Rossana Rory (7 August 1927 – 1 April 2020) was an Italian actress best known for her performance as Norma in

Mario Monicelli Mario Alberto Ettore Monicelli (; 16 May 1915 – 29 November 2010) was an Italian film director and screenwriter, one of the masters of the ''commedia all'italiana'' ("Italian-style comedy"). He was nominated six times for an Academy Awards, Os ...

's caper film '' Big Deal on Madonna Street'' (1958).

Career

Rory began working as a model at the age of seventeen, posing mainly for the stylist Vincenzo Ferdinandi and in fotoromanzi in the weekly magazines ''Sogno'', ''Luna Park'', and ''Cine Illustrato''. In 1951, she made her film debut in

Max Neufeld Max Neufeld (13 February 1887 – 2 December 1967) was an Austrian film director, actor and screenwriter. He directed 70 films between 1919 and 1957. He directed the 1934 film ''The Song of the Sun'', which starred Vittorio De Sica. Selecte ...

's '' Licenza premio''. Dissatisfied by a series of supporting roles, Rory went to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to attend acting courses at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...

, with hopes of a career in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

. Her lack of luck in American films convinced her to return to Italy, where she appeared in

Guido Malatesta Guido Malatesta (1919 – 14 June 1970), born in Gallarate, Italy, was a film director and screenwriter. He began working as a professional journalist. After he moved to Rome, he was drawn to cinema, as creator of treatments, then scriptwriter ...

's '' El Alamein'' (1957) and

's '' Big Deal on Madonna Street'' (1958). The last film she made before her retirement from cinema was

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 ''

L'eclisse ''L'Eclisse'' () is a 1962 romantic drama film co-written and directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and starring Alain Delon and Monica Vitti, with Francisco Rabal, Lilla Brignone, and Louis Seigner. Filmed on location in Rome and Verona, the story ...

'' (1962). Rory died in

Ciampino Ciampino () is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, Italy. It was a ''frazione'' of Marino, Italy, Marino until 1974, when it became a ''comune''; it obtained the city () status (being therefore officially known as Cit ...

on 1 April 2020, at the age of 92.

Partial filmography

* '' The Ungrateful Heart'' (1951) * '' It Takes Two to Sin in Love'' (1954) * '' The River Changes'' (1956) * '' The Big Boodle'' (1957) * '' Hell Canyon Outlaws'' (1957) * '' Captain Falcon'' (1958) * '' Big Deal on Madonna Street'' (1958) * '' Robin Hood and the Pirates'' (1960) * '' Come September'' (1961)

References

External links

* 1927 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Italian actresses Actresses from Rome {{Italy-film-actor-stub