Laura Solari ( Camaur; 5 January 1913 – 13 September 1984) was an Italian film actress.
Early and personal life
Laura Camaur was born on 5 January 1913, in
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
, then part of Austria-Hungary. She was the daughter of sculptor and artist Antonio Camaur (1875-1919) and his wife, Maria Taucer. In addition to being prominent in Triestine art and intellectual circles, Antonio Camaur was a prominent
Irredentist
Irredentism () is one state's desire to annex the territory of another state. This desire can be motivated by ethnic reasons because the population of the territory is ethnically similar to or the same as the population of the parent state. Hist ...
and advocated annexation of Trieste by Italy.
In late 1915, Camaur went into exile because of his pro-Italian sympathies, and Laura lived in Northern Italy until her family's return to Trieste in 1919.
After
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Laura Camaur came under the tutelage of the Taucer family who sent her to be educated in Vienna. In 1930, she married an older
Hungarian army officer, Oscar Szemere, but the couple separated after his business failed. They were divorced in Reno, Nevada, in 1940. Camaur later married Arthur Roper Caldbeck, a colonel in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
.
Film career
Camaur was spotted by a talent scout, who was taken by her beauty, at a function at the
La Scala
La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...
theater in Milan. She was recruited as a motion picture actress by the fledgling Italian film industry and acquired the stage name "Laura Solari". Beginning with ''Regina della Scala'' in 1936, she appeared in 30 films between 1936 and 1969. Solari participated in the legitimate stage in Trieste's Nuovo Teatro. She also appeared on television in programs such as the 1955 drama television series ''
Police Call''.
Solari retired in 1969 and moved to Switzerland. She died in
Bellinzona
Bellinzona ( , ; ; is a municipality, a List of towns in Switzerland, historic Swiss town, and the capital of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The town is famous for its Three Castles of Bellinzona, three castles (Castelgrande, Montebello, Sa ...
,
Ticino
Ticino ( ), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino, is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eight districts ...
,
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
on 13 September 1984, survived by three sons.
Partial filmography
* ''
Queen of the Scala'' (1937)
* ''Il destino in tasca'' (1938)
* ''
The Cuckoo Clock'' (1938) - Elvira
* ''La sposa dei re'' (1938) - Giulia Clary
* ''
No Man's Land'' (1939) - Grazia
* ''
A Wife in Danger'' (1939) - Michelina, la camiera
* ''Bionda sotto chiave'' (1939) - Aurora, la telefonista
* ''
We Were Seven Widows'' (1939) - Anna Calcini
* ''Una lampada alla finestra'' (1940) - Vianella
* ''Validità giorni dieci'' (1940) - Clara Naldieri
* ''
Don Pasquale
''Don Pasquale'' () is a Gaetano Donizetti opera buffa, or comic opera, in three acts, with an Italian libretto completed largely by Giovanni Ruffini as well as the composer. It was based on a libretto by Angelo Anelli for Stefano Pavesi's oper ...
'' (1940) - Norina
* ''L'orizzonte dipinto'' (1941) - La moglie dell'attore moderno
* ''Ridi pagliaccio'' (1941) - Anna Alessandri
* ''
Everything for Gloria'' (1941) - Regine Möbius
* ''
The Thing About Styx'' (1942) - Julia Sander
* ''
The Red Terror'' (1942) - Olga Feodorowna
* ''
Luisa Sanfelice'' (1942) - Luisa Sanfelice
* ''
A Living Statue'' (1943) - Luisa / Rita
* ''La maschera e il volto'' (1943) - Savina
* ''Il matrimonio segreto'' (1943)
* ''Il vento m'ha cantato una canzone'' (1947) - Laura
* ''
Without a Flag'' (1951)
* ''
The World Condemns Them'' (1953) - Signora Balestra
* ''
Roman Holiday'' (1953) - Hennessy's Secretary
* ''Vacanze alla baia d'argento'' (1961) - Lia Moriconi
* ''
The Return of Doctor Mabuse'' (1961) - Mrs. Pizarro
* ''
Romulus and Remus
In Roman mythology, Romulus and (, ) are twins in mythology, twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the Founding of Rome, founding of the History of Rome, city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus, following his frat ...
'' (1961) - Rea Silvia
* ''
The Corsican Brothers'' (1961) - Luisa Dupont
* ''
Bandits in Milan'' (1968) - Tuccio's Mother
* ''Revenge'' (1969) - Mrs. Killenberg (final film role)
References
External links
*
Photographs and literature
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solari, Laura
1913 births
1984 deaths
Italian film actresses
Actresses from Trieste
People from Bellinzona
Italian expatriates in Switzerland
20th-century Italian actresses