Anna Maria Pierangeli(19 June 1932 – 10 September 1971[1]), known internationally by the stage namePier Angeli,was an Italian actress, model and singer. She won theNastro d'Argento for Best Actressfor her debut role in the 1950 filmTomorrow Is Too Late,and subsequently won aGolden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actressfor her performance in the American filmTeresa(1951).
Pier Angeli | |
|---|---|
 Pier Angeli featured in the American fan magazineModern Screen,1957 | |
| Born | Anna Maria Pierangeli 19 June 1932 |
| Died | 10 September 1971(aged 39) |
| Resting place | Cimetière des Bulvis,Rueil-Malmaison,France |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1950–1971 |
| Spouses | |
| Partner(s) | Kirk Douglas(early-1950s) James Dean(c. 1954) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Marisa Pavan(sister) |
In the United States, Angeli was typecast in "European ingénue" roles, and notably played romantic leading ladies inThe Light Touch(1951),The Devil Makes Three(1952),The Story of Three Loves(1953),The Silver Chalice(1954), andSomebody Up There Likes Me(1956). She was nominated for aBAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actressfor her role oppositeRichard Attenboroughin the British filmThe Angry Silence(1960).
Off-screen, Angeli was known for her high-profile romantic affairs with actorsKirk DouglasandJames Dean,and later her tumultuous marriage to singerVic Damone.She died at the age of 39 of abarbiturate overdose.
Her twin sister,Marisa Pavan,was also an actress.
Early life
editAnna Maria Pierangeli was born to Enrichetta (née Romiti) and Luigi Pierangeli inCagliari,Sardinia in 1932.[1]She had a fraternal twin sister, actressMarisa Pavan.
Angeli spentWorld War IIin Rome; she was ten when the NazisoccupiedRome, experiencing both food shortages and bomb shelters. She was deeply affected by her experiences during the war, recalling later: "What was in the world, I didn't want to know."[1]
Career
editAngeli made her film debut at the age of 16 withVittorio De Sica'sItalianfilm,Domani è troppo tardi(1950) after being spotted by directorLéonide Moguyand De Sica while studying arts inRome.Her work was so impressive that she won theNastro d'Argento for Best Actress,and caught the eye of MGM producers, who offered her a contract with the studio.[1]
MGMlaunched her inTeresa(1951), her first American film, which also saw the film debuts ofRod SteigerandJohn Ericson.Reviews for this performance compared her toGreta Garbo,and she won theNew Star of the Year–Actress Golden Globe.Under contract toMGMthroughout the 1950s, she appeared in a series of films, includingThe Light TouchwithStewart GrangerandThe Devil Makes ThreewithGene Kelly.Plans for a film ofRomeo and Julietwith her andMarlon Brandofell through when aBritish-Italian productionwas announced.
While filmingThe Story of Three Loves(1953), Angeli began a relationship with costarKirk Douglas.She next appeared inSombrero,in which she replaced an indisposedAva Gardner,thenFlame and the Flesh(1954). After discoveringLeslie Caron,another European ingénue, MGM lent Angeli to other studios. She went toWarner Bros.for bothThe Silver Chalice(1954), which marked the debut ofPaul Newman,and the French-language musicalOh No, Mam'zelle(Mam'zelle Nitouche),also 1954), co-starring alongsideFernandel.ForParamount,she was in contention for the role ofAnna Magnani's daughter inThe Rose Tattoo(1955), but the role went to Marisa Pavan, her twin sister. MGM lent her toColumbiaforPort Afrique(1956), where she got to showcase her real singing voice. She returned to MGM forSomebody Up There Likes Me(1956) asPaul Newman's long-suffering wife (Angeli's former lover,James Dean,was to play the starring role, which went to Newman after Dean's death). Newman would later say of her: "The most beautiful Italian actress of the century. She was an extremely complex and gifted woman. It was so unfortunate that the roles she was asked to play rarely demanded what I know she had to offer."[1]She then appeared inThe Vintage(1957) and finished her MGM contract inMerry Andrew(1958) starring alongsideDanny Kaye.She was in consideration to play the character of Rima in,Green Mansions(1959), a character she had long wanted to play. Instead she played the part for the July 1954 issue ofLife Magazine,shot byAllan Grant.[1][2]In 1959, she released an album calledItalia con Pier Angeliin which she sings in English and Italian. One reviewer called her singing voice "warm and surprisingly rich."[3]She also continued to be hired for modelling jobs well into the 1960s.
