Maria Cumani Quasimodo (20 May 1908 - 22 November 1995) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

actress and dancer. Born Maria Cumani in

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 ...

, she studied

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

under

Jia Ruskaja Jia Ruskaja (born Evgeniya Fyodorovna Borisenko, Russian: Евгения Фёдоровна Борисенко; 6 January 1902 – 19 April 1970) was a Russian dancer and choreographer who established the National Dance Academy of Italy. Her sta ...

. In 1936, she became the companion of the poet

Salvatore Quasimodo Salvatore Quasimodo (; 20 August 1901 – 14 June 1968) was an Italian poet and translator, awarded the 1959 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his lyrical poetry, which with classical fire expresses the tragic experience of life in our own times" ...

, with whom she had a son, Alessandro. In 1937, she made her professional debut as a

dancer Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, and shortly later she specialized in "poetic dance", a personal style in which dance was combined with poetic verses. She was married to Quasimodo from 1948 to 1960. In the meanwhile, Cumani Quasimodo started a double career as a choreographer and a stage and film

character actress A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014 ...

. Shortly before her death, she released an autobiography, ''L'arte del silenzio'', which particularly focuses on her years alongside Salvatore Quasimodo.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1908 births 1995 deaths Actresses from Milan Italian film actresses 20th-century Italian actresses Italian stage actresses Italian ballerinas Dancers from Milan {{Italy-film-actor-stub