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Veronica Lazăr (6 October 1938 – 8 June 2014) was a
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
n-born
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
actress.
Biography
Lazăr was born in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
in 1938. She graduated from the Caragiale Academy of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography (where she also obtained a degree in psychology, which she practiced until 1994, dealing mainly in couples therapy) and subsequently played roles in Romanian theatre
otably a run of ''Right You Are (if you think so)'' in 1963-64">Right_You_Are_(if_you_think_so).html" ;"title="otably a run of ''
otably a run of ''Right You Are (if you think so)'' in 1963-64 She fled her home country to escape Socialist Republic of Romania">communism
Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...
and eventually settled in Italy in 1965. She managed to learn the Italian language">Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
language in only a few weeks and had planned to move on to the United States or Israel, but became entranced with Rome. There, she met and married Italian actor Adolfo Celi with whom she had two children, director Leonardo Celi and actress Alessandra Celi.
She made her screen debut as Marlon Brando's deceased wife in Bernardo Bertolucci's ''
Last Tango in Paris
''Last Tango in Paris'' (; ) is a 1972 Erotic film, erotic Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. The film stars Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider (actor), Maria Schneider and Jean-Pierre Léaud, and portrays a rec ...
'' (1972), and also appeared in some of the director's subsequent films, ''
La Luna'' (1979), ''
The Sheltering Sky'' (1990), and ''
Besieged'' (1998).
Lazăr is probably best known internationally for her role as the demonic
Mater Tenebrarum in
Dario Argento
Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. His influential work in the horror film, horror and giallo genres during the 1970s and 1980s has led him to being referred to as the "Master of the ...
's ''
Inferno'' (1980),
as well as the ill-fated Martha in
Lucio Fulci
Lucio Fulci (; 17 June 1927 – 13 March 1996) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Although he worked in a wide array of genres through a career spanning nearly five decades, including Commedia all'italiana, comedies and spagh ...
's ''
The Beyond'' (1981). She later appeared in Argento's ''
The Stendhal Syndrome'' (1996) in a role that was removed from the North American version (though she is still billed in the end credits). Her other films included
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 ''
Identification of a Woman'' (1982), ''
My Sister and I'' (1987), ''
Towards Evening'' (1990), ''
The Prince's Manuscript'' (2000) and ''
Ginostra'' (2002).
She had an extensive career in (mostly) Italian television, where she was often the lead or one of the lead characters. Lazăr headlined the 1978 adaptation of ''
The Elective Affinities'', ''
Giacinta'' (1980) and was a big part of the 1989 BBC miniseries ''
Summer's Lease''. Her last role was that of the main character Lorenzo's loving grandmother in Bertolucci's ''
Me and You'' (2012).
Veronica Lazăr was a renowned woman of culture and a cultural ambassador between Italian and Romanian cinema (the latter, a position she began in 1989). She was a linguistic interpreter and was seen as a symbolic figure with a protective aura by her countrymen in both Italy and Romania. She was also president of the Itaro Art Foundation and was instrumental in its 2007 retrospective on Romanian cinema held in Rome and Pisa. She was heavily involved with the acting students at
Teatro Valle
The ''Teatro Valle'' (literally Valley Theater) is a theatre and former opera house in Rome, Italy. It was built in 1726 for the Capranica family. In the middle of the 19th century, it switched from staging opera and theatre to only performances ...
and often would cook meals for them at her home and bring them to the theatre. The students there nicknamed her "Nonna Veronica."
Lazăr also coordinated the construction of a hospital in
Mali
Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...
over the course of a year, on orders of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
. When she returned to Italy, she brought with her African fabrics, statues, and carpets, many of which were still in her home when she died. Lazăr loved to play cards, share with her friends, and had a special affinity for the sea. At her funeral, she wanted her 18-year-old niece, a career musician already, to play the theme from ''
Schindler's List
''Schindler's List'' is a 1993 American epic historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the historical novel '' Schindler's Ark'' (1982) by Thomas Keneally. The film follows ...
'' throughout the Jewish cemetery in
Prima Porta where she was laid to rest.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lazar, Veronica
1938 births
2014 deaths
Italian film actresses
Italian stage actresses
Italian television actresses
Actresses from Bucharest
Romanian emigrants to Italy
Naturalised citizens of Italy