Lara Wendel (born Daniela Rachele Barnes; 29 March 1965) is a German-Italian retired actress, active in film and television between 1972 and 1993. Her father was American football player and actor

Walt Barnes Walter Lee Barnes (January 26, 1918 – January 6, 1998), nicknamed Piggy, was an American professional football guard and actor who played in National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played in college at Louisiana State University, ...

Life and career

Wendel is the daughter of German actress Britta Wendel and of the American football player and film actor

. She made her debut at just four years old as a model for ads, and at the age of seven, she made her film debut in Tonino Valerii's

giallo In Italian cinema, (; : ; from , ) is a genre that often contains Slasher film, slasher, thriller (genre), thriller, psychological horror, psychological thriller, Sexploitation film, sexploitation, and, less frequently, supernatural, supernat ...

film '' My Dear Killer'' (1972). She also appeared as

Mario Adorf Mario Adorf (; born 8 September 1930) is a German actor, considered to be one of the great veteran character actors of European cinema. Since 1954, he has played both leading and supporting roles in over 200 film and television productions, am ...

's daughter Rita in '' Manhunt'' (1972), directed by Fernando Di Leo, and as the young Silvia in ''

The Perfume of the Lady in Black ''The Perfume of the Lady in Black'' () is a 1974 ''giallo'' film directed by Francesco Barilli. The film has no relation to the The Perfume of the Lady in Black (novel), novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux. Plot Silvia Hacherman is a succ ...

'' (1974), directed by

Francesco Barilli Francesco Barilli (born 4 February 1943) is an Italian actor, film director, screenwriter and painter. He is known to cult horror film fans for his ''Man From Deep River'' (1972), ''The Perfume of the Lady in Black'' (1974) and ''Pensione Paura' ...

. Wendel had her first main role at 12 years old in the controversial erotic drama '' Maladolescenza'' (1977), which involved both nudity and simulated sex among preadolescents. Later she appeared in other controversial films, characterized by plots involving incest and improper relations between adults and adolescents, such as '' Little Girl in Blue Velvet'', '' Mimi'' (1979), and ' (1980). In the 1980s Wendel was mainly active in horror films, working with

Dario Argento Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. His influential work in the horror film, horror and giallo genres during the 1970s and 1980s has led him to being referred to as the "Master of the ...

(''

Tenebrae Tenebrae (—Latin for 'darkness') is a religious service of Western Christianity held during the three days preceding Easter Day, and characterized by a gradual extinguishing of candles, and the ''strepitus'' or "loud noise" in the total darkn ...

'', 1982),

Lamberto Bava Lamberto Bava (born 3 April 1944) is an Italian film director. Born in Rome, Italy, Rome, Bava began working as an assistant director for his director father Mario Bava. Lamberto co-directed the 1979 television film ''La Venere d'Ille'' with his f ...

('' Midnight Killer'', 1986),

Joe D'Amato Aristide Massaccesi (15 December 1936 – 23 January 1999), known professionally as Joe D'Amato, was an Italian film director, producer, cinematographer, and screenwriter who worked in many genres (western (genre), westerns, ''Commedia sexy all' ...

('' Killing Birds'', 1988), and

Umberto Lenzi Umberto Lenzi (6 August 1931 – 19 October 2017) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and novelist. A fan of film since young age, Lenzi studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and made his first film in 1958 which went unre ...

('' Ghosthouse'', 1988) among others. She was also in a number of

art film An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...

s, including

Michelangelo Antonioni Michelangelo Antonioni ( ; ; 29 September 1912 – 30 July 2007) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor. He is best known for his "trilogy on modernity and its discontents", ''L'Avventura'' (1960), ''La Notte'' (1961), and '' ...

's '' Identification of a Woman'' (1982) and

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 ...

's '' Intervista'' (1987). She also appeared on television, notably playing a starring role in the second season of the TV-series '' La piovra''. Her last film was

Mauro Bolognini Mauro Bolognini (28 June 1922 – 14 May 2001) was an Italian film and stage director. Early years Bolognini was born in Pistoia, in the Tuscany region of Italy. After earning a master's degree in architecture at the University of Florence, Bol ...

's erotic drama '' Husband and Lovers'' (1991), and she retired at just 26 years old.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wendel, Lara Actresses from Munich German film actresses German television actresses German child actresses Italian film actresses Italian television actresses Italian child actresses 1965 births 20th-century German actresses 20th-century Italian actresses Living people German emigrants to Italy German people of American descent Italian people of American descent Italian people of German descent