Isa Bellini (19 June 1922 – 5 February 2021Addio a Isa Bellini, il cordoglio del sindaco Giulivi per la scomparsa dell’artista legata a Tarquinia
) was an Italian actress, voice actress, presenter and singer.

Life and career

Born Isabella Calò in

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...

, she was forced to change her family name of Jewish origins to Bellini because of the

racial laws Anti-Jewish laws have been a common occurrence throughout Jewish history. Examples of such laws include special Jewish quotas, Jewish taxes and Disabilities (Jewish), Jewish "disabilities". Some were adopted in the 1930s and 1940s in Nazi Germany ...

. After winning a national contest for singers she entered

EIAR Ente Italiano per le Audizioni Radiofoniche (EIAR, "Italian Body for Radio Broadcasting") was the public service broadcaster in Fascist Italy and the only entity permitted to broadcast by the government. History The company was established in 19 ...

, where she was active both as a solo singer and as a member of the "Trio Primavera" with Thea Prandi and Wilma Mangini. During and shortly after the war, Bellini devoted herself exclusively to the theater, working on stage with popular artists such as

Totò Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi de Curtis di Bisanzio (15 February 1898 – 15 April 1967), best known by his stage name Totò (), or simply as Antonio de Curtis, and nicknamed ''il Principe della risata ...

Renato Rascel Renato Rascel (), stage name of Renato Ranucci (; 27 April 1912 – 2 January 1991), was an Italian film actor and singer. He appeared in 50 films between 1942 and 1972. He represented Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1960 with the s ...

Walter Chiari Walter Annicchiarico (8 March 1924 – 20 December 1991), known as Walter Chiari , was an Italian stage and screen actor, mostly in comedy roles. Biography Walter Annicchiarico was born in Verona, Italy on 8 March 1924 to a family originally ...

and

Umberto Spadaro Umberto Spadaro (8 November 1904 – 12 October 1981) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in around 95 films between 1940 and 1979. His brother Peppino Spadaro was also an actor. Selected filmography * ''Cavalleria rusticana'' (1939) – ...

. In 1948 she began working on radio as a presenter and entertainer. In 1954 she hosted the popular radio show ''Il motivo in maschera'' together with

Mike Bongiorno Michael Nicholas Salvatore Bongiorno (; May 26, 1924 – September 8, 2009) was an Italian-American television host. After a few experiences in the US, he started working on RAI in the 1950s and was considered to be the most popular host in Italy ...

and

Lelio Luttazzi Lelio Luttazzi (27 April 1923 – 8 July 2010) was an Italian composer, musician, actor, singer, conductor, writer, and television and radio presenter. Born in Trieste, Luttazzi began playing the piano at Radio Trieste and composing his first s ...

, and in the same year she debuted as a television presenter in ''Italia. Nati per la musica''. Bellini later gradually thinned out her appearances on media, focusing on dubbing.

Selected filmography

* ''

Una famiglia impossibile ''Una famiglia impossibile'' (i.e. "An Impossible Family") is a 1940 Italian "Telefoni Bianchi, white-telephones" comedy film directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia and starring Armando Falconi, Pina Renzi and María Mercader.Fabrizio Sarazani (29 D ...

'' (1940) * '' The Happy Ghost'' (1941) * ''

Without Family ''Without Family'', originally released as ''Senza famiglia, nullatenenti cercano affetto'' (literally ''No family, no property, looking for affection''), is a 1972 Italian comedy film directed by Vittorio Gassman. Cast * Vittorio Gassman: Arman ...

'' (1972) * ''

Love and Anarchy ''Love and Anarchy'' ( it, Film d'amore e d'anarchia, ovvero: stamattina alle 10, in via dei Fiori, nella nota casa di tolleranza..., lit=Film of love and anarchy, or rather: this morning at 10, in via dei Fiori, in the well-known brothel ...) i ...

'' (1973) * ''

Camere da letto ''Camere da letto'' (''Bedrooms'') is a 1997 Italian romantic comedy film written, directed and starred by Simona Izzo. Plot Cast * Diego Abatantuono as Dario * Maria Grazia Cucinotta as Maddalena * Giobbe Covatta as Sandro * Ricky Tognazzi ...

'' (1997)

Dubbing roles

Animation

*'' DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp'' - Mrs. Featherby *''

Lady and the Tramp ''Lady and the Tramp'' is a 1955 American animated musical romance film produced by Walt Disney and released by Buena Vista Film Distribution. The 15th Disney animated feature film, it was directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hami ...

'' - Aunt Sarah

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bellini, Isa Actors from Mantua Italian stage actresses Italian film actresses Italian television presenters Italian voice actresses 1922 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Italian actresses Italian radio personalities Italian radio presenters Italian women radio presenters Italian women television presenters Musicians from Mantua