Maria Michi (24 May 1921 – 7 April 1980) was an Italian supporting

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

who worked with

Roberto Rossellini Roberto Gastone Zeffiro Rossellini (8 May 1906 – 3 June 1977) was an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such ...

on his two early neorealism masterpieces: ''

Rome, Open City ''Rome, Open City'' ( it, Roma città aperta, also released as ''Open City'') is a 1945 Italian neorealist war drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini and co-written by Sergio Amidei, Celeste Negarville and Federico Fellini. Set in Rome in ...

'' and ''

Paisà ''Paisan'' ( it, Paisà ) is a 1946 Italian neorealist war drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini. In six independent episodes, it tells of the Liberation of Italy by the Allied forces during the late stage of World War II. The film premier ...

''. Michi worked first as a typist at a law firm, then as an usherette at Teatro Quattro Fontane in Rome. She was noticed and given small parts in the company of

Sergio Tofano Sergio Tòfano (20 August 1886 – 28 October 1973) was an Italian actor, theatre director, director, playwright, scene designer and illustrator. Tofano was born in Rome. In 1909, he made his first appearance on stage with Ermete Novelli, t ...

and

Diana Torrieri Diana Torrieri ( Angela Vittoria Torrieri; 9 August 1913 – 27 March 2007) was an Italian actress. She worked in theater, films, television and radio. Life and career Born in Canosa di Puglia, Torrieri made her professional debut in ...

during the 1942-1943 season. Critic Irene Bignardi called her "a woman very near the resistance and the Communist Party". In 1948, she worked with Christian-Jaque in ''La Chartreuse de Parme''. She was married in September 1949 to Duke Augusto

Torlonia 200px, Coat of arms of the House of Torlonia. The House of Torlonia is the name of an Italian princely family from Rome, which acquired a huge fortune in the 18th and 19th centuries through administering the finances of the Vatican. The first infl ...

, and left the world of cinema for the theater, particularly working with director Guido Salvini. The marriage was annulled in San Marino in 1956. She resumed her film career in the 1960s and 1970s, when she did 12 films, including

Bernardo Bertolucci Bernardo Bertolucci (; 16 March 1941 – 26 November 2018) was an Italian film director and screenwriter with a career that spanned 50 years. Considered one of the greatest directors in Italian cinema, Bertolucci's work achieved international ...

's ''

Last Tango in Paris ''Last Tango in Paris'' ( it, Ultimo tango a Parigi; french: Le Dernier Tango à Paris) is a 1972 erotic drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. The film stars Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider and Jean-Pierre Léaud, and portrays a recently w ...

'' and

Tinto Brass Giovanni "Tinto" Brass (born 26 March 1933) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. In the 1960s and 1970s, he directed many critically acclaimed avant-garde films of various genres. Today, he is mainly known for his later work in the er ...

's ''

Salon Kitty Salon Kitty was a high-class Berlin brothel used by the Nazi intelligence service, the ''Sicherheitsdienst'' (SD), for espionage purposes during . Created in the early 1930s, the salon was taken over by SS general Reinhard Heydrich and his sub ...

'', her last film.

Filmography

*1945: ''

Roma, città aperta ''Rome, Open City'' ( it, Roma città aperta, also released as ''Open City'') is a 1945 Italian neorealist war drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini and co-written by Sergio Amidei, Celeste Negarville and Federico Fellini. Set in Rome in 1 ...

'' (directed by

) - Marina Marini *1946: ''

'' (''Paisan'') (directed by Roberto Rossellini) - Francesca *1947: '' Fatalità'' (directed by Giorgio Bianchi) - Paola *1947: ''

L'altra L'Altra is an indie rock/electronic/chamber pop band from Chicago, Illinois. Bio L'Altra is an indie rock/electronic band consisting of principle songwriters Joseph Desler Costa and Lindsay Anderson joined by drummer Charles Rumback and guitarist ...

'' (directed by

Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia (8 July 1894 – 4 January 1998) was an Italian film director whose career spanned from the 1930s to the mid-1960s. He mainly directed adventure pictures and popular comedies, including some starring Totò. His 1942 ...

) - Thea 'Angelo' Morelli *1947: '' Preludio d'amore'' (''Shamed'') (directed by Giovanni Paolucci) - Alida *1947: ''

La Chartreuse de Parme ''The Charterhouse of Parma'' (french: La Chartreuse de Parme, links=no) is a novel by Stendhal published in 1839. Telling the story of an Italian nobleman in the Napoleonic era and later, it was admired by Balzac, Tolstoy, André Gide, di La ...

'' (''The Charterhouse of Parma'') (directed by Christian-Jaque) - Marietta *1961: ' (''Law of War'') (directed by Bruno Paolinell) - Signora Macumer *1969: ''

The Lady of Monza ''The Lady of Monza'' ( it, La monaca di Monza, also known as ''The Awful Story of the Nun of Monza'' and ''The Nun of Monza'') is a 1969 Italian historical drama film directed by Eriprando Visconti. It is loosely based on the real life events of ...

'', (original title is La monaca di Monza") (directed by

Eriprando Visconti Eriprando Visconti di Modrone, Count of Vico Modrone (September 24, 1932 – May 26, 1995) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was the nephew of the more famous Luchino Visconti. Born in Milan into a noble family, in ...

) - Sister Bianca Homati *1970: '' The Breach'' (directed by Claude Chabrol) - La troisième parque *1970: ''Mont-Dragon'' (directed by Jean Valère) - Hortense Dubois - la femme d'Armand *1972: ''

What Have You Done to Solange? ''What Have You Done to Solange?'' ( it, Cosa avete fatto a Solange?) is a 1972 '' giallo'' film directed by Massimo Dallamano and starring Fabio Testi, Karin Baal, Joachim Fuchsberger, Cristina Galbó, and Camille Keaton. The plot follows a ser ...

'' (directed by Massimo Dallamano) - Brenda's mother (uncredited) *1972: ''

'' (directed by

) - Rosa's mother *1973: ''

Redneck ''Redneck'' is a derogatory term chiefly, but not exclusively, applied to white Americans perceived to be crass and unsophisticated, closely associated with rural whites of the Southern United States.Harold Wentworth, and Stuart Berg Flexner, '' ...

'' (directed by

Silvio Narizzano Silvio Narizzano (8 February 192726 July 2011) was a Canadian film and television director who worked primarily in the United Kingdom. His directorial credits included the critically acclaimed films '' Georgy Girl'' (1966) and ''Loot'' (1970), w ...

) - Princess *1973: ''Blu Gang e vissero per sempre felici e ammazzati'' (directed by Luigi Bazzoni) - Mama Blue *1975: ''

Down the Ancient Staircase ''Down the Ancient Staircase'' ( it, Per le antiche scale) is a 1975 Italian-French drama film directed by Mauro Bolognini. Cast * Marcello Mastroianni - Professor Bonaccorsi * Françoise Fabian - Anna Bersani * Marthe Keller - Bianca * Barba ...

'' (directed by Mauro Bolognini) - Folle *1975: ''Irene, Irene'' (directed by Peter Del Monte) - Maria *1976: ''

'' (directed by

) - Ilde

References

External links

* 1921 births 1980 deaths Actresses from Rome 20th-century Italian actresses {{Italy-actor-stub