Madeleine Fischer (12 November 1935 – 8 April 2020) was a Swiss actress who was active in the

cinema of Italy The cinema of Italy (, ) comprises the films made within Italy or by List of Italian film directors, Italian directors. Since its beginning, Italian cinema has influenced film movements worldwide. Italy is one of the birthplaces of art cinema and ...

Biography

Fischer was the daughter of an industrialist and a teacher. She spent her childhood at her home in

Romanshorn Romanshorn is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Arbon (district), Arbon in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Romanshorn was probably settled in the 7th century, and is first menti ...

, in the

Canton of Thurgau Thurgau (; ; ; ), anglicized as Thurgovia, and formally as the Canton of Thurgau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts. Its capital is Frauenfeld. Thurgau is part of Eastern Switzerland. I ...

. After her parents divorced in the early 1950s, Fischer went with her mother to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. Fischer first appeared in front of a camera in 1953, when she was 18 years old. Her first major role was Rosetta Savoni in

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 film ''

Le Amiche ''Le amiche'' (, lit. "The girlfriends") is a 1955 Italian drama film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and starring Eleonora Rossi Drago, Gabriele Ferzetti, Franco Fabrizi, and Valentina Cortese. Based on Cesare Pavese's 1949 novella ''Tra ...

''. She played numerous other roles in Italian cinema, but she was never heavily interested in acting. In 1958, she quit acting and married a local nobleman. She worked as a photographer and a businesswoman. In the 1960s, she opened fashion stores such as Piper Market and Piperino. She began to expand her commercial activities and traveled to

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

with her husband. Fischer retired from fashion in the 1970s and settled in

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

. She became involved in several artistic fields, such as the restoration of old objects. In the 2000s, she wrote several manuscripts, which remained unpublished. In 2004, Fischer directed ''Uròboro'', a post-modern version of ''

Little Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" () is a fairy tale by Charles Perrault about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th-century European Fable, folk tales. It was later retold in the 19th-century by the Broth ...

'' in the form of a comic opera. Madeleine Fischer died on 8 April 2020 in

Gubbio Gubbio () is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia (Umbria). It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennine Mountains, Apennines. History Prehistory The ol ...

at the age of 84.

Filmography

Actress

*''

We, the Women ''We, the Women'' (also known as ''Of Life and Love'' and in ) is a 1953 Italian portmanteau film divided into five segments and directed by five different directors. Four of these segments focus upon alleged events in the private lives of the fi ...

'' (1953) as Madeleine (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") *''

'' (1955) as Rosetta Savoni *''

I pappagalli ''I pappagalli'' (''The Parrots'') is a 1955 Italian comedy film directed by Bruno Paolinelli. Cast * Aldo Fabrizi: Antonio * Alberto Sordi: Alberto Tanzi * Maria Fiore: Caterina *Maria Pia Casilio Maria Pia Casilio (5 May 1935 – 1 ...

'' (1955) as Liliana *'' The Bachelor'' (1955) as Carla Alberini *''La gran mentira'' (1956) as Teresa Campos *''

Classe di ferro ''Classe di ferro (Class of Iron)'' is an Italian action/adventure television series that aired from October 6, 1989, to December 26, 1991. The series focused on a diverse group of young adults who enroll in Italy's military service. See also ...

'' (1957) as Isabella Martelli *'' Lazzarella'' (1957) as Brigitte *''

The Day the Sky Exploded ''The Day the Sky Exploded'' (), released in the United Kingdom as ''Death Comes From Outer Space'', is a 1958 French/Italian international co-production science fiction film. It is known as the first Italian science fiction film, predating even ...

'' (1958) as Katy Dandridge *''Te doy mi vida'' (1958) *''L'ultima canzone'' (1960) as Rosaria (final film role)

Director

*''Uròboro''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Madeleine 1935 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Swiss actresses Swiss actresses