Forlì Forlì ( , ; rgn, Furlè ; la, Forum Livii) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. It is the central city of Romagna. The city is situated along the Via ...

Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...

Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia The Centro sperimentale di cinematografia (Experimental Film Centre or Italian National film school) was established in 1935 in Italy and aims to promote the art and technique of cinematography and film. The centre is the oldest film school in ...

Luigi Comencini Luigi Comencini (; 8 June 1916 – 6 April 2007)
''The Guardian'' was an Italian

. Her second part was in

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 ...

's prize-winning drama '' Era notte a Roma'' in 1960. Many sources list some earlier films for her, but this is a confusion with another Italian actress, the very similarly named Rosalina Neri.

Historical roles

In 1960, she appeared in two

sword and sandal Sword-and-sandal, also known as peplum (pepla plural), is a subgenre of largely Italian-made historical, mythological, or Biblical epics mostly set in the Greco-Roman antiquity or the Middle Ages. These films attempted to emulate the big-budge ...

films set in the Ancient world. The first was '' Il Sepolcro dei Re'' (AKA ''Cleopatra's Daughter'' or ''The Tomb of the King''). This film tells the story of Nemorat, an Egyptian pharaoh who was instrumental in the creation of the pyramids of Giza due to the intrigues surrounding his death and entombment. The second was Raoul Walsh's '' Esther and the King'' (1960), starring

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primeti ...

as the Biblical Jewish Queen. Rosalba played Keresh and was assassinated by someone who mistook her for the Queen. Because of her dark, sultry beauty, Rosalba was often a natural fit to play certain legendary characters. She was Ramses' intended bride in the

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the ...

Adventure, '' Il leone di Tebe (The Lion of Thebes)'' in 1966. She played

Delilah Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ar, دليلة, Dalīlah; grc, label= Greek, Δαλιδά, Dalidá) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved ...

, the Biblical beauty who was the downfall of the Old Testament hero,

Samson Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...

, in '' I Grandi Condottieri'' (''The Great Guides'') (1965). She returned to the genre in '' The Arena'' (1974). Although starring roles were few and far between for Neri, she worked steadily throughout the 1960s/70s in supporting and sometimes, nondescript roles, such as her turn as a harem girl in '' El Cid'' (1961).

Spy films

Neri had quite a few roles in

Eurospy Eurospy film, or Spaghetti spy film (when referring to Italian-produced films in the genre), is a genre of spy films produced in Europe, especially in Italy, France, and Spain, that either sincerely imitated or else parodied the British James ...

intrigue films, often playing a less than saintly character. She was Faddja in 1965's '' Superseven Chiama Cairo'' (''Superseven Calls on Cairo''), one of the dangerous women that the spy, a

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

-like character, comes into contact with. Also in 1965, she appeared in '' Due Mafiosi contro Goldginger'' (''

Two Mafiosi Against Goldfinger ''Two Mafiosi Against Goldfinger '' or ''Due mafiosi contro Goldginger'' is a 1965 Eurospy comedy film directed by Giorgio Simonelli starring the comic duo Franco and Ciccio. It is a spoof of the 1964 James Bond film, '' Goldfinger''. It was pick ...

''). In 1967, she was Amalia in '' Password: Uccidete Agente Gordon'' ('' Password: Kill Agent Gordon''). The same year she played her first part for Spanish director

Jess Franco Jess is a unisex given name, often a short form (hypocorism) of Jessica, Jesse, Jessie, etc., and a surname. It may refer to: Given name * Jess Atkinson (born 1961), American football player * Jess Cain (1926–2008), American radio host * J ...

in a spy film send-up done in comic book style, '' Lucky, the Inscrutable'', starring Ray Danton. In the following year she appeared in ''

OSS 117 - Double Agent OSS or Oss may refer to: Places * Oss, a city and municipality in the Netherlands * Osh Airport, IATA code OSS People with the name * Oss (surname), a surname Arts and entertainment * ''O.S.S.'' (film), a 1946 World War II spy film about O ...

'' (1968).

Spaghetti Westerns

She followed the trends of European cinema by appearing in several Spaghetti Westerns such as '' Johnny Yuma'' (1966), '' Arizona Colt'' (1966), '' Long Days of Hate'' (1968), ''

A Long Ride from Hell ''A Long Ride from Hell'' (Italian: ''Vivo per la tua morte'', lit. "I live for your death") is a 1968 Spaghetti Western film directed by Camillo Bazzoni. It is based on the novel ''Judas Gun'' by Gordon D. Shirreffs. The film was bodybuilder ...

'' (1968), '' The Reward's Yours... The Man's Mine'' (1969), ''

Arizona Colt Returns ''Arizona Colt Returns'' ( it, Arizona si scatenò... e li fece fuori tutti), also known as ''Arizona'' is a 1970 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Martino and starring Anthony Steffen. The feature film debut of Martino after a series of ...

