Maria Grazia Buccella (born August 15, 1940) is an Italian glamour model and film actress, who was
Miss Italy
Miss Italia is a beauty pageant awarding prizes every year to young, female contestants from Italy. Since the first edition of the contest in 1939 many of the contestants have gone on to notable careers in television and film.
History
The fore ...
1959.
Career
Buccella won the Miss Trento, Miss Venice, and Miss Italy beauty pageants, and placed third in the Miss Europe 1959 competition. She represented Italy in the 1959 Miss Universe contest held in Long Beach, California. When she failed to make the cut from the initial 81 contestants to the final 15, the voluptuous Buccella was quoted as saying, "The judges and I obviously disagree. Back home, the men would wait for most of these girls to gain some more weight. But I am not bitter. They are nice girls."
She was busy throughout the 1960s in numerous Italian and European films. She screen tested for the role of
Domino Derval
Dominetta Vitali, known simply as Domino, is a fictional character and the main Bond girl in the James Bond novel '' Thunderball''. For the 1965 film adaptation of the same name, her name was changed to Dominique Derval, nicknamed Domino, and sh ...
in the
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, 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 19 ...
film '' Thunderball''. (The role, originally an Italian woman named Dominetta Petacchi, went to French actress
Claudine Auger
Claudine Auger (born Claudine Oger; 26 April 1941 – 18 December 2019) was a French actress best known for her role as a Bond girl, Dominique "Domino" Derval, in the James Bond film '' Thunderball'' (1965). She earned the title of Miss F ...
Dino Risi
Dino Risi (23 December 1916 – 7 June 2008) was an Italian film director. With Mario Monicelli, Luigi Comencini, Nanni Loy and Ettore Scola, he was one of the masters of '' commedia all'italiana''.
Biography
Risi was born in Milan. He had an ...
-directed film ''
Il Gaucho
''Il Gaucho'' (internationally released as ''The Gaucho'') is a 1964 Italian comedy film directed by Dino Risi. It was co-produced by Clemente Lococo, an Argentinian production company, and in Argentina it was released as ''Un italiano en la Argen ...
'' which starred
Vittorio Gassman
Vittorio Gassman (; born Gassmann; 1 September 1922 – 29 June 2000), popularly known as , was an Italian actor, director and screenwriter.
He is considered one of the greatest Italian actors, whose career includes both important productions ...
; ''Gentleman de Cocody'', starring
Jean Marais
Jean-Alfred Villain-Marais (11 December 1913 – 8 November 1998), known professionally as Jean Marais (), was a French actor, film director, theatre director, painter, sculptor, visual artist, writer and photographer. He performed in over 100 f ...
; ''The Secret Agents'', starring Gassman and
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics.
Born and r ...
; and the
Dino DeLaurentiis
Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian-American film producer. Along with Carlo Ponti, he was one of the producers who brought Italian cinema to the international scene at the end of World War II. He ...
production ''Menage All'Italiana.''
Buccella appeared in the comedy anthology ''Love and Marriage'' (U.S. release 1966) in a story that presaged the film ''Indecent Proposal''. ''New York Times'' film critic Howard Thompson wrote, "Lando Buzzanca as the proud and fiery husband and Maria Grazia Buccella as his dovelike bride are marvelous." Vittorio De Sica cast her as Miss Okra in the
Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...
farce film ''
After the Fox
''After the Fox'' ( it, Caccia alla volpe) is a 1966 heist comedy film directed by Vittorio De Sica and starring Peter Sellers, Victor Mature and Britt Ekland. The English-language screenplay was written by Neil Simon and De Sica's longt ...
'', in which she flirted with Sellers while lip-synching dialog by
Akim Tamiroff
Akim Mikhailovich Tamiroff, russian: Аким Михайлович Тамиров (born Hovakim Tamiryants; October 29, 1899 – September 17, 1972) was an Armenian-American actor of film, stage, and television. One of the premier character ac ...
