Lelia Vita Goldoni (nee Rizzuto; October 1, 1936 – July 22, 2023) was an American actress. She was best known for co-starring in

John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self- ...

's groundbreaking

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...

Shadows A shadow is a dark area on a surface where light from a light source is blocked by an object. In contrast, shade occupies the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross-section of a shadow is a two-dimensiona ...

'' (1959). She received two

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...

nominations throughout her career, the first for Shadows and the second for her performance in

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...

's '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' (1974).

Early life

Goldoni was born Lelia Vita Rizzuto in New York City and raised in Los Angeles, California. Her father was an Italian actor and she was a second cousin to baseball player Phil Rizzuto. She attended

Los Angeles City College Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campus of the U ...

and was one of the Lester Horton Dancers in the 1950s.

Career

Goldoni began her screen career as a child in the late 1940s with uncredited cameos in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's '' House of Strangers'' (1949) and

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 '' We Were Strangers'' (1949). A decade later, after moving back to New York and meeting

in an acting workshop, Goldoni attracted considerable attention and critical acclaim for her performance in his groundbreaking film ''

'' (1959). The film launched Goldoni's acting career, and earned her a

nomination for Most Promising Newcomer. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote that she "brings a freshness and a touching sort of natural gaucherie to the role of the girl." Goldoni later co-starred in the episodes "Fair Exchange" and "Two Birds with One Bullet" of the British television series ''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again ...

'' (1964) with Patrick MacGoohan. She next starred as Denise James in the 1965 horror film ''

Hysteria Hysteria is a term used to mean ungovernable emotional excess and can refer to a temporary state of mind or emotion. In the nineteenth century, female hysteria was considered a diagnosable physical illness in women. It is assumed that the bas ...

''. In 1969, Goldoni appeared in ''

The Italian Job ''The Italian Job'' is a 1969 British comedy Caper story, caper film written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley, directed by Peter Collinson (film director), Peter Collinson, and starring Michael Caine. The film's plot centres ...

'' and, in 1972, in an episode of the British sitcom “Doctor at Large”. Goldoni attracted further acclaim and a second BAFTA Award nomination for portraying the best friend of

Ellen Burstyn Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly; December 7, 1932) is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complex women in dramas, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and two Primetime Emmy A ...

's character in

's feature film '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' (1974). In 1975, she appeared in the historical drama film '' The Day of the Locust''. In 1978, she appeared in the horror film '' Invasion of the Body Snatchers'' and the coming-of-age film '' Bloodbrothers.'' In 2010, she appeared in the drama film '' Chain Link.'' Two years later, her final performance was in the horror film ''The Devil Inside.'' In addition to performing, Goldoni also taught acting throughout her life at various institutions, including the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute,

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, and

Hampshire College Hampshire College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges ...

Personal life

Goldoni was married twice, first to her ''Shadows'' co-star Ben Carruthers and then to writer Robert Rudelson. With Rudelson, she had a child named Aaron. Goldoni is a second cousin of

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

player Phil Rizzuto. Goldoni died at the Actors Fund Home in

Englewood, New Jersey Englewood is a city in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Englewood was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of Engle ...

, on July 22, 2023, at the age of 86.

Partial filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Goldoni, Lelia 1936 births 2023 deaths Actresses from New York City American film actresses American television actresses American people of Italian descent Los Angeles City College alumni 21st-century American women