'' (1971), '' Drummer of Vengeance'' (1971) and ''

Man Called Invincible ''Man Called Invincible'' ( it, Lo chiamavano Tresette... giocava sempre col morto, also known as ''They Called Him the Player with the Dead'', ''In the West There Was a Man Named Invincible'' and ''Tricky Dicky'') is a 1973 Italian Spaghetti Wes ...

'' (1973).

Erotic horror films

Neri, the bombshell, was also much in demand for erotic ''

giallo In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, and, ...

'' thrillers, horror, and sexploitation films. She was in

Jess Franco Jess is a unisex given name, often a short form (hypocorism) of Jessica, Jesse, Jessie, etc., and a surname. It may refer to: Given name * Jess Atkinson (born 1961), American football player * Jess Cain (1926–2008), American radio host * J ...

's box office hit ''

99 Women ''99 Women'' (german: Der heiße Tod, translation=The Hot Death) is a 1969 women in prison film directed by Jesús Franco and starring Maria Schell, Mercedes McCambridge, Maria Rohm, Rosalba Neri, Luciana Paluzzi and Herbert Lom. One of the ...

'' (1969), one of the first

women in prison film The women in prison film (or WiP film) is a subgenre of exploitation film that began in the early 20th century and continues to the present day. Their stories feature imprisoned women who are subjected to sexual and physical abuse, typically by ...

s, and '' Top Sensation'' (''The Seducers'') (1969) opposite

Edwige Fenech Edwige Fenech (, ; born 24 December 1948) is an Algerian-born Maltese-Sicilian actress and film producer. She is mostly known as the star of a series of ''commedia sexy all'italiana'' and ''giallo'' films released in the 1970s, which turned her ...

. In 1972 she played

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 ...

's wife in '' Amuck!''. Granger plays a wealthy author who hires a beautiful secretary (

Barbara Bouchet Barbara Bouchet (born Bärbel Gutscher; 15 August 1943)
glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com; ...

) and engages in kinky sex games with her and his wife. Also in 1972, Neri played the lead role in the erotic horror flick '' Lucifera: Demon Lover''. Bouchet and Neri would team up in 1972 in another movie combining sex with horror, ''Casa d’appuntamento'' ('' French Sex Murders''). A jewel thief is accused of murdering a prostitute but is decapitated in a motorcycle accident prior to the trial. When those involved in the trial start dying off, everyone wonders if the dead man has come back to exact his revenge. Perhaps Neri's best-known films are from the horror genre. Credited as Sara Bay, she played Tania Frankenstein, the daughter of the monster's creator, in 1971's ''

Lady Frankenstein ''Lady Frankenstein'' is a 1971 Italian horror film directed by Mel Welles and written by Edward di Lorenzo. It stars Rosalba Neri (under the pseudonym Sara Bey), Joseph Cotten, Mickey Hargitay and Paul Müller. Plot Somewhere in Western-Ce ...

''. Tania was willing to take her father's work to new – and frightening – levels. It is considered a B movie classic. In 1972, she starred in '' The Devil's Wedding Night'' as Lady Dracula, a vampire who uses Dracula's ring to lure young virgins to her home so she can murder them and bathe in their blood (à la the medieval Countess Elizabeth Báthory). In Italy it was released as ''Il Plenilunio dell Vergini'' (''Full Moon of the Virgins'').

Retirement

Neri would appear in a few more films such as: '' No Way Out'' (1973), ''Loving Cousins'' (1974), ''Blood River'' (1974) and ''Il pomicione'' (1976), which is her last credited film. In 1985 she did appear in the Italian miniseries ''Olga e I suoi figli'' (''Olga and her children'').

Selected filmography

*'' Escape by Night'' (1960) *'' Esther and the King'' (1960) *''

Cleopatra's Daughter ''Cleopatra's Daughter'' ( it, Il sepolcro dei re) is a 1960 historical drama film set in Egypt during the reign of the pharaoh Khufu Khufu or Cheops was an ancient Egyptian monarch who was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty, in the ...

'' (1962) *'' Hercules vs. Moloch'' (1963) *'' Hercules and the Black Pirates'' (1964) *''

The Lion of Thebes ''The Lion of Thebes'' ( it, Il leone di Tebe, french: Hélène, reine de Troie) is a ''peplum'' film written and directed by Giorgio Ferroni. Plot When the Greek army conquers Troy, Helen is exiled from her city. Her loyal guard Arion and H ...

'' (1964) *''

Corpse for the Lady ''Corpse for the Lady'' ( it, Cadavere per signora) is a 1964 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Sylva Koscina. Cast * Sylva Koscina - Laura Guglielmetti * Sergio Fantoni - Commisario * Scilla Gabel - Renata * Sandra ...

