Clelia Matania (28 March 1918 – 14 October 1981) was an Italian film and voice actress.

Life and career

Born in London, the daughter of the

Capri Capri ( , ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. A popular resort destination since the time of the Roman Republic, its natural beauty ...

-born naturalized Briton painter Fortunino Matania (best known as Saturnino), Matania attended the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...

and also followed courses of ballet, singing and music. When the family returned to Italy, she entered the company of the Arts Theater directed by Anton Giulio Bragaglia. In the second half of the thirties and during the war she was one of the most popular and requested young actresses of prose in Italy, then, from 1942, she also starred with some success in several revues. Her stage activity include works with

Totò Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi De Curtis di Bisanzio (15 February 1898 – 15 April 1967), best known by his stage name Totò (), or simply as Antonio de Curtis, and nicknamed ''il principe della risat ...

Eduardo De Filippo Eduardo De Filippo OMRI (; 26 May 1900 – 31 October 1984), also known simply as ''Eduardo'', was an Italian actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright, best known for his Neapolitan language, Neapolitan works ''Filumena Marturano'' and ...

and the musical comedy ''Enrico '61'' that she also represented in England, first in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

and then in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, also participating in a Royal Performance in the presence of the Royal Family. Her film career mainly consists of supporting roles as a character actress; due to her perfect knowledge of English, Matania was also often required for the international productions set in Italy. She was also a very active voice actress. Matania was married to painter Guido Odierna.

Selected filmography

*'' Melody of My Heart'' (1936) *'' Night Ride'' (1937) - Lucia Spinelli *'' Departure'' (1938) - Lolò - la dattilografa *''Inventiamo l'amore'' (1938) - Elsa * '' The Sons of the Marquis Lucera'' (1939) - Soave *'' Naples Will Never Die'' (1939) - Rosinella * '' Father For a Night'' (1939) - Luisa *''Follie del secolo'' (1939) - Margot, la cameriera *'' The Silent Partner'' (1939) *''La compagnia della teppa'' (1941) - Carolina Agudio *'' First Love'' (1941) - Silvia Redi *''La fuggitiva'' (1941) - Lia Coppi *''

Honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds after their wedding to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase in a couple ...

'' (1941) - Anna *''Se io fossi onesto'' (1942) - Paola Englesh, loro figlia *'' A che servono questi quattrini?'' (1942) - Rachelina *''Perdizione'' (1942) *'' After Casanova's Fashion'' (1942) - Maria Grazia *''Notte di fiamme'' (1942) *''Sempre più difficile'' (1943) - Cristina Turrisi *''L'ippocampo'' (1945) - Francesca *'' Romulus and the Sabines'' (1945) - Rosina *''Il marito povero'' (1946) - Giulia * '' Farewell, My Beautiful Naples'' (1946) - Yvonne de Fleurette *''L'isola del sogno'' (1947) - Carla, la soubrette *''Giudicatemi!'' (1948) * '' Eleven Men and a Ball'' (1948) - Clelia *'' Alarm Bells'' (1949) - Bianca *'' Angelo tra la folla'' (1950) * ''

The Transporter ''The'' is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the ...

'' (1950) - Dolores Garcia *'' Strano appuntamento'' (1950) *'' Love and Blood'' (1951) - Gabriella *'' Shadows Over Naples'' (1951) - Gabriela *'' Seven Hours of Trouble'' (1951) - Angelina - moglie di Totò *'' Quo Vadis'' (1951) - Parmenida (uncredited) *'' Stasera sciopero'' (1951) - Marta *'' Never Take No for an Answer'' (1951) - Mrs. Strotti * '' One Hundred Little Mothers'' (1952) - La direttrice Sampieri *''

Toto and the Women ''Toto and the Women'' () is a 1952 Italy, Italian film directed by Mario Monicelli and Stefano Vanzina, Steno. Plot The cloth retailer Philip (Totò) is no longer able to stand his possessive and tyrannical wife (Ave Ninchi) who claims a higher ...

'' (1952) - La cameriera *'' I morti non pagano tasse'' (1952) - La signora Vecchietti *''

Terminal Station A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing such ...

