Anna Maria Massetani (born 30 June 1933), known professionally as Lea Massari, is an Italian actress and singer. Massetani was born in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and studied architecture in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. She adopted her stage name at the age of 22, after the sudden death of her fiancé Leo. Massari became known in art cinema for two roles: the missing girl Anna in

Michelangelo Antonioni Michelangelo Antonioni ( ; ; 29 September 1912 – 30 July 2007) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor. He is best known for his "trilogy on modernity and its discontents", ''L'Avventura'' (1960), ''La Notte'' (1961), and '' ...

's ''

L'Avventura ''L'Avventura'' () is a 1960 drama film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. Developed from a story by Antonioni with co-writers Elio Bartolini and Tonino Guerra, the film is about the disappearance of a young woman ( Lea Massari) during a boat ...

'' (1960), and as Clara, the mother of a sexually precocious 14-year-old boy named Laurent (

Benoît Ferreux Benoît Ferreux (; born 29 September 1955) is a French film, television and stage actor who is possibly best recalled internationally for his role in the 1971 film '' Murmur of the Heart''. Career as a child actor Benoît Ferreux was born in Bord ...

) in

Louis Malle Louis Marie Malle (; 30 October 1932 – 23 November 1995) was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. Described as "eclectic" and "a filmmaker difficult to pin down", Malle made document ...

's ''

Murmur of the Heart ''Murmur of the Heart'' () is a 1971 French comedy-drama film written, produced and directed by Louis Malle. It stars Lea Massari, Benoît Ferreux and Daniel Gélin. Written as Malle's semi-autobiography, the film tells a coming-of-age story abo ...

'' (1971). Massari worked in both Italian and French cinema. Her career includes

Sergio Leone Sergio Leone ( ; ; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian filmmaker, credited as the pioneer of the spaghetti Western genre. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema. Leone's film-making style ...

's debut '' The Colossus of Rhodes'' (''Il Colosso di Rodi'', 1961) and international commercial films such as ''

The Things of Life ''The Things of Life'' () is a 1970 romantic drama film directed by Claude Sautet, based on the 1967 novel ''Intersection'' by Paul Guimard. The film centers around a car accident experienced by Pierre (Michel Piccoli), an architect, and the eve ...

'' (''Les choses de la vie'', 1970). Massari was a member of the jury at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

in 1975. Massari won the

Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress The Nastro d'Argento (Silver Ribbon) is a film award presented annually since 1946 by the ''Sindacato Nazionale dei Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani'' ("Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists"), the association of Italian film critics. ...

award for her appearance in

Francesco Rosi Francesco Rosi (; 15 November 1922 – 10 January 2015) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. His film '' The Mattei Affair'' won the Palme d'Or at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival. Rosi's films, especially those of the 1960s and 1970s, of ...

's ''

Christ Stopped at Eboli ''Christ Stopped at Eboli'' () is a memoir by Carlo Levi, published in 1945, giving an account of his exile from 1935–1936 to Grassano and Aliano, remote towns in Southern Italy, in the region of Lucania which is known today as Basilicata. In ...

''(''Cristo si è fermato a Eboli'', 1979).

Partial filmography

* '' Proibito'' (1955) – Agnese Barras * '' Dreams in a Drawer'' (1957) – Lucia Moretti * ''

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...

'' (1958) – Marja Pawlowna * ''

L'avventura ''L'Avventura'' () is a 1960 drama film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. Developed from a story by Antonioni with co-writers Elio Bartolini and Tonino Guerra, the film is about the disappearance of a young woman ( Lea Massari) during a boat ...

'' (1960) – Anna * ''

From a Roman Balcony ''From a Roman Balcony'' (, ) is a 1960 Italian–French Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Mauro Bolognini. It is based on several stories by Alberto Moravia, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Pier Paolo Pasolini and Marco V ...

'' (1960) – Freja * ''

Il Colosso di Rodi ''The Colossus of Rhodes'' () is a 1961 Italian sword and sandal film co-written and directed by Sergio Leone. Starring Rory Calhoun, it is a fictional account of the island of Rhodes during its classical period in the late third century BC befor ...

'' (1961) – Diala * ''

A Difficult Life ''A Difficult Life'' (Italian: ''Una vita difficile'') is a ''Commedia all'italiana'' or Italian-style comedy film directed by Dino Risi in 1961. In 2008, the film was included on the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage’s 100 Italian films ...

'' (1961) – Elena Pavinato * ''Morte di un bandito'' (1961) – Santa * ''

Dreams Die at Dawn ''Dreams Die at Dawn'' () is a 1961 Italian drama film directed by Mario Craveri, Enrico Gras and Indro Montanelli.Goble p.331 It is set during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Cast * Lea Massari as Anna Miklos * Ivo Garrani Ivo Garrani ...

