movie producer and director, Instrumental for his contributions to Italian Neorealism, working with Federico Fellini and Roberto Rossellini. Credited in the book "The Adventures of Roberto Rossellini, ...

to go to Italy to film '' Paisan'' for

Roberto Rossellini Roberto Gastone Zeffiro Rossellini (8 May 1906 – 3 June 1977) was an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such ...

. She remained in Italy to become one of the first American actresses who made Italian films in the postwar era.

Film career

Offered film work in Italy, Harriet met her director

and '' Paisans dialogue coach

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most i ...

. Harriet appeared in several films, acted as a dialogue coach, dubbed films into English and worked as a coach and personal assistant to Gina Lollobrigida. She met

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 ...

on the set of '' Prince of Foxes'' (1949) with Welles hiring her to teach diction to the actress

Lea Padovani Lea Padovani (28 July 1920 – 23 June 1991) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 60 films between 1945 and 1990. She starred in the film '' Black Dossier'' which was entered into the 1955 Cannes Film Festival. Partial filmography ...

who Welles wished to play Desdemona in his ongoing production of ''

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'' (released in 1951). Harriet was originally to have played

Emilia Emilia may refer to: People * Emilia (given name), list of people with this name Places * Emilia (region), a historical region of Italy. Reggio, Emilia * Emilia-Romagna, an administrative region in Italy, including the historical regions of Emi ...

but the lengthy time of production led to her to drop out. During this time she met and married her husband

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and remained with him until they separated, but not divorced in 1964. In addition to dubbing Italian films in English, Harriet also acted as a dialogue coach and cast such films as '' Beat the Devil'' (1954) and '' The Hills Run Red'' (1966) as well as acting as a film extra. Harriet's last film in Italy was

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...

's '' Reflections in a Golden Eye'' (1967); she accompanied Gina Lollobrigida to America to coach her on ''

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'' (1968). She stayed in Hollywood with her friend director Andrew Marton and his wife where she guest starred in several American television series and made several films. One was for John Landis ('' Schlock'') who she knew through the Martons. She believed she scored her role in ''

'' when Shelley Winters turned down the role, with Harriet doing an impression of

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

Death

She died on May 20, 2005 of "natural causes" including a combination of Parkinson's disease, a mild stroke, some internal bleeding and other illnesses.

Filmography

* '' Paisan'' (1946) - Harriet - Nurse (episode IV: Firenze) * '' Genoveffa di Brabante'' (1947) - Genoveffa di Brabante * '' Black Magic'' (1949) * ''

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'' (1950) - Nurse * ''

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'' (1951) - woman holding infant on balcony (uncredited) * '' Ha da venì... don Calogero'' (1952) * ''

La Dolce Vita ''La Dolce Vita'' (; Italian for "the sweet life" or "the good life"Kezich, 203) is a 1960 satirical comedy-drama film directed and co-written (with Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli and Brunello Rondi) by Federico Fellini. The film stars Marcell ...

'' (1960) - Sylvia's Secretary (uncredited) * ''

The Horrible Dr. Hichcock ''The Horrible Dr. Hichcock'' (Italian title: ''L'Orribile Segreto del Dr. Hichcock'', literally ''The Horrible Secret of Dr. Hichcock'') is a 1962 Italian horror film, directed by Riccardo Freda and written by Ernesto Gastaldi. The film stars B ...

'' (1962) - Martha, the Maid * ''

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'' (1962, released in 1964) * '' The Eye of the Needle'' (1963) - Mother of Rosaria * '' The Ghost'' (1963) - Catherine Wood, Housekeeper * ''

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'' (1963) - Neighbor (segment "La goccia d'acqua") * '' The Cardinal'' (1963) - (uncredited) * ''

The Whip and the Body ''The Whip and the Body'' ( it, La frusta e il corpo) is a 1963 gothic horror film directed by Mario Bava under the alias "John M. Old". The film is about Kurt Menliff (Christopher Lee) who is ostracized by his father for his relationship with a ...

'' (1963) - Giorgia * ''

Hot Enough for June ''Hot Enough for June'' is a 1964 British spy comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas, and starring Dirk Bogarde with Sylva Koscina in her English film debut, Robert Morley and Leo McKern. It is based on the 1960 novel '' The Night of Wenceslas'' by ...

'' (1964) - Hotel Receptionist (uncredited) * '' Blood and Black Lace'' (1964) - Clarissa * ''

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'' (1966) - Sheena * '' Your Turn to Die'' (1967) - Dr. Evans' assistant * '' Death of a Gunfighter'' (1969) * ''

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'' (1972) - Hannah Rugh * '' Schlock'' (1973) - Mrs. Blinerman (as Enrica Blankey) * ''

'' (1975) - Thomasina Paine * '' The Captive: The Longest Drive 2'' (1976) - Mrs. McMasters * ''

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'' (1979, Documentary) - Frau Meise * ''

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'' (1979, TV Movie) - Mrs. Cox the Lawyer * ''

Murder Can Hurt You! ''Murder Can Hurt You'' (stylized onscreen as ''Murder Can Hurt You!'') is a 1980 American made-for-television comedy film that parodies detective and police TV shows of the 1960s and 1970s, much as ''Murder by Death'' spoofed literary detectives ...

'' (1980, TV Movie) - Great Lady * ''

Blood Beach ''Blood Beach'' is a 1981 American horror film written and directed by Jeffrey Bloom and starring David Huffman, John Saxon, and Burt Young. The premise, conceived by Steven Nalevansky, involves a creature lurking beneath the sand of Santa Moni ...

'' (1981) - Ruth Hutton * ''

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'' (1984) - Customer #4 * ''

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'' (1987) - Woman at Market * ''

Big Bad Mama II ''Big Bad Mama II'' is a 1987 American action–crime– sexploitation comedy film produced by Roger Corman, directed by Jim Wynorski, starring Angie Dickinson, Robert Culp, Danielle Brisebois and Julie McCullough. While it has been identified as a ...

'' (1987) - Hotel manager's wife * ''

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'' (1987) - Nell * ''

Daddy's Boys ''Daddy's Boys'' is a 1988 American film. The film was directed by Joseph Minion, and the screenplay was written by Daryl Haney. Cast *Daryl Haney as Jimmy *Laura Burkett as Christie *Raymond J Barry as Daddy *Dan Shor as Hawk *Christian Clemenson ...

'' (1988) - Marriage Licensor's Wife * ''False Arrest'' (1991, TV Movie) - Helen Phelps * '' All I Want for Christmas'' (1991) - Mrs. Graff * ''Those Secrets'' (1992, TV Movie) - Vivian * '' Troublemakers'' (1994) - Elderly woman * '' Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead'' (1995) - Old Woman

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Medin, Harriet White 1914 births 2005 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Massachusetts American expatriates in Italy American film actresses People from Winthrop, Massachusetts 21st-century American women