Biography for
Virna Lisi More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

8 September 1937, Ancona, Marches, Italy

Birth Name

Virna Pieralisi

Height

5' 5" (1.65 m)

Mini Biography

Italian goddess Virni Lisi was merely one of a plethora of European movie beauties who proved over the course of their long careers, that they were capable of more than just visual performances. Born in 1937 as Virna Lisa Pieralisi, she began her film career as a teenager in 1953. Cast more for her looks than talent at the onset, her early pictures included La donna del giorno (1956), _Don't Tempt the Devil (1962)_ , and the Italian-made spectacle Romolo e Remo (1961). The pert and sexy star also made a decorative dent in Hollywood comedy as a tempting blue-eyed blonde starring opposite Jack Lemmon in How to Murder Your Wife (1965), and appearing with Tony Curtis in Not with My Wife, You Don't! (1966). Confined to the same type of glamour roles here, she returned to Europe within a couple of years but hardly fared better in such mediocre movies as Arabella (1967). In later decades, however, a career renaissance occurred for Virna. She began to be perceived as more than just a tasty dish, giving a wide variety of mature, award-winning performances. It all culminated in the role of a lifetime with the film La reine Margot (1994), in which she played a marvelously malevolent Catherine de Medici and captured both the Cesar and Cannes Film Festival awards, not to mention the Italian version of the "Oscar." She has since reigned supreme as a character lead and support player.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net

Spouse

Frenco Pesci

(25 April 1960 - ?) 1 child

Trivia

Alternated filming activity with television and stage acting, namely at Piccolo Teatro di Milano, where she did "I giacobini" by Federico Zardi, under the direction of Strehler. She was one of the stars launched as a successor to Marilyn Monroe in the United States, in the late '60s.

The '80s Argentinian band, Sumo (led by an Italian singer), made a song for her. The singer's brother is the actor Andrea Prodan, who appeared with her in the movie I ragazzi di via Panisperna (1989).

Was cast in the title role in Barbarella (1968), but she turned it down and returned to Italy.

She has three grandsons: Franco (b. 1995), Federico and Riccardo (b. 2003).

One child from Franco Pesci: Corrado, born in July 1962.

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