Harriet White Medin (March 14, 1914 – May 20, 2005) was an American actress and dialogue coach who worked in Italian and American films. She appeared in ''

Death Race 2000 ''Death Race 2000'' is a 1975 American dystopian science-fiction action film directed by Paul Bartel and produced by Roger Corman for New World Pictures. Set in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, the film centers on the murderous Tr ...

'', a 1975

cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...

Early life

Born to Dr. and Mrs. Edward P. White of

Winthrop, Massachusetts Winthrop is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,316 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Winthrop is an ocean-side suburban town in Greater Boston situated at the ...

, as one of five children, Harriet graduated from Winthrop High School – where she appeared in many school plays – in 1932. She later performed in many amateur theatrical productions in the area. She graduated from

The Forsyth Institute The Forsyth Institute, located in SOMERVILLE, Massachusetts, is one of the leading centers for dental and craniofacial research in the world. It was envisioned in 1908 by James Forsyth, who left $500,000 in his will for the establishment of a den ...

where she studied dentistry, and worked for five years as a dental assistant where some of her patients included

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

and

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also known as RFK, was an American politician and lawyer. He served as the 64th United States attorney general from January 1961 to September 1964, and as a U.S. senator from New Yo ...

. Harriet moved to New York City to engage in work as an actress. During World War II she became an entertainer with the

United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

where she toured American military bases in the US and Europe as part of a production of ''

Junior Miss ''Junior Miss'' is a collection of semi-autobiographical stories by Sally Benson first published in ''The New Yorker''. Between 1939 and the end of 1941, the prolific Benson published 99 stories in ''The New Yorker'', some under her pseudonym o ...

''. Following the war, she was one of a group of American actors recruited by Rod E. Geiger to go to Italy to film '' Paisan'' under

Roberto Rossellini Roberto Gastone Zeffiro Rossellini (8 May 1906 – 3 June 1977) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such a ...

(where she also met the film's dialogue coach

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and ...

). She remained in Italy to become one of the first American actresses who made Italian films in the postwar era.

Film career

Harriet appeared in several films, acted as a dialogue coach, dubbed films into English, and worked as a coach and personal assistant to

Gina Lollobrigida Luigia "Gina" Lollobrigida (4 July 1927 – 16 January 2023) was an Italian actress, model, photojournalist, and sculptor. She was one of the highest-profile European actresses of the 1950s and 1960s, a period in which she was an international ...

. She met

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

on the set of '' Prince of Foxes'' (1949), with Welles hiring her to teach diction to the actress

Lea Padovani Lea Padovani (28 July 1920 – 23 June 1991) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 60 films between 1945 and 1990. She starred in the film '' Black Dossier'' which was entered into the 1955 Cannes Film Festival. Partial filmography * '' ...

whom Welles wished to play

Desdemona Desdemona () is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venice, Italy, Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello (char ...

in his ongoing production of ''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

'' (released in 1951). Harriet was originally to have played Emilia but the lengthy time of production led her to drop out. During this time she met and married her husband

Gastone Medin Gastone Medin (1905–1973) was a Dalmatian Italian art director.Anile p.132 He worked on more than a hundred and fifty films during his career. Selected filmography * '' Figaro and His Great Day'' (1931) * '' Lowered Sails'' (1931) * ''The Tab ...

and remained with him until they separated, but not divorced in 1964. In addition to dubbing Italian films in English, Harriet also acted as a dialogue coach, and cast such films as '' Beat the Devil'' (1954) and '' The Hills Run Red'' (1966) as well as acting as a

film extra A background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera, or ballet production who appears in a nonspeaking or nonsinging (silent) capacity, usually in the background (for example, in an audience or busy stree ...

. Harriet's last film in Italy was

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. He rec ...

's '' Reflections in a Golden Eye'' (1967); she accompanied Gina Lollobrigida to America to coach her on ''

The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell ''The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell'' is a 1968 American comedy film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller, and Jeffrey Hunter. It was the final film for Tashlin, who died in 1972. Plot Master Sergeant Dan O'Farrell is ...

'' (1968). She stayed in Hollywood with her friend director

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and his wife, where she guest-starred in several American television series and made several films. One was for John Landis ('' Schlock'') whom she knew through the Martons. She believed she obtained her role in ''

'' – with Harriet doing an impression of

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

– when

Shelley Winters Shelley Winters (born Shirley Schrift; August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was an American film actress whose career spanned seven decades. She won Academy Awards for ''The Diary of Anne Frank (1959 film), The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and ' ...

turned the film down.

Death

She died on May 20, 2005, of "natural causes", including a combination of Parkinson's disease, a mild stroke, some internal bleeding and other illnesses.

Filmography

* '' Paisan'' (1946) - Harriet - Nurse (episode IV: Firenze) * ''Genoveffa di Brabante'' (1947) - Genoveffa di Brabante * ''

Black Magic Black magic (Middle English: ''nigromancy''), sometimes dark magic, traditionally refers to the use of Magic (paranormal), magic or supernatural powers for evil and selfish purposes. The links and interaction between black magic and religi ...

'' (1949) * ''

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'' (1950) - Nurse * ''

Quo Vadis ''Quo vadis?'' (, ) is a Latin phrase meaning "Where are you going?". It is commonly translated, quoting the KJV translation of John 13:36, as "Whither goest thou?" The phrase originates from the Christian tradition regarding Saint Peter's fi ...