. In 1968 she won a
Silver Ribbon
The Nastro d'Argento, also known by its translated name Silver Ribbon, is an Italian film award awarded each year since 1946 by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (Italian: ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italian ...
award at the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists for Best Supporting Actress (Migliore Attrice Non Protagonista) in the film '' Ti ho sposato per allegria'' (released as ''
I Married You for Fun
''Ti ho sposato per allegria'' (internationally released as ''I Married You for Fun'') is a 1967 Italian comedy film directed by Luciano Salce. It is based on the play by Natalia Ginzburg.
Monica Vitti was awarded the Globo d'oro for Best Actress ...
'').
Buccella was featured on the July 1977 cover of the Italian edition of ''
Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.
K ...
'' magazine. She retired from films in 1979, although she made two small appearances in the late 1980s and a final appearance in the 2000 television series ''Hotel Otello''.
Filmography
*''La nostra pelle'', directed by Raymond Berhard (1951)
* ''
Rasputin
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (; rus, links=no, Григорий Ефимович Распутин ; – ) was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, thus ga ...
'' (1954)
*''
The Night They Killed Rasputin
''The Night They Killed Rasputin'' ( it, L'ultimo zar, french: Les nuits de Raspoutine), also known as ''Nights of Rasputin'', is a 1960 Italian-French historical adventure film co-written and directed by Pierre Chenal, and starring Edmund Purdo ...
'' (1960)
*''
Fountain of Trevi
The Trevi Fountain ( it, Fontana di Trevi) is an 18th-century fountain in the Trevi district in Rome, Italy, designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini and several others. Standing high and wide, it is the ...
'', directed by
Carlo Campogalliani
Carlo Campogalliani (10 October 1885 – 10 August 1974) was an Italian screenwriter, actor and film director. Campogalliani directed around eighty films during his career and acted in another fifty. He directed the 1934 sports film ''Stadio''.Re ...
(1960)
*''
La strada dei giganti
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...
'', directed 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 scriptwriter ...
The Fall of Rome
The fall of the Western Roman Empire (also called the fall of the Roman Empire or the fall of Rome) was the loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire, a process in which the Empire failed to enforce its rule, and its vas ...
'', directed by
Antonio Margheriti
Antonio Margheriti (19 September 1930 – 4 November 2002), also known under the pseudonyms Anthony M. Dawson and Antony Daisies ("daisies" is "margherite" in Italian), was an Italian filmmaker. Margheriti worked in many different genres in the I ...
(1963)
*''
Il Boom
''Il Boom'' is a 1963 commedia all'italiana film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica.
The "boom" in the title was the Italian economic miracle which transformed the country in the span of a decade, from the late 1950s to the onset of the 19 ...
'', directed by
Vittorio De Sica
Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement.
Four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: '' Sciuscià'' and '' Bicycle Thieves'' (honorar ...
Marino Girolami
Marino Girolami (1 February 1914 – 20 February 1994) was an Italian film director and actor.
Biography
Marino Giorlami was born on 1 February 1914 in Rome, Italy. Formally a Professional boxer, Girolami ended his boxing career when he was 20 ...
Marino Girolami
Marino Girolami (1 February 1914 – 20 February 1994) was an Italian film director and actor.
Biography
Marino Giorlami was born on 1 February 1914 in Rome, Italy. Formally a Professional boxer, Girolami ended his boxing career when he was 20 ...
Giuseppe Vari
Giuseppe Vari (9 March 1924 – 1 October 1993) was an Italian film director, editor and screenwriter.
Life and career
Born in Segni, Rome, Vari started his career as an editor of films and documentaries, collaborating among others with F ...
(1963)
*''
Love and Marriage
"Love and Marriage" is a 1955 song with lyrics by Sammy Cahn and music by Jimmy Van Heusen. It is published by Barton Music Corporation (ASCAP).
Frank Sinatra versions
"Love and Marriage" was introduced by Frank Sinatra in the 1955 televisi ...
'', directed by
Gianni Puccini
Gianni Puccini (9 November 1914 – 3 December 1968) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He wrote for 32 films between 1940 and 1967. He also directed 18 films between 1951 and 1968.
Selected filmography
* ''Ossessione'' (1943)
* ...
(1964)
*''
Il Gaucho
''Il Gaucho'' (internationally released as ''The Gaucho'') is a 1964 Italian comedy film directed by Dino Risi. It was co-produced by Clemente Lococo, an Argentinian production company, and in Argentina it was released as ''Un italiano en la Argen ...
