Allasio, Marisa

(1936-)

   Actress. With her slightly mischievous upturned nose and her pretty girl-next-door looks, Alassio seemed destined to become one of the major starlets of the Italian screen in the mid-1950s. She played small parts in Mario Camerini's Gli eroi della domenica (Sunday Heroes, 1952) and Mario Costa's Perdonami (Forgive Me, 1953), before her curvaceous figure and modest acting talents were showcased in Luigi Zampa's Ragazze d'oggi (Girls of Today, 1955) and Luigi Capuano's Maruzzella (1956). She then appeared in her most famous role, as Giovanna, in Dino Risi's box office hit Poveri ma belli (Poor, but Handsome, 1956), which was quickly followed by its equally successful sequel, Belle ma povere (Pretty but Poor, 1957). With her popularity at its peak, she played similar roles in Mauro Bolognini's Marisa la civetta (Marisa, 1957) and Steno's Susanna tutta panna (Susanna Whipped Cream, 1957) before starring with legendary Italian American tenor Mario Lanza in Arrivederci Roma (Seven Hills of Rome, 1957). A year later, however, she met and married Count Pier Francesco Calvi di Bergolo, a nobleman related to the House of Savoy, and retired from the cinema, never to return. Her last appearance on the screen was opposite Nino Manfredi in Risi's romantic comedy Venezia, la luna e tu (Venice, the Moon and You, 1958).