During the 1960s and until 1970, Angeli lived and worked in Britain and Europe, and was often screen-credited under her birth name, Anna Maria Pierangeli. She starred in French, Italian and English-language movies throughout the 1960s. Her performance inThe Angry Silence(1960), starring alongside her friendRichard Attenborough,was nominated for aBest Foreign Actress BAFTA,and she was reunited with Stewart Granger forSodom and Gomorrah(1963), in which she playedLot's wife.She had a brief role in the war epicBattle of the Bulge(1965). Angeli worked in Israel, and was top-billed, forEvery Bastard a King(1968), about events during the Arab-IsraeliSix-Day Warthe previous year. She was under serious consideration for a part inThe Godfather(1972), but died before shooting began.[1]
Personal life
editAngeli was fluent in Italian and English, and near fluent in French. She was good friends withDebbie Reynolds,Louis Jourdan,andRichard Attenborough.[1]Because she travelled so much, she encountered many artists throughout her life. For example, In 1960, Angeli metSerge Gainsbourgin a nightclub. On a piece of paper she scribbled in French: "J’adore 'L’eau à la bouche', ça me donne l’eau à la bouche," and slipped it into one of Gainsbourg's pockets. He treasured this relic, and her gesture had the effect of motivating him to persevere in romantic songwriting.[4][5]
According toKirk Douglas' autobiographyThe Ragman's Son,he and Angeli were engaged in the 1950s after meeting on the set of the filmThe Story of Three Loves(1953).[6]
Affair with James Dean
editAngeli also had a passionate romantic relationship withJames Dean.They met while she was shootingThe Silver Chalice(1954)[7]and he was shootingEast of Eden(1955), on an adjoining Warner lot.
Elia Kazan,the director ofEast of Eden(1955), remembered hearing Dean and Angeli loudly having sex in Dean's dressing room.[8][1]
Much against her will, she was forced to break it off, mainly because her mother was not happy with their relationship because Dean was not Catholic.[1][9]Angeli would reluctantly marry singer Vic Damone in November 1954. There were rumors that she and Dean secretly still saw each other up until his death;Joe Hyams,in his 1992 biography of Dean,James Dean: Little Boy Lost,claims that he visited Dean just as Angeli, then married to Damone, was leaving his home. An Order for the Solemnization of Marriage pamphlet with the name "Pier" lightly penciled in every place the bride's name is left blank was found amongst Dean's personal effects after his death.[10]She would later say that he was the love of her life: "He is the only man I ever loved deeply as a woman should love a man."[9]Friends of Angeli have said she never fully recovered from his death and that she had nightmares about him up until her own death.[1]
Marriage to Vic Damone
editAngeli left Dean and married singer and actorVic Damonein 1954.[11]Singer and actorDean Martinperformed at their wedding.[1]It was reported by several people who attended the wedding that they sawJames Dean,claiming Dean watched the wedding from across the road on his motorcycle, even gunning the engine during the ceremony, although Dean later denied doing anything so "dumb."[9][12]
During their marriage, they appeared as guests on the 17 June 1956 episode ofWhat's My Line?.[13]She had one son with Vic Damone; their 1958 divorce was followed by highly publicized court battles for the custody of their only child, son Perry (1955–2014).
Later life and death
editAngeli next married Italian composerArmando Trovajoliin 1962 with whom she had another son, Howard, in 1963. She and Trovajoli separated in 1969.[14]
In the early 1970s she returned to California after having lived in Britain and Europe throughout the 1960s, and briefly lived with her close friendDebbie Reynoldsuntil she found a little apartment in Beverly Hills.[12]
On 10 September 1971, at the age of 39, Angeli was found dead of abarbiturateoverdose at her home in Beverly Hills. On the day of her death, Angeli had been given an injection ofCompazineby her doctor to calm her down (she was unable to sleep and had run out ofDoridenwhich the doctor refused to give her).[1]Death due toanaphylaxishas been suggested; however, it is not supported by the findings of her autopsy.[1][15][16]
Her former loverKirk Douglasand his wifeAnne Buydenswere among those who were invited to her funeral.[1]She is interred in the Cimetière des Bulvis inRueil-Malmaison,Hauts-de-Seine, France.
