Stefano Amato
Actor · 1974
1
Biography
Laura Antonelli (née Antonaz; 28 November 1941 – 22 June 2015) was an Italian film actress, who appeared in 45 films between 1964 and 1991, and she is best known for the movie Malizia.
Antonelli was born Laura Antonaz in Pola, Kingdom of Italy (in Croatian, Pula), former capital of Istria. After the war, her parents fled what was then Yugoslavia, lived in Italian refugee camps and eventually settled in Naples, where her father found work as a hospital administrator. Antonelli had a childhood interest in mathematics, but as a teenager, she became proficient at gymnastics. In an interview for The New York Times, she recalled, "My parents had made me take hours of gym classes during my teens ... They felt I was ugly, clumsy, insignificant and they hoped I would at least develop some grace. I became very good, especially in rhythmical gym, which is a kind of dance."
Setting aside ambitions to make a career in mathematics, she graduated as a gymnastics instructor. She moved to Rome, where she became a secondary-school gym teacher and was able to meet people in the entertainment industry, who helped her find modelling jobs.
Antonelli's earliest engagements included Italian advertisements for Coca-Cola. In 1965, she made her first feature-film appearance in Le sedicenni, although her performance went uncredited. Her American debut came in 1966 in Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs. Other roles followed; her breakthrough came in 1973's Malizia. She appeared in a number of sex farces such as Till Marriage Do Us Part/Mio Dio come sono caduta in basso!.
Filmography
1No films in this section.
Interesting facts
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As a commercial model, she participated in the television show "Carosello", which led Laura Antonelli into the world of cinema and television.
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In 1991, during the filming of "Ossessione", the producers, in order to refresh the actress's face, insisted on a course of collagen injections, which effectively disfigured her face. This episode was followed by a 13-year lawsuit; ultimately, the Tribunal of Rome rejected Antonelli's claim for compensation for the damage caused. The actress could not withstand the nervous strain and was admitted to a psychiatric clinic. The trial was reopened in 2003 and awarded her 10 thousand euros, and only in 2006 did the Italian Court of Appeal recognize Antonelli's case and order that she be paid 108 thousand euros in compensation.
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Real name – Laura Antonaz.
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On April 27, 1991, at Laura Antonelli's villa, the Carabinieri found 36 grams of cocaine. The actress was accused of drug distribution, arrested, and then placed under house arrest. The court of first instance sentenced her to 3.5 years in prison. Only 9 years later did the appellate court acquit her, partly thanks to a change in Italy's law regulating matters related to drug use.