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 The commedia sexy all'italiana (, lit. "sex comedy Italian style"), also known as commedia scollacciata or commedia erotica all'italiana, is a subgenre of Italian ''commedia all'italiana'' film genre. Style ''Commedia sexy'' is characterized typ ...

'' and ''

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, ...

'' films released in the 1970s, which turned her into a

sex symbol A sex symbol or icon is a person or character widely considered sexually attractive. Pam Cook, "The trouble with sex: Diana Dors and the Blonde bombshell phenomenon", In: Bruce Babinigton (ed.), ''British Stars and Stardom: From Alma Taylor t ...

Biography

Fenech was born in Bône, Constantine,

French Algeria French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...

(now

Annaba Annaba ( ar, عنّابة, "Place of the Jujubes"; ber, Aânavaen), formerly known as Bon, Bona and Bône, is a seaport city in the northeastern corner of Algeria, close to the border with Tunisia. Annaba is near the small Seybouse River ...

, Annaba Province, Algeria) to a Maltese father and Sicilian mother.

Cinema career

Fenech moved from

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ...

(France) to Rome in 1967 for her first Italian film ''

Samoa, Queen of the Jungle ''Samoa, Queen of the Jungle'' ( it, Samoa, regina della giungla) is a 1968 Italian adventure film directed by Guido Malatesta. Cast * Roger Browne as Clint Lomas * Edwige Fenech as Samoa * Ivy Holzer as Nancy White * Ivano Staccioli as More ...

'' by

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 scriptwrite ...

. In 1968, she came under contract with Austrian director Franz Antel and from the late 1960s to early 1970s, she acted in various films of Antel (including his acclaimed '' Frau Wirtin'' series) as well as that of Franz Marischka. Fenech starred in many genres of cinema but her greatest commercial success came with ''

'' films, particularly including earlier works '' Ubalda, All Naked and Warm'' (1972) and ''

Giovannona Long-Thigh ''Giovannona Coscialunga disonorata con onore'' (internationally released as ''Giovannona Long-Thigh'') is a 1973 commedia sexy all'italiana directed by Sergio Martino. The film reteams the two main actors of the 1972 film '' Quel gran pezzo dell ...

'' (1973), as well as the following ''l'insegnante'' (school teacher), ''la soldatessa'' (soldier), ''la poliziotta'' (policewoman) series and other films that featured Fenech in stereotypical professions, which further bolstered Fenech's position as the most popular actress of the genre. She often paired with Carlo Giuffrè and later with

Renzo Montagnani Renzo Montagnani (September 11, 1930 – May 22, 1997) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Montagnani was born in Alessandria, Piedmont, and debuted as theatre actor thanks to the help of Erminio Macario. His first cinema succe ...

in ''commedia sexy'' films. Fenech was also a regular in ''

'' films. Her works in this genre include '' The Seducers'' (1969), ''

Five Dolls for an August Moon ''Five Dolls for an August Moon'' (Italian: ''5 bambole per la luna d'agosto'') is a 1970 Italian giallo film directed by Mario Bava. It concerns a group of people who have gathered on a remote island for fun and relaxation. One of the guests is ...

'' (1970), '' The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh'' (1971), '' Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key'' (1972), '' All the Colors of the Dark'' (1972), '' The Case of the Bloody Iris'' (1972), '' Strip Nude for Your Killer'' (1975), and '' Phantom of Death'' (1987).

Later career

In the 1980s, she became a television personality, typically appearing with Barbara Bouchet on a chat show on Italian television. After many years of work in movie production, she co-produced ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'' (2004) with

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy ...

, and later accepted Eli Roth's offer to star in another movie, '' Hostel: Part II'' (2007).

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...

named the character of Lt. Ed Fenech in ''

Inglourious Basterds ''Inglourious Basterds'' is a 2009 war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger and Mélanie Laurent. The film tells an altern ...

'' (2009) in her honour, and invited Fenech to the Italian premiere of his film.

Personal life

Fenech was married to Italian film producer

Luciano Martino Luciano Martino (22 December 1933 – 14 August 2013) was an Italian film producer, director and screenwriter. Biography Born in Naples, the brother of the director and screenwriter Sergio Martino, he was active in the cinema industry since the ...

from 1971 to 1979. In the mid-1990s, she was engaged to the well-known Italian industrialist Luca di Montezemolo. Her son Edwin (born 1971) has worked at her production company and was the former CEO of Ferrari Asia-Pacific, Ferrari Greater China and Ferrari North America.

In popular culture

The English Metal band

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

wrote the song "Edwige's Eyes" on their album " The Guessing Game" as a tribute to the actress.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Interview with Fenech
by Luigi Cozzi, from around 1970
Edwige Fenech
Movie poster images
Edwige Fenech fan club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fenech, Edwige 1948 births Italian film actresses French film actresses Living people Italian people of Maltese descent French people of Italian descent French people of Maltese descent French people of Sicilian descent French emigrants to Italy Italian television personalities People from Annaba Pieds-Noirs