Portrayals in popular culture
editAngeli was portrayed byValentina Cerviin the 2001 TV movieJames Dean,which depicted her relationship with Dean. In 2015, she was portrayed byAlessandra Mastronardiin the James Dean biopicLife.A fictional interpretation of her life can be found in the book,Anna-Maria Pier Angeli: Une Madone à Babylone.[17]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Tomorrow Is Too Late | Mirella | |
| 1951 | Tomorrow Is Another Day | Luisa | |
| Teresa | Teresa Russo | ||
| 1952 | The Light Touch | Anna Vasarri | |
| The Devil Makes Three | Wilhelmina (Willie) Lehrt | ||
| The Million Dollar Nickel | Herself | Short film | |
| 1953 | The Story of Three Loves | Nina Burkhardt | Segment: "Equilibrium" |
| Sombrero | Eufemia Calderon | ||
| 1954 | Oh No, Mam'zelle | Denise de Flavigny / Nitouche | |
| Flame and the Flesh | Lisa | ||
| The Silver Chalice | Deborra | ||
| 1956 | Meet Me in Las Vegas | Herself | Uncredited cameo |
| 1956 | Somebody Up There Likes Me | Norma | |
| 1956 | Port Afrique | Ynez | |
| 1957 | The Vintage | Lucienne | |
| 1958 | Merry Andrew | Selena Gallini | |
| 1959 | SOS Pacific | Teresa | |
| 1960 | The Angry Silence | Anna Curtis | |
| 1960 | Estoril y sus fiestas | Herself | Short film |
| 1961 | White Slave Ship | Polly | Credited as Anna Maria Pierangeli |
| 1962 | Sodom and Gomorrah | Ildith | |
| 1962 | Musketeers of the Sea | Consuelo / Gracia | |
| 1964 | Shadow of Evil | Lila Sinn | |
| 1965 | Berlin, Appointment for the Spies | Paula Krauss | |
| 1965 | Battle of the Bulge | Louise | |
| 1966 | M.M.M. 83 | Hélène Blanchard | |
| 1966 | Per mille dollari al giorno | Betty Benson | Credited as Annamaria Pierangeli |
| 1966 | Caccia ai violenti | Ann Peterson | |
| 1968 | Red Roses for the Fuhrer | Marie | Credited as Anna Maria Pierangeli |
| 1968 | Every Bastard a King | Eileen | |
| 1969 | Cry Chicago | Bambi | Credited as Anna Maria Pierangeli |
| 1969 | Love Me, Love My Wife | Alexandra | |
| 1970 | In the Folds of the Flesh | Falesse / Ester | |
| 1970 | Quell'amore particolare | Cecilia | |
| 1971 | Octaman | Susan Lowry | Posthumous release |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | What's My Line? | Herself | 1 episode |
| 1958 | Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse | Bernadette Soubirous | 1 episode |
Discography
edit- Italia con Pier Angeli(1959), Roulette, Vinyl.
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Title of work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Nastro d'Argento | Best Actress (Migliore Attrice) | Domani è troppo tardi | Won |
| 1952 | Golden Globe Award | New Star Of The Year Actress | Teresa | Won |
| 1955 | Golden Globe Award | World Film Favorite – Female | Nominated | |
| 1961 | BAFTA Awards | Best Foreign Actress | The Angry Silence | Nominated |
References
edit- ^abcdefghijklmnoAllen, Jane (28 October 2002).Pier Angeli: A Fragile Life.McFarland & Company. pp. 6,12–13, 16, 17, 78,88–89, 93,188–203, Appendix:Drugs.ISBN978-0786413928.
- ^Life magazine issue, July 1954.1954. pp.68–74.
- ^Keylin, Arleen (1977).Hollywood album: lives and deaths of Hollywood stars from the pages of the New York times.Arno Press. p. 7.ISBN978-0405103117.
- ^Prioul, Jean-Pierre (2017).Gainsbourg, 5 bis rue de Verneuil.E/P/A. p. 29.ISBN978-2851209382.
- ^Paillard, Virginie (26 April 2021)."5 bis rue de Verneuil, havre de création de Serge Gainsbourg".janis-media.Retrieved26 April2021.
- ^Douglas, Kirk (1989).The Ragman's Son: An Autobiography.G.K. Hall. pp. 35, 174, 187, 202.ISBN0-8161-4795-7.
- ^"AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The Silver Chalice".Afi.com.American Film Institute. 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 5 March 2016.Retrieved18 June2016.
- ^Kazan, Elia(1988).Elia Kazan: A Life.New York: Knopf.ISBN0-394-55953-3.
- ^abcDavid Dalton (2001).James Dean: The Mutant King: a Biography.Chicago Review Press. pp. 151, 198.ISBN978-1-55652-398-4.
- ^Joe Hyams (1992).James Dean: Little Boy Lost.Warner Books. p. 298.ISBN978-0712657402.
- ^Donnelley, Paul (2003).Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries.Omnibus. p. 55.ISBN0-7119-9512-5.
- ^abReynolds, Debbie (2013).Unsinkable: A Memoir.William Morrow and Company.pp.97–99.ISBN978-0-062-21365-5.
- ^What's My Line? - Arthur Murray; Pier Angeli & Vic Damone; Paul Winchell (panel) (Jun 17, 1956)
- ^ Vivarelli, Nick (3 March 2013)."Italo Composer Armando Trovajoli Dies at 95".Variety.com.Variety Media LLC.Retrieved6 July2021.
- ^Crivello, Kirk (1988).Fallen Angels: The Lives and Untimely Deaths of Fourteen Hollywood Beauties.Citadel Press. pp.277.ISBN0-8065-1096-X.
- ^Frascella, Lawrence; Weisel, Al (2005).Live Fast, Die Young: The Wild Ride of Making Rebel Without a Cause.Simon and Schuster. p. 180.ISBN0-7432-9118-2.
- ^Righini, Mariella (1989).Anna-Maria Pier Angeli: Une Madone à Babylone.Robert Laffont.ISBN978-2221056295.
External links
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