Daniela Rocca (12 September 1937 – 28 May 1995) was an Italian actress, model and writer.

Biography

Rocca was born and raised in Acireale, a small town near

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also b ...

. She became Miss Catania in 1953, and was discovered by talent scouts after competing in a Miss Italy competition. Rocca made her film debut in French director Maurice Cloche's ''Marchands de Filles'' (1957) and also appeared in the

Riccardo Freda Riccardo Freda (24 February 1909 – 20 December 1999) was an Italian film director. He worked in a variety of genres, including sword-and-sandal, horror, ''giallo'' and spy films. Freda began directing '' I Vampiri'' in 1956. The film became ...

film ''

Caltiki – The Immortal Monster ''Caltiki – The Immortal Monster'' ( it, Caltiki, il mostro immortale) is a 1959 black-and-white science fiction-horror film. The film's storyline concerns a team of archaeologists investigating Mayan ruins, who come across a creature that is ...

'' (''Caltiki – il mostro immortale'', 1959), and ''

Esther and the King ''Esther and the King'' ( it, Ester e il re) is a 1960 American-Italian religious epic film produced and directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Joan Collins as Esther, Richard Egan as Ahasuerus, and Denis O'Dea as Mordecai. Walsh and Michael Elki ...

'' (1960). More film roles followed, but Rocca gain a profile until '' Divorce, Italian Style'' (''Divorzio all'Italiana'', 1961). Rocca became a star after playing the part of the smothering wife

Marcello Mastroianni Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni (28 September 1924 – 19 December 1996) was an Italian film actor, regarded as one of his country's most iconic male performers of the 20th century. He played leading roles for many of Italy's top di ...

is desperate to escape in

Pietro Germi Pietro Germi (; 14 September 1914 – 5 December 1974) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor, noted for his development of the neorealist and commedia all'Italiana genres. His 1961 film '' Divorce Italian Style'' earned him a ...

's international box-office hit. Rocca fell in love with Germi during filming and attempted suicide when he rejected her. After that, she was considered unstable and was not offered significant roles. A nervous breakdown led to a stay in a mental hospital. After playing minor roles in movies and television, her show business career ended in 1967. She ended her days in a retirement home in Milo, near Catania. There she wrote four books: ''Agente segreto con licenza di vivere; Avvocato offresi; Il condannato a morte''; and ''Psicoanalisi, sogni, fantasie nascosti nella mente''; and a collection of poems, ''Ara''.

Partial filmography

* ''La Luciana'' (1954) * ''Il nostro campione'' (1955) * ''

Il padrone sono me ''Il padrone sono me'' is a 1955 Italian comedy-drama film. It marked the directorial debut of Franco Brusati. The film premiered at the 16th Venice International Film Festival. Cast *Paolo Stoppa: Mingon * Andreina Pagnani: Miss Maria * Myriam ...

'' (1955) - Nunziata * ''Addio sogni di gloria'' (1957) * ''Marchands de filles'' (1957) - Bettina * ''

Head of a Tyrant ''Head of a Tyrant'' or ''Judith and Holofernes'' (Italian:''Giuditta e Oloferne'') is a 1959 Italian-French historical film directed by Fernando Cerchio and starring Massimo Girotti, Isabelle Corey and Renato Baldini.Parish p.53 It is part of th ...

'' (1959) - Naomi * ''

Non perdiamo la testa ''Non perdiamo la testa'' is a 1959 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Ugo Tognazzi. Cast *Ugo Tognazzi as Tony Cuccar *Franca Valeri as Beatrice *Carlo Campanini as Walter * Xenia Valderi as Erminia *Aroldo Tieri as I ...

'' (1959) - Volante * ''

'' (1959) - Linda * ''

Legions of the Nile ''Legions of the Nile'' ( it, Le legioni di Cleopatra, french: Les légions de Cléopâtre, es, Las legiones de Cleopatra) is an Eastmancolor 1959 Italian-French-Spanish historical epic adventure film written and directed by Vittorio Cottafav ...

'' (1959) - Teyrè * ''

The Giant of Marathon ''The Giant of Marathon'' ( it, La battaglia di Maratona) is a 1959 international co-production sword and sandal film, loosely based on the Battle of Marathon. It was directed by Jacques Tourneur and Mario Bava. It starred Steve Reeves as Philli ...

'' (1959) - Karis * '' Austerlitz'' (1960) - Caroline Bonaparte * ''

Colossus and the Amazon Queen ''Colossus and the Amazon Queen'' ( it, La regina delle Amazzoni/ ''Queen of the Amazons'') is a 1960 Italian sword and sandal comedy film directed by Vittorio Sala. Cast *Rod Taylor as Pirro * Ed Fury as Glauco * Dorian Gray as Antiope *Da ...

'' (1960) - Melitta * ''

'' (1960) - Queen Vashti * '' Revenge of the Barbarians'' (1960) - Galla Placidia, Onorius' Sister * '' Rome 1585'' (1961) - Princess Alba of Portoreale * '' Divorce, Italian Style'' (1961) - Rosalia Cefalù * ''Peccati d'estate'' (1962) - Teresa * '' The Captive City'' (1962) - Doushka * ''

I Don Giovanni della Costa Azzurra ''I Don Giovanni della Costa Azzurra'' ("Don Juan of the French Riviera"), released in English-speaking countries as ''Beach Casanova'', is a 1962 Italian film, directed by Vittorio Sala. It stars Curd Jürgens, Annette Stroyberg, Martine Carol and ...

'' (1962) - Assuntina Greco, aka Géneviève * ''L'attico'' (1963) - Silvana D'Angelo * ''Symphonie pour un massacre'' (1963) - Hélène Valoti * ''

The Empty Canvas ''The Empty Canvas'' is a 1963 Italian drama film directed by Damiano Damiani. The screenplay written by Damiani, Tonino Guerra and Ugo Liberatore is based on the best-selling novel ''La noia'' by Alberto Moravia. The film stars Horst Buchholz ...

'' (1963) - Rita * '' Behold a Pale Horse'' (1964) - Rosana, Mistress of Vinolas * ''

The Sucker ''The Sucker'' (french: link=no, Le Corniaud, ) is a French, Italian and Spanish comedy film by Gérard Oury starring Louis de Funès and Bourvil. Plot Leaving Paris for his summer vacation, the naïve Antoine Maréchal has his 2CV totally wr ...

'' (1965) - (uncredited) * ''Assicurasi vergine'' (1967) - Carmela - don Pippo's lover * ''Un giorno, una vita'' (1970) - Olga (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rocca, Daniela 1937 births 1995 deaths People from Acireale Italian film actresses Actors from Sicily 20th-century Italian actresses Models from Sicily