Marcella Mariani (Rome, Italy, 8 February 1936 – Monte Terminillo, Italy, 13 February 1955) was an Italian actress and

Miss Italy Miss Italia is a beauty pageant awarding prizes every year to young, female contestants from Italy. Since the first edition of the contest in 1939 many of the contestants have gone on to notable careers in television and film. History The foreru ...

contest winner. Though she appeared in several popular movies and was garnering acclaim as an actress, her career was cut short by her death in a 1955 airliner crash.

Biography

Having previously worked as a cashier at a cinema in Rome, 17-year-old Mariani was crowned Miss Italy of 1953 in the Tyrolean resort town of

Cortina d'Ampezzo Cortina d'Ampezzo (; lld, Anpezo, ; historical de-AT, Hayden) is a town and ''comune'' in the heart of the southern (Dolomitic) Alps in the Province of Belluno, in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Situated on the Boite river, in an alp ...

. After winning the pageant she began her career as a film actress, playing herself in the opening segment of producer/director Alfredo Guarini's

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsWe, the Women ''We, the Women'' (also known as ''Of Life and Love'' and in it, Siamo donne) is a 1953 Italian portmanteau film divided into five segments and directed by five different directors. Four of these segments focus upon alleged events in the privat ...

'' (1953). Although in demand due to her beauty, she was eager to improve her acting skills, and attended both the Experimental Center of Cinematography and acting school. She began taking on challenging roles and working with artistically adventurous directors. Her most significant role was in director

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 ...

's 1954 film '' Senso'', in which she worked alongside

Alida Valli Alida Maria Laura, ''Freiin'' Altenburger von Marckenstein-Frauenberg (31 May 1921 – 22 April 2006), better known by her stage name Alida Valli (or simply Valli), was an Italian actress who appeared in more than 100 films in a 70-year career, s ...

and

Farley Granger Farley Earle Granger Jr. (July 1, 1925 – March 27, 2011) was an American actor, best known for his two collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock: ''Rope'' in 1948 and '' Strangers on a Train'' in 1951. Granger was first noticed in a small ...

, playing the small but important part of Clara, a young prostitute. Her promising career was prematurely ended by her death in a plane crash, which occurred on the slopes of

Monte Terminillo Monte Terminillo is a massif in the Monti Reatini, part of the Abruzzi Apennine range in central Italy. It is located some 20 km from Rieti and 100 km from Rome and has a highest altitude of . It is a typical Apennine massif, both fo ...

, in the province of

Rieti Rieti (; lat, Reate, Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of 47,700. It is the administrative seat of the province of Rieti and see of the diocese of Rieti, as well as the modern capital of the Sabina re ...

, Italy, as she returned from hosting a film festival in Belgium. Traveling from Brussels to Rome, the

DC-6 The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with th ...

passenger liner crashed due to errors made by the crew in poor weather conditions. Heavy wind and snow prevented searchers from reaching the crash site for over a week. All 29 passengers and crew were believed to have died on impact. Mariani, who had turned 19 a few days earlier, was taken to Rome, where she was buried.

Filmography

*''

Cavalcade of Song ''Cavalcade of Song'' ( it, Canzoni, canzoni, canzoni) is a 1953 Italian musical film directed by Domenico Paolella and starring Alberto Sordi, Silvana Pampanini and Antonella Lualdi.Fava p. 62 It was shot in Ferraniacolor at the Cinecittà stu ...

'' (1953, directed by Domenico Paolella) *''

We, the Women ''We, the Women'' (also known as ''Of Life and Love'' and in it, Siamo donne) is a 1953 Italian portmanteau film divided into five segments and directed by five different directors. Four of these segments focus upon alleged events in the privat ...

'' (a/k/a ''Of Life and Love'') (1953, directed by Alfredo Guarini) *''

It Happened in the Park ''It Happened in the Park'' ( it, Villa Borghese) is a 1953 film directed by Gianni Franciolini. The film consists of six vignettes set in the Villa Borghese gardens in Rome. Plot The story shows the lives of various people from different parts ...

'' (1953, directed by Gianni Franciolini) as Marcella (uncredited) *'' Senso'' (1954, directed by

) as Clara, la prostituta *'' If You Won a Hundred Million'' (1954, directed by Carlo Campogalliani and Carlo Moscovini) (uncredited) *''

Women and Soldiers ''Women and Soldiers'' (Italian: ''Donne e soldati'') is a 1954 Italian historical adventure film directed by Luigi Malerba and Antonio Marchi and starring Marcella Mariani, Sandro Somarè and Marco Ferreri.Chiti & Poppi p.127 It is set during the ...

'' (1954, directed by

Luigi Malerba Luigi Malerba (11 November 1927 – 8 May 2008), born Luigi Bonardi, was an Italian author of short stories, historical novels, and screenplays. He has been part of the Neoavanguardia and co-founded ''Gruppo 63'', a literary movement inspired by M ...

and Antonio Marchi) *''The Mysterious Singer'' (1955, directed by

Marino Girolami Marino Girolami (1 February 1914 – 20 February 1994) was an Italian film director and actor. Biography Marino Giorlami was born on 1 February 1914 in Rome, Italy. Formally a Professional boxer, Girolami ended his boxing career when he was 20. ...

) as Marina *''The Girls of San Frediano'' (1955, directed by

Valerio Zurlini Valerio Zurlini (19 March 1926 – 26 October 1982) was an Italian film director, stage director and screenwriter. Biography During his law studies in Rome, he started working in the theatre. In 1943, he joined the Italian resistance. Zurlin ...

) as Gina *''I'll Never Forget'' (1956, directed by Giuseppe Guarino) as Camilla (final film role)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mariani, Marcella Italian female models 1936 births 1955 deaths 20th-century Italian actresses Italian beauty pageant winners Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1955