Rossana Rory (born 7 September 1927) is an Italian retired actress best known for her performance as Norma in

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 ...

caper film The heist film or caper film is a subgenre of crime film focused on the planning, execution, and aftermath of a significant robbery. One of the early defining heist films was ''The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950), which ''Film Genre 2000'' wrote "almo ...

Big Deal on Madonna Street ''Big Deal on Madonna Street'' ( it, I soliti ignoti; released in the UK as ''Persons Unknown'') is a 1958 Italian comedy caper film directed by Mario Monicelli and considered to be among the masterpieces of Italian cinema. Its original Italian t ...

'' (1958).

Career

Rory began working as a model at the age of seventeen, posing mainly for the stylist

Vincenzo Ferdinandi Vincenzo Ferdinandi (29 November 1920 - 22 April 1990) was an Italian designer among the founders of Italian haute couture. Biography Born in the United States, he moved to Italy in the early 1950s to open an atelier in Rome in the fashionabl ...

and in

fotoromanzi Photo comics are a form of sequential storytelling that uses photographs rather than illustrations for the images, along with the usual comics conventions of narrative text and word balloons containing dialogue. They are sometimes referred to ...

in the weekly magazines ''Sogno'', ''Luna Park'', and ''Cine Illustrato''. In 1951, she made her film debut in

Max Neufeld Max Neufeld (13 February 1887 – 2 December 1967) was an Austrian film director, actor and screenwriter. He directed 70 films between 1919 and 1957. He directed the 1934 film '' The Song of the Sun'', which starred Vittorio De Sica. Select ...

's '' Licenza premio''. Dissatisfied by a series of supporting roles, Rory went to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to attend acting courses at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...

, with hopes of a career in Hollywood. Her lack of luck in American films convinced her to return to Italy, where she appeared in

Guido Malatesta Guido Malatesta (1919 – 14 June 1970), born in Gallarate, Italy, was a film director and screenwriter. He began working as a professional journalist. After he moved to Rome, he was drawn to cinema, as creator of treatments, then scriptwriter ...

's ''

El Alamein El Alamein ( ar, العلمين, translit=al-ʿAlamayn, lit=the two flags, ) is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Arab's Gulf, Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. , it had ...

'' (1957) and

's ''

'' (1958). The last film she made before her retirement from cinema was Michelangelo Antonioni's ''

L'eclisse ''L'Eclisse'' ( en, "The Eclipse") is a 1962 Italian romance film written and directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and starring Alain Delon and Monica Vitti. Filmed on location in Rome and Verona, the story follows a young woman (Vitti) who pursues ...

'' (1962).

Partial filmography

* ''

The Ungrateful Heart ''The Ungrateful Heart'' ( nap, Core 'ngrato) is a 1951 Italian melodrama film directed by Guido Brignone and starring Carla Del Poggio, Frank Latimore and Gabriele Ferzetti Gabriele Ferzetti (born Pasquale Ferzetti; 17 March 1925 – 2 ...

'' (1951) * '' It Takes Two to Sin in Love'' (1954) * ''

The River Changes ''The River Changes'' is a 1956 American drama film, written and directed by Owen Crump. It stars Rossana Rory, Harold Maresch, and Renate Mannhardt, and was first shown to critics in special screenings on February 14, 1956. Cast list * Rossana ...

'' (1956) * ''

The Big Boodle ''The Big Boodle'' is a 1957 American film noir crime film directed by Richard Wilson, and starring Errol Flynn, Pedro Armendáriz, Rossana Rory, and Gia Scala, filmed in Cuba. The movie was also known as ''Night in Havana''. Plot Ned Sherwo ...

'' (1957) * ''

Hell Canyon Outlaws ''Hell Canyon Outlaws'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by Paul Landres and written by Allan Kaufman and Max Glandbard. The film stars Dale Robertson, Brian Keith, Rossana Rory, Dick Kallman, Don Megowan and Mike Lane. The film wa ...

'' (1957) * ''

Captain Falcon is a fictional character and the protagonist in the racing video game series ''F-Zero'' by Nintendo. Within the series, he is a mysterious racer who is among the best on the circuit, as well as a renowned bounty hunter. A different version of th ...

'' (1958) * ''

Robin Hood and the Pirates ''Robin Hood and the Pirates'' ( it, Robin Hood e i pirati) is a 1960 Italian adventure film directed by Giorgio Simonelli, and starring Lex Barker and Jackie Lane. Plot Robin Hood, the protagonist, leaves Sherwood Forest, and joins the pirate ...

'' (1960) * ''

Come September ''Come September'' is a 1961 American romantic comedy film directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Rock Hudson, Gina Lollobrigida, Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin. Plot Wealthy American businessman Robert Talbot owns a villa on the Ligurian coast, ...

'' (1961)

References

External links

* {{Italy-film-actor-stub 1927 births Living people 20th-century Italian actresses People from Rome