'' (1953) - Mother of annoying children (uncredited) *'' Man, Beast and Virtue'' (1953) - Grazia *'' Easy Years'' (1953) - Rosina De Francesco *'' Cavallina storna'' (1953) * '' The Beach'' (1954) - Albertocchi's Wife *'' Guai ai vinti'' (1954) -Teresa *'' Neapolitan Carousel'' (1955) *''

Les Hussards ''Les Hussards'' (), is a French Comedy film, comedy film from 1955, directed by Alex Joffé, written by Gabriel Arout, starring Bernard Blier, Giovanna Ralli, Bourvil, and with Georges Wilson, Virna Lisi, Louis de Funès playing supporting roles ...

'' (1955) - Mme Luppi *''

I pinguini ci guardano ''I pinguini ci guardano'' (i.e. "Penguins look at us") is a 1956 Italian comedy film written and directed by and starring Renato Rascel and Carlo Croccolo. Plot The daily life in a zoo seen through the eyes of their residents, with the anim ...

'' (1956) - (voice) *'' I giorni più belli'' (1956) - La signora Valentini *''

War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the work comprises both a fictional narrative and chapters in which Tolstoy discusses history and philosophy. An ...

'' (1956) - Mademoiselle Geoges (uncredited) *'' Difendo il mio amore'' (1956) - Emma *'' Wives and Obscurities'' (1956) - Signora Zanarini *'' Roland the Mighty'' (1956) - La nutrice *'' The Monte Carlo Story'' (1956) - Sophia *''Mamma sconosciuta'' (1956) - Giuliana *''Cantando sotto le stelle'' (1956) - Fernando Pezzetti *''

Seven Hills of Rome The seven hills of Rome (, ) east of the river Tiber form the geographical heart of Rome, within the walls of the city. Hills The seven hills are: * Aventine Hill (Latin: ''Collis Aventinus''; Italian: ''Aventino'') * Caelian Hill (''Coll ...

'' (1957) - Beatrice *''

A Farewell to Arms ''A Farewell to Arms'' is a novel by American writer Ernest Hemingway, set during the Italian campaign of World War I. First published in 1929, it is a first-person account of an American, Frederic Henry, serving as a lieutenant () in the a ...

'' (1957) - Hairdresser (uncredited) *''Napoli, sole mio!'' (1958) - Margherita *'' Anna of Brooklyn'' (1958) - Camillina *''La Fortuna Con L'effe Maiuscola'' (1959) *''Il Medico Dei Pazzi'' (1959) *''Rapina al quartiere Ovest'' (1960) *'' La garçonnière'' (1960) - Angelina *'' The Wastrel'' (1961) - Betsy *'' Five Golden Hours'' (1961) - Rosalia *'' Il carabiniere a cavallo'' (1961) - La madre di Letizia *'' Queen of the Nile'' (1961) - Penaba *'' Pecado de amor'' (1961) - Sirvienta de Magda *'' Escapade in Florence'' (1962, TV Series) - Aunt Gisella *'' The Battle of the Villa Fiorita'' (1965) - Celestina *'' Perdono'' (1966) - Adelina *'' Nessuno mi può giudicare'' (1966) - Adelina *'' Chimera'' (1968) - Lina - the maid *'' The Tough and the Mighty'' (1969) - Graziano's Mother *''

The Secret of Santa Vittoria ''The Secret of Santa Vittoria'' is a 1969 American war film distributed by United Artists. It was produced and directed by Stanley Kramer and co-produced by George Glass from a screenplay by Ben Maddow and William Rose. It was based on the ...

'' (1969) *'' Just Before Nightfall'' (1971) - Mme Masson *'' Bequest to the Nation'' (1973) - Francesca *'' Don't Look Now'' (1973) - Wendy *'' I'll Take Her Like a Father'' (1974) - Elisa *'' Vergine e di nome Maria'' (1975) - Anna, madre di Maria *'' Wanted: Babysitter'' (1975) - Old neighbour *'' L'Italia s'è rotta'' (1976) - La madre di Peppe *''Bim Bum Bam'' (1981)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matania, Clelia 1918 births 1981 deaths Italian film actresses Italian stage actresses British film actresses British stage actresses British emigrants to Italy 20th-century Italian actresses Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Actresses from London People of Campanian descent 20th-century English actresses