Virna Lisi

Vocation

Notable

Family

Italian actress, a voluptuous leading lady in many spectacular films. After starring in local films she became internationally known for "The Black Tulip," 1963, "Casanova," 1965, "Arabella," 1968 and "The Serpent" in 1972. She won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival in 1994 for "Queen Margot." In European films from age 16, to be seen as sensational, all the ash-blonde beauty had to do was to display her physical attributes. Lisi's appearances in "Duel of the Titans," 1961 and "Casanova 70," 1965, were the ones best known to American audiences. She made her U.S. film debut in George Axelrod's satirical "How to Murder Your Wife," 1966, delivering a well-timed comic performance in English. Lisi was then co-starred with Frank Sinatra in "Assault on A Queen," 1966, and with Tony Curtis in "Not With My Wife, You Don't," 1967. Though she never publicly expressed any displeasure with her sexy roles, Lisi returned to Europe in hopes of securing three-dimensional character parts. More recently, Lisi has been cast as cold-blooded villains and predatory "cradle robbers," undoubtedly relishing every opportunity to be more than just a pretty face. In 1994, for playing the role of Catherine di Medici in "Queen Margot," she won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival. One critic claimed she is "the ambitious woman par excellence..." Lisi is married to Franco Pesci. They have one child. Link to Wikipedia biography