'' (1964) * ''

Desert Raiders ''Desert Raiders'' (Italian: ''Il dominatore del deserto'') is a 1964 Italian adventure film directed by Tanio Boccia and starring Kirk Morris, Rosalba Neri and Hélène Chanel. It was one of a large number of peplum films made during the era. ...

'' (1964) *'' 3 Avengers'' (1964) *'' I Kill, You Kill'' (1965) * '' Marvelous Angelique'' (1965) *'' Super Seven Calling Cairo'' (1965) *'' Gideon and Samson'' (1965) *''

Two Mafiosi Against Goldfinger ''Two Mafiosi Against Goldfinger '' or ''Due mafiosi contro Goldginger'' is a 1965 Eurospy comedy film directed by Giorgio Simonelli starring the comic duo Franco and Ciccio. It is a spoof of the 1964 James Bond film, '' Goldfinger''. It was pick ...

'' (1965) *'' The Spy with Ten Faces'' (1966) *'' Password: Kill Agent Gordon'' (1966) *'' Johnny Yuma'' (1966) *'' Arizona Colt'' (1966) *'' Lucky, the Inscrutable'' (1967) *'' Long Days of Hate'' (1968) *''

A Long Ride from Hell ''A Long Ride from Hell'' (Italian: ''Vivo per la tua morte'', lit. "I live for your death") is a 1968 Spaghetti Western film directed by Camillo Bazzoni. It is based on the novel ''Judas Gun'' by Gordon D. Shirreffs. The film was bodybuilder ...

'' (1968) *''

OSS 117 - Double Agent OSS or Oss may refer to: Places * Oss, a city and municipality in the Netherlands * Osh Airport, IATA code OSS People with the name * Oss (surname), a surname Arts and entertainment * ''O.S.S.'' (film), a 1946 World War II spy film about O ...

'' (1968) *''

99 Women ''99 Women'' (german: Der heiße Tod, translation=The Hot Death) is a 1969 women in prison film directed by Jesús Franco and starring Maria Schell, Mercedes McCambridge, Maria Rohm, Rosalba Neri, Luciana Paluzzi and Herbert Lom. One of the ...

'' (1969) *' (1969) *'' Marquis de Sade: Justine'' (1969) *''

The Castle of Fu Manchu ''The Castle of Fu Manchu'' (german: Die Folterkammer des Dr. Fu Man Chu, lit=The Torture Chamber of Dr. Fu Manchu, es, El castillo de Fu-Manchu) is a 1969 film and the fifth and final Dr. Fu Manchu film with Christopher Lee portraying the ti ...

'' (1969) *'' The Reward's Yours... The Man's Mine'' (1969) *''

Arizona Colt Returns ''Arizona Colt Returns'' ( it, Arizona si scatenò... e li fece fuori tutti), also known as ''Arizona'' is a 1970 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Martino and starring Anthony Steffen. The feature film debut of Martino after a series of ...

'' (1970) *'' Slaughter Hotel'' (1971) *'' Drummer of Vengeance'' (1971) *''

Lady Frankenstein ''Lady Frankenstein'' is a 1971 Italian horror film directed by Mel Welles and written by Edward di Lorenzo. It stars Rosalba Neri (under the pseudonym Sara Bey), Joseph Cotten, Mickey Hargitay and Paul Müller. Plot Somewhere in Western-Ce ...

'' (1971) *'' Lucifera: Demon Lover'' (1972) *'' Amuck!'' (1972) *'' Smile Before Death'' (1972) *'' French Sex Murders'' (1972) *''

The Mighty Anselmo and His Squire ''The Mighty Anselmo and His Squire'' ( it, Il prode Anselmo e il suo scudiero) is a 1972 comedy film directed by Bruno Corbucci and starring Alighiero Noschese and Enrico Montesano. Plot Cast * Alighiero Noschese as Anselmo da Montebello ...

'' (1972) * ''

Watch Out Gringo! Sabata Will Return ''Watch Out Gringo! Sabata Will Return'' ( es, Judas... ¡toma tus monedas!) is a 1972 Spanish western film directed by Alfonso Balcázar and Pedro Luis Ramírez, scored by Piero Piccioni and starring Vittorio Richelmy, George Martin and Fernando ...

'' (1972) as kidnapped girl *'' The Devil's Wedding Night'' (1973) *'' No Way Out'' (1973)) *''

Man Called Invincible ''Man Called Invincible'' ( it, Lo chiamavano Tresette... giocava sempre col morto, also known as ''They Called Him the Player with the Dead'', ''In the West There Was a Man Named Invincible'' and ''Tricky Dicky'') is a 1973 Italian Spaghetti Wes ...

'' (1973) *'' The Arena'' (1974) *'' The Visitor'' (1974) *'' Libera, My Love'' (1975)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Neri, Rosalba 1939 births Italian film actresses 20th-century Italian actresses Living people People from Forlì

Early life

Career