Liana Orfei (born 6 June 1937) is an Italian actress and circus artist. She appeared in more than 30 films between 1959 and 1971.

Life and career

Born in

San Giovanni in Persiceto San Giovanni in Persiceto (from 1912 to 1927: ''Persiceto''; Western Bolognese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, northern Italy. Located in the northern part of the Metropolitan City, bordering with the province ...

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

, daughter and niece of famous circus artists, since her childhood Orfei started her engagement in activities typical of the sector such as being a clown, a horsewoman and even a tamer of wild beasts. Her film career began in the late 1950s, when she played some secondary roles in several films of adventure and peplum genre and in some comedies. In a short time she landed more significant productions and roles, working with directors such as

Ettore Scola Ettore Scola (; 10 May 1931 – 19 January 2016) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He received a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film in 1978 for his film ''A Special Day'' and over the course of his film career was nominated for fiv ...

Mario Monicelli Mario Alberto Ettore Monicelli (; 16 May 1915 – 29 November 2010) was an Italian film director and screenwriter and one of the masters of the ''Commedia all'Italiana'' (Comedy Italian style). He was nominated six times for an Oscar, and was awa ...

Antonio Pietrangeli Antonio Pietrangeli (19 January 191912 July 1968) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He was a major practitioner of the Commedia all'italiana genre. Biography Pietrangeli was born in Rome. He started in the film industry by writing ...

Dino Risi Dino Risi (23 December 1916 – 7 June 2008) was an Italian film director. With Mario Monicelli, Luigi Comencini, Nanni Loy and Ettore Scola, he was one of the masters of ''commedia all'italiana''. Biography Risi was born in Milan. He had an ol ...

. She retired from acting after playing a role inspired on herself in

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 ...

's ''

I clowns ''I clowns'' (also known as ''The Clowns'') is a 1970 mockumentary film by Federico Fellini about the human fascination with clowns and circuses. Plot summary Cast Main * Riccardo Billi as Himself – Italian Clown (credited as Billi) * Federic ...

'' (1970). She was also active on stage and in television. She is the cousin of the actress

Moira Orfei Moira Orfei (; born Miranda Orfei; 21 December 1931 – 15 November 2015) was an Italian circus performer, actress and television personality of remote Romani origins. Moira was also considered the queen of the Italian circus, one stage name bei ...

Selected filmography

* ''

Tipi da spiaggia ''Tipi da spiaggia'' is a 1959 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Johnny Dorelli. Cast *Ugo Tognazzi: Pasubio Giovinezza *Christiane Martel: Barbara Patton * Giustino Durano: Nick Balmora *Johnny Dorelli: Giorgio Binot ...

'' (1959) * ''

Attack of the Moors ''Attack of the Moors'' ( it, I Reali di Francia), also known as ''The Kings of France'', is a 1959 Italian adventure film directed by Mario Costa and starring Chelo Alonso, Rik Battaglia and Gérard Landry. Plot Cast * Chelo Alonso as ...

'' (1959) * ''

Guardatele ma non toccatele ''Guardatele ma non toccatele'' is a 1959 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Ugo Tognazzi. Cast * Ugo Tognazzi - Maresciallo La Notte * Caprice Chantal - Rebecca O'Connor * Johnny Dorelli - Tenente Altieri * Lynn Shaw ...

'' (1959) * '' Knight of 100 Faces'' (1960) * ''

Terror of the Red Mask ''Terror of the Red Mask'' ( it, Il terrore della maschera rossa) is a 1960 Italian swashbuckler film co-written and directed by Luigi Capuano and starring Lex Barker and Chelo Alonso. It was shot at the De Paolis Studios in Rome. The film's ...

'' (1960) * ''

Le signore ''Le signore'' (i.e. "The ladies") is a 1960 Italian comedy film directed by Turi Vasile and starring Chelo Alonso and Nadia Gray. Plot Cast * Chelo Alonso as Rosario * Nadia Gray as Tatjana Baker * Liana Orfei as Patrizia Viotti * Irè ...

'' (1960) * ''

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) * ''

Mill of the Stone Women ''Mill of the Stone Women'' ( it, Il mulino delle donne di pietra) is a 1960 Italian horror film directed by Giorgio Ferroni, starring Pierre Brice and Scilla Gabel. It follows a journalist writing a story on a sculptor in 19th-century Holland w ...

'' (1960) * '' Gentlemen Are Born'' (1960) * ''

Pirates of the Coast ''Pirates of the Coast'' ( it, I pirati della costa, also known as ''Pirates of the Barbary Coast'') is a 1960 Italian adventure film directed by Domenico Paolella. Cast *Lex Barker as Luis Monterey * Estella Blain as Isabella *Livio Lorenzo ...

'' (1960) * ''

Rage of the Buccaneers ''Rage of the Buccaneers'' ( it, Gordon, il pirata nero), also known as ''Pirate Warrior'', is a 1961 Italian epic adventure film directed by Mario Costa and starring Ricardo Montalbán and Vincent Price. Plot Cast *Ricardo Montalbán a ...

'' (1961) * ''Nefertiti, regina del Nilo'' (1961) * ''

Hercules in the Valley of Woe ''Hercules in the Vale of Woe'' ( it, Maciste contro Ercole nella valle dei guai/ ''Maciste vs Hercules in the Valley of Woe''), a.k.a. ''Hercules in the Valley of Woe'', is a 1961 Italian Franco and Ciccio comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli a ...

'' (1961) * ''

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) * ''

Damon and Pythias The story of Damon (; grc-gre, Δάμων, gen. Δάμωνος) and Pythias (; or ; or Phintias, ) is a legend in Greek historic writings illustrating the Pythagorean ideal of friendship. Pythias is accused of and charged with plotting against ...

'' (1962) * '' The Avenger'' (1962) * '' Duel of Fire'' (1962) * ''

Hercules, Samson and Ulysses ''Hercules, Samson and Ulysses'', ( it, Ercole sfida Sansone) is a 1963 Italian Metrocolor ''peplum'' film directed by Pietro Francisci. The costume designers for this movie used re-purposed Nazi helmets for the Philistine headgear. Plot In Ith ...

'' (1964) * ''

Casanova 70 ''Casanova 70'' is a 1965 Italian comedy film produced by Carlo Ponti, directed by Mario Monicelli and starring Marcello Mastroianni, Virna Lisi, Enrico Maria Salerno and Michèle Mercier. Plot NATO officer Andrea Rossi-Colombotti is a ladies ...

'' (1965) * ''

I nostri mariti ''I nostri mariti'' is a 1966 Italian comedy film directed by Luigi Filippo D'Amico, Dino Risi and Luigi Zampa. Cast * Alberto Sordi - Giovanni Lo Verso (segment "Il marito di Roberta") * Ugo Tognazzi - Carabiniere (segment "Il Marito di Attili ...

'' (1966) * ''

Diamonds Are a Man's Best Friend ''Diamonds Are a Man's Best Friend'' ( it, Ray Master l'inafferrabile) is a 1966 Italian thriller-heist film written and directed by Vittorio Sala and starring Félix Marten, Liana Orfei and Gastone Moschin.Marco Giusti. ''007 all'italiana''. I ...

'' (1966)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Orfei, Liana 1937 births Living people Italian film actresses 20th-century Italian actresses Italian television actresses Italian stage actresses Italian circus performers Italian Romani people