Regina Bianchi (1 January 1921 – 5 April 2013) was an Italian stage and film actress.

Life and career

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Born in Lecce as Regina D'Antigny, she was the daughter of two theater actors.[1][2] Forced by the fascist phobia of foreign cultures to change her surname, she adopted the surname of her paternal grandmother.[1]

At age 16, she entered the stage company of Raffaele Viviani and, that year, debuted in the comedy play Campagna napoletana, in the leading role of Reginella.[1][2] In 1939, she starred in the drama film Il ponte di vetro; on the film set she became engaged to the director Goffredo Alessandrini, who remained her partner for over 20 years.[2]

After having announced her retirement in 1944, she came back in 1959 with the title role in Eduardo De Filippo's Filumena Marturano.[2] She won two Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress, in 1963 for Nanni Loy's The Four Days of Naples, and in 1996 for Leone Pompucci's Camerieri,[3] and she appeared as Anna, the mother of Mary, in Franco Zeffirelli's television miniseries Jesus of Nazareth in 1977.

In 1996, she was awarded Grand Officer of the Italian Republic for artistic merits. She died at 92 in her home in Rome.[4]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1939 Rosa de Sangue '
1939 The Silent Partner
1940 Bridge of Glass Anna
1940 Then We'll Get a Divorce Margaret
1942 I due Foscari Lucrezia Contarini
1961 The Last Judgment
1961 A Day for Lionhearts Moglie di Edoardo
1962 His Days Are Numbered Giulia
1962 A Milanese Story Madre di Valeria
1962 The Four Days of Naples Concetta Capuozzo Uncredited
1966 Shoot Loud, Louder... I Don't Understand Rosa Amitrano
1966 Il nero
1968 Operazione ricchezza
1969 Temptation
1977 Jesus of Nazareth Anna 1 episode
1977 Dove volano i corvi d'argento Istevene's mother
1980 Zappatore Maddalena Esposito
1981 Carcerato Donna Assunta
1981 Celebrità Rosa
1982 Giuramento Sua madre
1983 Stangata napoletana Palmira
1984 Kaos Madre di Pirandello (segment "Colloquio con la madre")
1985 L'amara scienza
1994 Law of Courage Mrs. Livatino
1994 The Teddy Bear Nonna Claudia
1995 Camerieri Salvatore Azzaro's Wife
1999 Il manoscritto di Van Hecken
1999 Not registered Tonia
2001 E adesso sesso Nonna Assunta
2002 Sotto gli occhi di tutti Tonia
2008 Ci sta un francese, un inglese e un napoletano Madre Noemi (final film role)

References

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  1. ^ a b c F. Cappa; Piero Gelli; Marco Mattarozzi (1998). Dizionario dello spettacolo del '900. Dalai editore, 1998. pp. 123–124. ISBN 8880892959.
  2. ^ a b c d Enrico Lancia; Roberto Poppi (2003). Dizionario del cinema italiano - Le Attrici. Gremese Editore, 2003. pp. 36–37. ISBN 888440214X.
  3. ^ Enrico Lancia (1998). I premi del cinema. Gremese Editore, 1998. pp. 233, 249. ISBN 88-7742-221-1.
  4. ^ "Addio a Regina Bianchi, grande interprete del teatro napoletano". La Repubblica. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.

Further reading

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  • Barbara Bulzomì, Regina Bianchi. Regina del palcoscenico, Edizioni Universitarie Romane, 2008; ISBN 9788860220615
  • Maricla Boggio, Vita di Regina. Regina Bianchi si racconta, RAI-ERI, 2012; ISBN 8839715789
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