'', directed by
Dino Risi
Dino Risi (23 December 1916 – 7 June 2008) was an Italian film director. With Mario Monicelli, Luigi Comencini, Nanni Loy and Ettore Scola, he was one of the masters of '' commedia all'italiana''.
Biography
Risi was born in Milan. He had an ...
(1965)
*''
Man from Cocody
''Man from Cocody'' (French: ') is a French adventure film from 1965 set in Cocody, Ivory Coast. It was directed by Christian-Jaque, written by Christian-Jaque, , Jean Ferry and Jacques Emmanuel, starring Jean Marais. The film was known under the ...
'', directed by
Christian-Jaque
Christian-Jaque (byname of Christian Maudet; 4 September 1904 – 8 July 1994) was a French filmmaker. From 1954 to 1959, he was married to actress Martine Carol, who starred in several of his films, including '' Lucrèce Borgia'' (1953), '' ...
(1965)
*''
Su e giù
''Su e giù'' ( ''Up and down'') is a 1965 Italian anthology comedy film directed by Mino Guerrini.
Cast
* Guido Alberti (segment "Colpo da leoni, Il")
*Béatrice Altariba (segment "Questione di principio")
* Paola Biggio as Cuccio's Wife (seg ...
'', directed by
Mino Guerrini
Mino Guerrini (16 December 1927 – 10 January 1990) was an Italian director, screenwriter, journalist, actor and painter.
Biography
Born in Rome as Giacomo Guerrini, Guerrini entered the cinema industry in 1954 as screenwriter in Marcello Pagl ...
(1965)
*''
The Dirty Game
''The Dirty Game'' (german: Spione unter sich, french: Guerre secrète, it, La guerra segreta) is a 1965 anthology spy film starring Henry Fonda and Robert Ryan. Robert Ryan as American General Bruce is the link between three different spy sto ...
'', directed by
Carlo Lizzani
Carlo Lizzani (3 April 1922 – 5 October 2013) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and critic.
Biography
Born in Rome, before World War II Lizzani worked as a scenarist on such films as Roberto Rossellini's '' Germany Year Zero' ...
(1965)
*''
Menage all'italiana
''Menage all'italiana'', also known as ''Menage Italian Style'', is a 1965 Italian comedy film about a bigamist who cannot resist getting married again and again. He has eight wives.
Cast
* Ugo Tognazzi: Alfredo
* Anna Moffo: Giovanna
* Maria Gr ...
Adultery Italian Style
''Adultery Italian Style'' ( it, Adulterio all'italiana) is a 1966 Italian comedy film written and directed by Pasquale Festa Campanile.
Cast
* Nino Manfredi as Franco Finali
*Catherine Spaak as Marta Finali
*Maria Grazia Buccella as Gloria
...
'', directed by
Pasquale Festa Campanile
Pasquale Festa Campanile (28 July 1927 – 25 February 1986) was an Italian screenwriter, film director and novelist, best known as a prominent exponent of the commedia all'italiana genre.
Life and career
Born at Melfi, in the province o ...
(1966)
*''
A Maiden for a Prince
''A Maiden for a Prince'' ( it, Una vergine per il principe) is a 1966 Italian comedy, starring Vittorio Gassman and Virna Lisi and based on the failed marriage between Margherita Farnese and Vincenzo Gonzaga.
Cast
*Vittorio Gassman -
*Virna Li ...
'', directed by
Pasquale Festa Campanile
Pasquale Festa Campanile (28 July 1927 – 25 February 1986) was an Italian screenwriter, film director and novelist, best known as a prominent exponent of the commedia all'italiana genre.
Life and career
Born at Melfi, in the province o ...
(1966)
*''
L'armata Brancaleone
''L'armata Brancaleone'' (known in English-speaking countries as ''For Love and Gold'' or ''The Incredible Army of Brancaleone'') is an Italian comedy film released on April 7, 1966, written by the duo Age & Scarpelli and directed by Mario Monic ...
