Lia Zoppelli (16 November 1920 – 2 January 1988) was an Italian stage, television and film actress.

Life and career

Born in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, Zoppelli made her stage debut in 1939, shortly after her high school graduation, with the company Maltagliati- Cimara- Ninchi. Mainly active on stage, in the subsequent seasons she worked with

Ruggero Ruggeri Ruggero Ruggeri (14 November 1871 – 20 July 1953) was an Italian stage and film actor. Ruggeri was a celebrated theatre actor, appearing alongside Lyda Borelli on stage in 1909.Dalle Vacche p.260 From 1914 onward he sporadically made films in ...

(1940–41) and

Memo Benassi Domenico "Memo" Benassi (21 June 1886 – 24 February 1957) was an Italian film actor who appeared in more than forty films in a mixture of leading and supporting roles. He played the composer Beethoven in the 1942 film '' Rossini''.Mathew & Walt ...

(1942–43), then, after the war, she notably worked with

Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, stage director, and screenwriter. A major figure of Italian art and culture in the mid-20th century, Visconti was one of the fat ...

and with

Giorgio Strehler Giorgio Strehler (; ; 14 August 1921 – 25 December 1997) was an actor, Italian opera and theatre director. Biography Strehler was born in Barcola, Trieste; His father, Bruno Strehler, was a native of Trieste with family roots in Vienna and died ...

at the Piccolo Teatro. In cinema, Zoppelli became a popular

character actress A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to be ...

starting from the late 1950s, usually in comedic roles; she was also active on television, where she gained a large popularity thanks to her appearances with

Enrico Viarisio Enrico Viarisio (3 December 1897 – 1 November 1967) was an Italian theatre and cinema actor. Biography Equipped of a fine and elegant humour, Viarisio was discovered by actress Paola Pezzaglia Paolina Pezzaglia Greco (13 September 1886 &ndas ...

in ''

Carosello ''Carosello'' () was an Italian television advertising show broadcast on RAI from 1957 to 1977. The series mainly showed short sketch comedy films using live action, various types of animation, and puppetry. It had an audience of about 20 milli ...

''.

Partial filmography

* ''Il sogno di tutti'' (1940) - La fanciulla sedotta * ''Processo delle zitelle'' (1945) - Sara * ''

Uncle Was a Vampire ''Uncle Was a Vampire'' ( it, Tempi duri per i vampiri, lit=Hard Times for Vampires) is a 1959 Italian film directed by Steno. Plot Baron Osvaldo Lambertenghi is forced to sell his ancestral castle to pay his debts. The manor is ingloriously tr ...

'' (1959) - Letizia * ''

La cambiale ''La cambiale'' is a 1959 Italian comedy film directed by Camillo Mastrocinque. Plot Commander Bruscatelli, before being imprisoned, leaves the Posalaquaglia cousins a bill of exchange which they give to Temistocle Bisogni in compensation for t ...

'' (1959) - La moglie di Alfredo * ''

Cerasella ''Cerasella'' is a 1959 Italian teen comedy film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo. It is loosely inspired by the lyrics of the song " Cerasella". Cast *Claudia Mori: Cerasella *Mario Girotti: Bruno *Luigi De Filippo: Alfredo *Alessandra Pana ...

'' (1959) * ''Genitori in blue-jeans'' (1960) - Wanda * ''

The Traffic Policeman ''The Traffic Policeman'' ( it, Il vigile) is a 1960 Italian comedy film directed by Luigi Zampa and starring Alberto Sordi in the lead role. A representative of the ''commedia all'italiana'' genre, it tells the story of a traffic policeman and ...

'' (1960) - Mayor's Wife * ''

Who Hesitates Is Lost Who or WHO may refer to: * Who (pronoun), an interrogative or relative pronoun * Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism * World Health Organization Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Who, a creature in the Dr. Seuss book ''Horton Hear ...

'' (1960) - Comm. Pasquetti's sister * ''Le ambiziose'' (1961) * ''

Sua Eccellenza si fermò a mangiare ''Sua Eccellenza si fermò a mangiare'' is a 1961 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Ugo Tognazzi. Plot In Rome, during the early 30s, a con artist played by Totò impersonates dr. Biagio Tanzarella, Benito Mussolini's p ...

'' (1961) - Countess Clara Bernabei * ''Gioventù di notte'' (1961) - Madre di Marco * ''

Totòtruffa 62 ''Totòtruffa '62'' (also known as ''Totó Vigarista'') is a 1961 Italian comedy film directed by Camillo Mastrocinque. Plot summary Antonio is a poor man who has to support his daughter and especially he should pay her stay at a prestigious bo ...

'' (1961) - The Headmistress in 'Lausanne' College * ''Scandali al mare'' (1961) - Contessa Anna Degli Annesi * ''

The Corsican Brothers ''The Corsican Brothers'' (french: Les Frères corses) is a novella by Alexandre Dumas, père, first published in 1844. It is the story of two conjoined brothers who, though separated at birth, can still feel each other's physical distress. It h ...

'' (1961) - Aunt Mary * '' La monaca di Monza'' (1962) - La Governante * ''Gli italiani e le donne'' (1962) - Renata (segment "Chi la fa l'aspetti") * ''Avventura al motel'' (1963) - Gertrude * ''

The Shortest Day ''The Shortest Day'' ( it, Il giorno più corto) is a 1963 Italian comedy film. It is a parody of the war movie '' The Longest Day'' and stars the popular duo Franco and Ciccio in the leading roles. Dozens of other well-known actors, from both Eu ...

'' (1963) - Erede Siciliana (uncredited) * ''

Toto and Cleopatra ''Toto and Cleopatra'' ( it, Totò e Cleopatra) is a 1963 Italian adventure-comedy film written and directed by Fernando Cerchio. Plot Mark Antony has a brother-lookalike, Totonno, a sinister slave trader. Totonno secretly replaces Mark Antony ...

'' (1963) - Fulvia * ''La pupa'' (1963) - Elena Patella * ''

Samson and His Mighty Challenge ''Samson and His Mighty Challenge'' is a 1964 Italian sword-and-sandal film, released in 1965 at the very tail end of the peplum craze. Its original title was ''Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus gli invincibili'' (''Hercules, Samson, Maciste, and ...

'' (1964) - Nemea * ''

Soldati e capelloni ''Soldati e capelloni'' is a 1967 Italian " musicarello" comedy film directed by Ettore Maria Fizzarotti, written by Augusto Caminito and Giovanni Grimaldi, produced by Franco Cittadini and Stenio Fiorentini and starred by Franco Lantieri, Brizi ...

'' (1967) - Dolores * ''

Anyone Can Play ''Anyone Can Play'' ( it, Le dolci signore) is a 1968 Italian comedy film directed by Luigi Zampa and starring two Bond girls Ursula Andress and Claudine Auger. Cast * Ursula Andress as Norma * Virna Lisi as Luisa * Claudine Auger as Esmerelda ...

'' (1968) - Luisa's mother * '' We Are All in Temporary Liberty'' (1971) - Atelier owner * ''Rosina Fumo viene in città... per farsi il corredo'' (1972) - Miss Zanelli * '' Count Tacchia'' (1982) - Duchessa Savello * '' La casa stregata'' (1982) - Anastasia

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zoppelli, Lia Actresses from Milan Italian stage actresses Italian television actresses Italian film actresses 1920 births 1988 deaths 20th-century Italian actresses