Francesca Braggiotti (October 17, 1902 – February 25, 1998) was an Italian dancer, actress, dubber, and first lady of

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

Biography

Francesca Braggiotti was born in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, her father was an Italian tenor, born in

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...

; her mother was an American mezzo-soprano from

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. Both her parents were converted to Buddhism, among the earliest Westerners to do so; she was the second of eight brothers and sisters, all destined for success in the arts. She began her career as a dancer, forming the Braggiotti Sisters, a duo with her sister Berthe. The duo was an overwhelming success in Boston after World War I. Writer Alden Hatch wrote: "Two polyglot strikingly attractive and talented sisters, call Berthe and Francesca Braggiotti, were the biggest event of the Bostonian Society since Mrs. Jack Gardner smoked a cigarette in public and built Fenway Court ". Francesca and her sister Berthe opened a dance studio above the barracks of the

Brookline Brookline may refer to: Places in the United States * Brookline, Massachusetts, a town near Boston * Brookline, Missouri, a village * Brookline, New Hampshire, a town * Brookline (Pittsburgh), a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania * Brookl ...

Fire Department. For a public performance sponsored by the exclusive Vincent Club, the Mayor was asked about the limits of public decency, as he had authorized their costumes for some artistic purposes, although too small to be admitted to a public beach. The poet

Amy Lowell Amy Lawrence Lowell (February 9, 1874 – May 12, 1925) was an American poet of the imagist school. She posthumously won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1926. Life Amy Lowell was born on February 9, 1874, in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughte ...

was so enchanted that she composed an ode in honor of Francesca.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Isabella Stewart Gardner (April 14, 1840 – July 17, 1924) was an American art collector, philanthropist, and patron of the arts. She founded the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Gardner possessed an energetic intellectual curiosity ...

asked them to a private performance at

Fenway Court The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts, which houses significant examples of European, Asian, and American art. Its collection includes paintings, sculpture, tapestries, and decorative arts. It was founde ...

. The dance school of Braggiotti Sisters, as well as being the most expensive and requested, first introduced dance Expressionist movement in Boston and a new vision of health and beauty. After the untimely death of her elder sister in 1928 Braggiotti went to work in cinema and began dubbing in Italy. She starred in ''

Rasputin and the Empress ''Rasputin and the Empress'' is a 1932 American pre-Code film directed by Richard Boleslawski and written by Charles MacArthur. Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), the film is set in Imperial Russia and stars the Barrymore siblings (John, a ...

'' (1932), ''

Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott, originally published in two volumes, in 1868 and 1869. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters— Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details th ...

'' (1933), '' Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of Hannibal'' (1937), and

Tonight at Eleven ''Tonight at Eleven'' () is a 1938 Italian " white-telephones" mystery film directed by Oreste Biancoli and starring John Lodge, Francesca Braggiotti and Ivana Claar.Chiti & Poppi p.430. Synopsis The former wife of a foreign ambassador is a hu ...

(1938). In 1933 she performed in The Good Fairy in Harold Lloyd's

Beverly Hills Little Theatre for Professionals The Beverly Hills Little Theatre for Professionals, which grew out of a nationwide little theatre movement, was a playhouse founded by actor Harold Lloyd and others in 1931 in Beverly Hills, California. It was originally at the Wilkes Vine Street ...

. She was the first Italian dubbed voice of

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...

and spoke the first bar dubbed in Italian film history: "Give me a cigarette!" in the movie ''

Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (, ; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari ( , ; , ), was a Dutch Stripper, exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for German Empire, Germany during World War ...

'' by George Fitzmaurice. She also dubbed the Swedish actress in ''

Inspiration Inspiration, inspire, INSPIRE, or inspired commonly refers to: * Artistic inspiration, sudden creativity in artistic production * Biblical inspiration, a Christian doctrine on the origin of the Bible * Inhalation, breathing in Inspiration and rel ...

'' (Yvonne), ''

Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) Susan is a feminine given name, the usual English version of Susanna or Susannah. All are versions of the Hebrew name Shoshana, which is derived from the Hebrew ''shoshan'', meaning ''lotus flower'' in Egyptian, original derivation, and several ...

'', ''

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

'' (Grusinskaya), '' As You Desire Me'' (Zadar / Countess Maria Varelli). Braggiotti married

John Davis Lodge John Davis Lodge (October 20, 1903 – October 29, 1985) was an American film actor, lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He was the 79th governor of Connecticut from 1951 to 1955, and later served as U.S. ambassador to Spain, Argentina, and Swit ...

in 1929, and worked with him on the set of ''

''. After her husband's entry into politics, she withdrew from artistic life; he was a Republican politician, U.S. Representative from 1947 to 1951, governor of Connecticut from 1951 to 1955 and diplomatic ambassador to Spain, Argentina and Switzerland. She had two children, one of whom is

Lily Lodge Lily Lodge (April 12, 1930 – August 7, 2021) was an American actress, acting coach and etiquette consultant. She was the co-founder of Actors Conservatory in New York City and worked with actors such as Alec Baldwin and Brooke Shields. Pers ...

References

Filmography

*''

'', (1932) *''

'', directed by

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor ( ; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer, producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO Pictures, RKO when David O. Selzn ...

(1933) *'' Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of Hannibal'', directed by

Carmine Gallone Carmine Gallone (10 September 1885 – 11 March 1973) was an early Italian film director, screenwriter, and film producer, who was also controversial for his works of pro-Fascist propaganda and historical revisionism. Considered one of Itali ...

(1937) * ''

'', directed by

Oreste Biancoli Oreste Biancoli (20 February 1897 – 25 November 1971) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He wrote for more than 90 films between 1930 and 1986. He also directed nine films between 1938 and 1952. He was born in Bologna, Italy an ...

(1937)

Bibliography

* Gloria Braggiotti, ''Born in a crowd'', Crowell,

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, 1957. * Salvatore John LaGumina, ''The Italian American experience: an encyclopedia'', Garland Pub.2000, page 169. * Jody Marie Weber, ''The Evolution of Aesthetic and Expressive Dance in Boston'', Cambria Press, 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:Braggiotti, Francesca 1902 births 1998 deaths Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Italian female dancers Italian film actresses Italian voice actresses Italian emigrants to the United States First ladies and gentlemen of Connecticut Dancers from Massachusetts 20th-century Italian Buddhists Italian people of American descent Actresses from Florence