'', directed by
Mario Monicelli
Mario Alberto Ettore Monicelli (; 16 May 1915 – 29 November 2010) was an Italian film director and screenwriter and one of the masters of the ''Commedia all'Italiana'' (Comedy Italian style). He was nominated six times for an Oscar, and was aw ...
(1966)
*''
After the Fox
''After the Fox'' ( it, Caccia alla volpe) is a 1966 heist comedy film directed by Vittorio De Sica and starring Peter Sellers, Victor Mature and Britt Ekland. The English-language screenplay was written by Neil Simon and De Sica's longt ...
'', directed by
Vittorio De Sica
Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement.
Four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: '' Sciuscià'' and '' Bicycle Thieves'' (honorar ...
(1966)
*''
Pleasant Nights
''Pleasant Nights'' ( it, Le piacevoli notti) is a 1966 Italian comedy film directed by Armando Crispino and Luciano Lucignani and starring Vittorio Gassman and Gina Lollobrigida.
Plot
Three comedic tales set in the Middle Ages.
Cast
* V ...
'', directed by
Armando Crispino
Armando Crispino (18 October 1924 – 6 October 2003) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He was born in Biella, Piedmont. He directed nine films between 1966 and 1975. He also wrote for nine films between 1965 and 1975. He also d ...
(1966)
*''
Dead Run
A point of sail is a sailing craft's direction of travel under sail in relation to the true wind direction over the surface.
The principal points of sail roughly correspond to 45° segments of a circle, starting with 0° directly into the wind. ...
'', directed by
Christian-Jaque
Christian-Jaque (byname of Christian Maudet; 4 September 1904 – 8 July 1994) was a French filmmaker. From 1954 to 1959, he was married to actress Martine Carol, who starred in several of his films, including '' Lucrèce Borgia'' (1953), '' ...
(1967)
*''
I Married You for Fun
''Ti ho sposato per allegria'' (internationally released as ''I Married You for Fun'') is a 1967 Italian comedy film directed by Luciano Salce. It is based on the play by Natalia Ginzburg.
Monica Vitti was awarded the Globo d'oro for Best Actress ...
'', directed by
Luciano Salce
Luciano Salce (25 September 1922 – 17 December 1989) was an Italian film director, comedian, tv host, producer, actor and lyricist. His 1962 film ''Le pillole di Ercole'' was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy at the 67th Ve ...
Brunello Rondi
Brunello Rondi (26 November 1924 – 7 November 1989) was a prolific Italian screen writer and film director best known for his frequent script collaborations with Federico Fellini.
His brother, Gian Luigi Rondi, was an Italian film critic.
Bi ...
(1967)
*''
It's Your Move
''It's Your Move'' is an American sitcom television series created by Ron Leavitt and Michael G. Moye, starring Jason Bateman, Tricia Cast, Caren Kaye, Ernie Sabella, David Garrison, and Garrett Morris. The show originally aired on NBC from S ...
Villa Rides
''Villa Rides'' is a 1968 American Technicolor Western war film in Panavision directed by Buzz Kulik and starring Yul Brynner as Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa and Robert Mitchum as an American adventurer and pilot of fortune. The supporting ...
'', directed by
Buzz Kulik
Seymour "Buzz" Kulik (July 23, 1922 – January 13, 1999) was an American film director and producer. He directed 72 films and television shows, including the landmark CBS television network anthology series '' Playhouse 90'' and several ep ...
Pasquale Festa Campanile
Pasquale Festa Campanile (28 July 1927 – 25 February 1986) was an Italian screenwriter, film director and novelist, best known as a prominent exponent of the commedia all'italiana genre.
Life and career
Born at Melfi, in the province o ...
(1969)
*''
Sissignore
''Sissignore'', internationally released as ''Dismissed on His Wedding Night'' and ''Yes Sir'', is a 1968 Italian comedy film written, directed and starred by Ugo Tognazzi.
Plot
Oscar (Ugo Tognazzi) is a driver whom to stay in the good graces of ...
'', directed by
Ugo Tognazzi
Ugo Tognazzi (23 March 1922 – 27 October 1990) was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter.
Early life
Tognazzi was born in Cremona, in northern Italy but spent his youth in various localities as his father was a travelling clerk fo ...