'' (1961) – Anna Miklos * ''Le Monte-charge'' (1962) – Marthe Dravet * '' The Four Days of Naples'' (1962) – Maria (uncredited) * '' The Captive City'' (1962) – Lelia Mendores * ''

Weeping for a Bandit ''Weeping for a Bandit'' () is a 1964 Spanish drama film directed by Carlos Saura. It was Saura's first film in color. It was co-produced with France and Italy, and starred Italian Lea Massari and French-Italian Lino Ventura. Thanks to his friends ...

'' (1964) – María Jerónima * ''

The Unvanquished ''The Unvanquished'' is a 1938 novel by the American author William Faulkner, set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County. It tells the story of the Sartoris family, who first appeared in the novel ''Sartoris'' (or ''Flags in the Dust''). ''The U ...

'' (1964) – Dominique Servet * ''La coda del diavolo'' (1964) * ''

The Camp Followers ''The Camp Followers'' () is a 1965 Italian World War II film directed by Valerio Zurlini and starring Anna Karina. Based on a 1956 novel by Ugo Pirro, it tells the story of a young lieutenant in the Italian Army who in 1942 is ordered to take a l ...

'' (1965) – Toula Demantritza * ''

Made in Italy Made in Italy is a merchandise mark indicating that a product is all planned, manufactured and packed in Italy, especially concerning the Italian design, design, Italian fashion, fashion, Italian cuisine, food, manufacturing, craftsmanship, and ...

'' (1965) – Monica (segment "1 'Usi e costumi', episode 3") * '' Garden of Delights'' (1967) – Carlo's mistress * ''Volver a vivir'' (1968) – María * ''

I Want Him Dead ''I Want Him Dead'' (, ) is a 1968 Italian-Spanish Spaghetti Western film directed by Paolo Bianchini Paolo Bianchini (born 1931) is an Italian director and screenwriter. Life and career Born in Rome, Bianchini began his career in 1953 wor ...

'' (1968) – Aloma * ''

Les Choses de la vie ''The Things of Life'' () is a 1970 romantic drama film directed by Claude Sautet, based on the 1967 novel ''Intersection'' by Paul Guimard. The film centers around a car accident experienced by Pierre (Michel Piccoli), an architect, and the even ...

'' (1970) – Catherine Bérard * ''Céleste'' (1970) – Hélène * ''Senza via d'uscita'' (1970) – Britt * ''

'' (1971) – Clara Chevalier * ''Paolo e Francesca'' (1971) * ''

And Hope to Die And or AND may refer to: Logic, grammar and computing * Conjunction, connecting two words, phrases, or clauses * Logical conjunction in mathematical logic, notated as "∧", "⋅", "&", or simple juxtaposition * Bitwise AND, a Boolean oper ...

'' (1972) – Sugar * ''

Indian Summer An Indian summer is a period of unseasonably warm, dry weather that sometimes occurs in autumn in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Several sources describe a true Indian summer as not occurring until after the first frost, or mor ...

'' (1972) – Monica * ''

The Woman in Blue ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...

'' (1973) – Aurélie * '' Escape to Nowhere'' (1973) – Maria Menela * ' (1973) – Maria * ''Story of a Love Story'' (1973) – Woman * ' (1974) – Hélène Noblet * ''

Allonsanfàn ''Allonsanfàn'' () is a 1974 Italian historical drama film written and directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. The title of the film, which is also the name of a character, comes from the first words () of the French Revolutionary anthem ''La Mar ...

'' (1974) – Charlotte * '' Fear Over the City '' (1975) – Nora Elmer * ''Chi dice donna dice donna'' (1976) – Gilbert (segment "Papa e maman") * ' (1976) – Gloria * ''La linea del fiume'' (1976) – Amanda Treves * ' (1977) – Mère de François * '' Faces of Love'' (1977) – Cecilia * ''El perro'' (1977) – Muriel * '' Antonio Gramsci: The Days of Prison'' (1977) – Tania * '' Dirty Dreamer'' (1978) – Joséphe * '' Les Rendez-vous d'Anna'' (1978) – La mère d'Anna * ''

'' (1979) – Luisa Levi * ''Le Divorcement'' (1979) – Rosa * '' La Flambeuse'' (1981) – Louise * ' (1983) – Carla Angelli * ' (1984) – Nelly * '' Secrets Secrets'' (1984) – Marta, Laura's Mother * ''Viaggio d'amore'' (1990) – Zaira (final film role)

References

External links

* 1933 births Living people Italian film actresses Nastro d'Argento winners Actresses from Rome 20th-century Italian actresses Italian women singers People of Umbrian descent {{Italy-film-actor-stub