Tributes have been paid to Italian actress Lea Massari following her death at 91.
Italian actress Lea Massari has died at her home, she was 91. Tributes have been paid to the star on social media. The History of Cinema Facebook page wrote: “Lea Massari, Italian actress, has passed away at 91. Her iconic disappearance in L’Avventura (1960) remains one of cinema’s most enigmatic moments.”
The 1960 movie L’Avventura (The Adventure) was directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and was about the disappearance of a young woman (played by Lea Massari) whilst on a boating trip in the Mediterranean. After the young woman disappears, her best friend (Monica Vitti) and lover (Gabriele Ferzetti) go looking for her.
Before acting, Lea Massari studied architecture but also worked as a model to support herself. She was born on June 30, 1933 but her name at birth was Anna Maria Massatani. She decided to take the stage name of Lea because she was due to be married to Leo, but he died shortly before their nuptials were to take place. Anna decided on the name of Lea to honour Leo.
Lea made her movie debut in the film Forbidden in 1955 and went on to star in L’Avventura, Valerio Zurlini’s Indian Summer and also starred in Malle’s Oscar-nominated dramedy Murmur of the Heart. Lea also won a David di Donatello award for her part in A Difficult Life in 1961.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Later in her career, she would again play the wife of a political dissident in Francesco Rosi’s Christ Stopped at Eboli (1978), a biopic on Carlo Levi, whom Mussolini exiled to a remote village in Southern Italy. In lesser films, Massatani added a touch of class, as in Sergio Leone’s debut, the forgettable swords-and-sandals picture The Colossus of Rhodes (1961).”
When it came to her personal life, she had no children but married Carlo Bianchini, a former Alitalia pilot in 1963. However they decided to separate in 2004. Donatella Pandimiglio paid tribute to Lea on Instagram and wrote: “At this time at the end of the day I send my regards for the departure of this great actress LEA MASSARI. One piece at a time, that whole world of when I was a child is falling apart that fascinated me so much. Rest in peace.”
Luigi Moretti also took to Instagram to pay tribute to Lea and wrote: “I learned of Lea Massari’s passing yesterday and it was a heart plunge. I love this superlative actress, this beautiful woman since I was a teenager. I could see her on TV with Anna Karenina and at the cinema with Allonsanfàn of the Taviani brothers. You will fall in love with it hard. My room was tapered with his photos scattered everywhere and a tableau collage made from newspaper cut out with meticulous care and passion. Maybe it will still be in the attic somewhere.”
