Nadia Gray (born Nadia Kujnir; 23 November 1923 – 13 June 1994) was a

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...

n film actress.

Biography

Gray was born into a Jewish family in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north ...

. Her father moved to Romania from

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

, and her mother was from

Akkerman Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi ( uk, Бі́лгород-Дністро́вський, Bílhorod-Dnistróvskyy, ; ro, Cetatea Albă), historically known as Akkerman ( tr, Akkerman) or under different names, is a city, municipality and port situated on ...

(

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of ...

). She left Romania for

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

in the late 1940s to escape the Communist takeover after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Her film debut was in ''L'Inconnu d'un soir'' in 1949. Perhaps her best-known role was in the

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 ...

film ''

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 Mar ...

'' (1960). She played a guest role in an episode of the television series ''

The Prisoner ''The Prisoner'' is a 1967 British television series about an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village, where his captors designate him as Number Six and try to find out why he abruptl ...

'' ("

The Chimes of Big Ben "The Chimes of Big Ben" is an episode of the allegorical British science fiction TV series, '' The Prisoner''. It was written by Vincent Tilsley and directed by Don Chaffey and fifth to be produced. It was the second episode to be broadcast ...

", 1967).

Personal life

She was first married to N. Goldenberg (later Herescu), a wealthy businessman from Chișinău, then to Constantin Cantacuzino, a Romanian aristocrat who was one of Romania's top

fighter ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

s of the war. They were married from 1946 to his death in 1958. Her third husband was

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

attorney Herbert Silverman. They were married from 1967 to her death in 1994. She died in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

Partial filmography

Most of Gray's films were non-English language productions. * ''L'inconnu d'un soir'' (1949) - Édith aka Marie-Ange * '' The Spider and the Fly'' (1949) - Madeleine Saincaize * ''Monseigneur'' (1949) - La duchesse de Lémoncourt * '' Night Without Stars'' (1951) - Alix Delaisse née Malinay * '' Valley of Eagles'' (1951) - Kara Niemann * ''

Wife for a Night ''Wife for a Night'' ( it, Moglie per una notte) is a 1952 Italian film starring Gina Lollobrigida. It was based on the play ''The Dazzling Hour'' by Anna Bonacci, which was later updated for the Billy Wilder film '' Kiss Me, Stupid''. Plot Th ...

'' (1952) - Geraldine * ''

Inganno "''Inganno''" ( it, deception) is an Italian term for one of the two musical devices: an interrupted cadence, or a type of transposition used in 16th- and early 17th-century Italian music. This article will concentrate on the latter meaning. T ...

'' (1952) - Anna Comin * ''

Top Secret Classified information is material that a government body deems to be sensitive information that must be protected. Access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of people with the necessary security clearance and need to kn ...

'' (1952) - Tania * ''

Puccini Giacomo Puccini (Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long li ...

'' (1953) - Cristina Vernini * ''La vierge du Rhin'' (1953) - Maria Meister * '' Ivan, Son of the White Devil'' (1953) - Principessa Alina * '' Finalmente libero!'' (1954) - Carla * '' 100 Years of Love'' (1954) - Countess Muriella di Lucoli (segment "Pendolin") * ''Gran Varietà'' (1954) * '' Pietà per chi cade'' (1954) - Anna Savelli * ''Melody of Love'' (1954) - Nadia Sandor * '' Neapolitan Carousel'' (1954) - Pretty tramp * '' The Women Couldn't Care Less'' (1954) - Henrietta Aymes * '' Crossed Swords'' (1954) - Fulvia * '' House of Ricordi'' (1954) - Giulia Grisi * '' The Two Orphans'' (1954) - Diane de Vaudrey - countess de Linières * ''

Cardinal Lambertini Pope Benedict XIV ( la, Benedictus XIV; it, Benedetto XIV; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758. Pope B ...

'' (1954) - Isabella di Pietramelara * '' I cinque dell'Adamello'' (1954) - Magda * '' Casta Diva'' (1954) - Giuditta Pasta * '' Le avventure di Giacomo Casanova'' (1955) - Margherita Teresa von Kleinwert * '' The Last Five Minutes'' (1955) - Valeria Roberti, moglie di Filippo * ''La moglie è uguale per tutti'' (1955) - Lea * '' Music in the Blood'' (1955) - Gina Martelli * ''Il falco d'oro'' (1955) - Ines della Torre * ''Agguato sul mare'' (1955) - Circe * ''Hengst Maestoso Austria'' (1956) - Gräfin Marika Szilady * ''Folies-Bergère'' (1956) - Suzy Morgan * ''Parola di ladro'' (1957) * '' The Black Devil'' (1957) - Duchessa Lucrezia * ''Sénéchal le magnifique'' (1957) - La princesse Marida Ludibescu * '' La Parisienne'' (1957) - La reine Greta * ''

Vacanze a Ischia ''Vacanze a Ischia'' (also known as ''Holiday Island'') is a 1957 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Camerini. Plot The lives of several people intersect as they go on vacation to enjoy a pleasant holiday on the island. A lawyer spends it i ...

'' (1957) - Carla Occhipinti * ''Meine schöne Mama'' (1958) - Mathildes Mutter Maria * '' The Captain's Table'' (1959) - Mrs. Porteous * ''Violent Summer'' (1959) - (uncredited) * ''Muerte al amanecer'' (1959) - Victoria Costa * ''

'' (1960) - Nadia * ''

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 * Ir ...

'' (1960) - Tatiana Becker * '' Letto a tre piazze'' (1960) - Amalia * '' Maria, Registered in Bilbao'' (1960) - Berta * '' Candide ou l'optimisme au XXe siècle'' (1960) - La dame de compagnie / Dame * '' Mr. Topaze'' (1961) - Suzy * ''Le pavé de Paris'' (1961) - Monique * ''Gioventù di notte'' (1961) - Fulvia * ''Mourir d'amour'' (1961) - Patricia * ''Les croulants se portent bien'' (1961) - Thérèse * ''Le jeu de la vérité'' (1961) - Solange Vérate * ' (1962) - Hilde Goetz * ' (1963) - Comtesse * ''

Maniac Maniac (from Greek μανιακός, ''maniakos'') is a pejorative for an individual who experiences the mood known as mania. In common usage, it is also an insult for someone involved in reckless behavior. Maniac may also refer to: Film * ' ...

'' (1963) - Eve Beynat * ''Zwei Whisky und ein Sofa'' (1963) - Mrs. Button * '' Encounter in Salzburg'' (1964) - Felicitas Wilke * '' The Crooked Road'' (1965) - Cosima * '' The Adventurer of Tortuga'' (1965) - Dona Rosita * '' Winnetou and Old Firehand'' (1966) - Michèle Mercier * '' The Oldest Profession'' (1967) - Nadia (segment "Aujourd'hui") * '' Two for the Road'' (1967) - Francoise Dalbret * '' The Naked Runner'' (1967) - Karen Gisevius

References

External links

* *
Nadia Gray papers, 1930s-1977
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Nadia 1923 births 1994 deaths Romanian film actresses French people of Romanian-Jewish descent Romanian Jews 20th-century Romanian actresses Romanian emigrants to France French emigrants to the United States American people of Romanian-Jewish descent