(1969)
*''
The Wind's Fierce
''The Wind's Fierce'' ( es, La cólera del viento, it, La collera del vento, also known as ''Revenge of Trinity'', ''Trinity Sees Red'' and ''The Wind's Anger'') is a 1970 Spanish-Italian western-drama film written and directed by Mario Camus.
...
'', directed by
Mario Camus
Mario Camus García (20 April 1935 – 18 September 2021) was a Spanish film director and screenwriter. He won the Golden Bear at the 33rd Berlin International Film Festival with '' La colmena''. His 1987 film ''The House of Bernarda Alba'' wa ...
(1970)
*''
I Clowns
''I clowns'' (also known as ''The Clowns'') is a 1970 mockumentary film by Federico Fellini about the human fascination with clowns and circuses.
Plot summary
Cast Main
* Riccardo Billi as Himself – Italian Clown (credited as Billi)
* Federi ...
'', directed by
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most ...
(1970)
*''
Il provinciale
''Il provinciale'' (''The Provincial'') is a 1971 Italian comedy film directed by Luciano Salce.
Cast
* Gianni Morandi: Giovanni
* Maria Grazia Buccella: Giulia
* Sergio Leonardi: Sergio
* Tery Hare: Silvana
* Franco Fabrizi: Colombo ...
'', directed by
Luciano Salce
Luciano Salce (25 September 1922 – 17 December 1989) was an Italian film director, comedian, tv host, producer, actor and lyricist. His 1962 film ''Le pillole di Ercole'' was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy at the 67th Ve ...
(1971)
*''
Basta guardarla
''Basta guardarla'' (''Just Look at Her'') is a 1970 Italian comedy film directed by Luciano Salce.
Plot
Enrichetta, a young peasant girl who lives in the village of Copparola di Sotto, Ciociaria, joins the avanspettacolo company of Silver Boy ...
'', directed by
Luciano Salce
Luciano Salce (25 September 1922 – 17 December 1989) was an Italian film director, comedian, tv host, producer, actor and lyricist. His 1962 film ''Le pillole di Ercole'' was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy at the 67th Ve ...
Pier Francesco Pingitore
Pier Francesco Pingitore (born 27 September 1934) is an Italian director, screenwriter, playwright and author.
Biography
Born in Catanzaro, Pingitore started his career as a journalist,Giorgio Dell’Arti, Massimo Parrini. ''Catalogo dei viven ...
Pier Francesco Pingitore
Pier Francesco Pingitore (born 27 September 1934) is an Italian director, screenwriter, playwright and author.
Biography
Born in Catanzaro, Pingitore started his career as a journalist,Giorgio Dell’Arti, Massimo Parrini. ''Catalogo dei viven ...
Giancarlo Santi
Giancarlo Santi (7 October 1939 – 22 February 2021) was an Italian filmmaker.
Born in Rome, Santi began his career as production assistant of Gian Vittorio Baldi, later became assistant director of Marco Ferreri (''L'ape regina'', ''La Donna s ...
Romolo Guerrieri
Romolo Guerrieri, aka ''Romolo Girolami'' (born 5 December 1931) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 17 films between 1961 and 1992.
Selected filmography
;Director
* ''Ten Thousand Dollars for a Massacre'' (1966)
* '' Joh ...
(1979)
*''
Crime in Formula One
''Crime in Formula One'' ( it, Delitto in Formula Uno) is a 1984 Italian " poliziottesco"-comedy film written and directed by Bruno Corbucci. It is the tenth chapter in the Nico Giraldi film series starred by Tomas Milian.
Plot
At the Italian G ...
'', directed by
Bruno Corbucci
Bruno Corbucci (23 October 1931 – 7 September 1996) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He was the younger brother of Sergio Corbucci, and wrote many of his films. He was born in Rome, where he also died.
The vast majority of ...
(1983)
*''
I ragazzi della 3ª C
''I ragazzi della 3ª C'' was an Italian television series.
Plot
The TV series, set in Italy in the 1980s, tells the story of a class at "Leopardi" high school in Rome, on the way to the final exams. It consists of three seasons for a total of 3 ...