'' (1951) - Woman holding infant on balcony (uncredited) * '' Ha da venì... don Calogero'' (1952) * ''

La Dolce Vita ''La Dolce Vita'' (; Italian for 'the sweet life' or 'the good life'Kezich, 203) is a 1960 satirical comedy-drama film directed by Federico Fellini and written by Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, and Brunello Rondi. The film stars M ...

'' (1960) - Sylvia's Secretary (uncredited) * ''

The Horrible Dr. Hichcock ''The Horrible Dr. Hichcock'' (Italian language, Italian title: ''L'orribile segreto del Dr. Hichcock'', lit. "The horrible secret of Dr. Hichcock") is a 1962 Italy, Italian horror film, directed by Riccardo Freda and written by Ernesto Gastaldi. ...

'' (1962) - Martha, the Maid * ''

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'' (1962, released in 1964) * '' The Eye of the Needle'' (1963) - Mother of Rosaria * ''

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'' (1963) - Catherine Wood, Housekeeper * ''

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'' (1963) - Neighbor (segment "La goccia d'acqua") * ''

The Cardinal ''The Cardinal'' is a 1963 American drama film produced independently, directed by Otto Preminger and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The screenplay was written by Robert Dozier, based on the novel by the same by Henry Morton Robinson. The ...

'' (1963) - (uncredited) * ''

The Whip and the Body ''The Whip and the Body'' () is a 1963 gothic horror film directed by Mario Bava under the alias "John M. Old". The film is about Kurt Menliff (Christopher Lee) who is ostracized by his father for his relationship with a servant girl and her eve ...

'' (1963) - Giorgia * ''

Hot Enough for June ''Hot Enough for June'' is a 1964 British spy comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas, and starring Dirk Bogarde with Sylva Koscina in her English film debut, Robert Morley and Leo McKern. It is based on the 1960 novel '' The Night of Wenceslas'' ...

'' (1964) - Hotel Receptionist (uncredited) * ''

Blood and Black Lace ''Blood and Black Lace'' () is a 1964 '' giallo'' film directed by Mario Bava and starring Eva Bartok and Cameron Mitchell. The story concerns the brutal murders of a Roman fashion house's models, committed by a masked killer in a desperate ...

'' (1964) - Clarissa * ''

The Murder Clinic ''The Murder Clinic'' () is a 1966 Slasher film, slasher giallo film directed by Lionello De Felice and Elio Scardamaglia. It was produced by Elio Scardamaglia, Francesco Scardamaglia and Luciano Martino. The screenplay was written by Martino and ...

'' (1966) - Sheena * ''

Your Turn to Die In Modern English, the word "''you''" is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from ...

'' (1967) - Dr. Evans' assistant * '' Death of a Gunfighter'' (1969) * ''Squares'' (1972) - Hannah Rugh * '' Schlock'' (1973) - Mrs. Blinerman (as Enrica Blankey) * ''

'' (1975) - Thomasina Paine * '' The Captive: The Longest Drive 2'' (1976) - Mrs. McMasters * ''

The Bermuda Triangle The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a loosely defined region in the North Atlantic Ocean, roughly bounded by Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. Since the mid-20th century, it has been the focus of an urban legend sug ...

'' (1979, documentary) - Frau Meise * '' The Tenth Month'' (1979, TV movie) - Mrs. Cox the Lawyer * ''

Murder Can Hurt You! ''Murder Can Hurt You'' (stylized onscreen as ''Murder Can Hurt You!'') is a 1980 American made-for-television comedy film that parodies detective and police TV shows of the 1960s and 1970s, much as ''Murder by Death'' spoofed literary detective ...

'' (1980, TV movie) - Great Lady * ''

Blood Beach ''Blood Beach'' is a 1981 American horror film written and directed by Jeffrey Bloom and starring David Huffman, John Saxon, and Burt Young. The premise, conceived by Steven Nalevansky, involves a creature lurking beneath the sand of Santa Monic ...

'' (1981) - Ruth Hutton * ''

The Terminator ''The Terminator'' is a 1984 American science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, written by Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd and produced by Hurd. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, a cybernetic assassin sent back in t ...

'' (1984) - Customer #4 * ''

The Witches of Eastwick ''The Witches of Eastwick'' is a 1984 novel by American writer John Updike. A sequel, '' The Widows of Eastwick'', was published in 2008. Plot The story, set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Eastwick in the early 1970s, follows the witc ...

'' (1987) - Woman at Market * '' Big Bad Mama II'' (1987) - Hotel manager's wife * ''

The Killing Time The Killing Time was a period of conflict in Scottish history between the Presbyterian Covenanter movement, based largely in the southwest of the country, and the government forces of Kings Charles II of England, Charles II and James II of En ...

'' (1987) - Nell * '' Daddy's Boys'' (1988) - Marriage Licensor's Wife * ''

False Arrest False arrest, unlawful arrest or wrongful arrest is a common law tort, where a plaintiff alleges they were held in custody without probable cause, or without an order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction. Although it is possible to sue ...

'' (1991, TV movie) - Helen Phelps * '' All I Want for Christmas'' (1991) - Mrs. Graff * ''Those Secrets'' (1992, TV movie) - Vivian * '' Troublemakers'' (1994) - Elderly woman * ''

Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead ''Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead'' is a 1995 American crime film directed by Gary Fleder and written by Scott Rosenberg. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Andy García, Christopher Lloyd, Treat Williams, Steve Buscemi ...

'' (1995) - Old Woman

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Medin, Harriet White 1914 births 2005 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Massachusetts American expatriates in Italy American film actresses People from Winthrop, Massachusetts 21st-century American women