Letizia Quaranta
Letizia Quaranta in the 1920s
Born
Letizia Beatrice Giuseppina Angela Quaranta[1]

30 December 1892
Turin, Piedmont, Kingdom of Italy
Died9 January 1977 (1977-01-10) (aged 84)
Rome, Lazio, Italy
NationalityItalian
OccupationActress
Years active1910–1954 (film)
Letizia Quaranta in a photograph from the Brazilian cinema magazine A Scena Muda in 1924.

Letizia Quaranta (30 December 1892 – 9 January 1977), also known with the stage name of Laetitia Quaranta, was an Italian film actress. She was mainly active in the silent era of cinema.

Early life

Letizia Quaranta was born in Turin in 1892 into a wealthy family, the younger sister of Lidia and the twin of Isabella both actresses, and the daughter of Giuseppe Quaranta and Beatrice Rissoglio.[2]

Career

Il teschio d'oro (1920)

Letizia Quaranta embarked on her journey in the silent film industry back in 1913. Her introduction to this world was facilitated by her elder sister Lydia when she joined Itala Film, a prominent production company based in Turin at the time. Her cinematic debut occurred in 1912 with the film T'ho ancor baciato, or muoio lieta! directed by Sandro Camasio.[3]

From 1913 onward, she established herself as a regular actress at Itala, where she notably portrayed Elena, sharing the screen with her sister Lyda, who assumed the role of Dorina in Cammasio's Addio giovinezza (1913). Letizia Quaranta also took on supporting roles at the Turin-based Gloria Film company, appearing in films starring Lyda Borelli, such as Love Everlasting (1913) and La memoria dell'altro (1914). She depicted characters like Enrichetta Floretta in Floretta and Patapon (1913) and Ottavia in Nerone e Agrippina (1914). During her tenure at Gloria Film, she appeared in numerous films directed by Camillo De Riso.[3]

In a short span, Letizia Quaranta emerged as one of the most sought-after actresses of her era. She was directed by various filmmakers, including Carlo Campogalliani, whom she eventually married in 1921.[4] Campogalliani directed her in films both at Itala and at his own production company, Campogalliani Film. Their collaborations extended from the late 1910s to the early 1920s and included noteworthy works like Maciste innamorato (1919), La trilogia di Maciste (1920) starring Bartolomeo Pagano, and Hedda Gabler (1920) featuring Italia Almirante Manzini. Around 1923, Carlo Campogalliani and Letizia Quaranta moved to Argentina to work on three films directed by Campogalliani, in addition to one film produced in Brazil.[3]

Later career and death

Upon their return to Rome in 1930/31, Letizia Quaranta continued her acting career. However, with the advent of sound in cinema, she encountered challenges in adapting to the new medium. She appeared in only seven films since 1931, most of which were directed by her husband. Her acting career concluded in the mid-1950s.[3]

Letizia Quaranta passed away on January 9, 1977, at the age of 84 in Rome.

Selected filmography

References

  1. ↑ Vazzana, Eugene Michael (2001). Silent Film Necrology. McFarland. p. 429. ISBN 9780786410590.
  2. ↑ Treccani, Lydia Quaranta
  3. 1 2 3 4 Florio, Michele (2001). Le grandi donne del Piemonte. Turin: Daniela Piazza Editore. ISBN 8878891436.
  4. ↑ Moliterno, p.62

Bibliography

  • Moliterno, Gino. The A to Z of Italian Cinema. Scarecrow Press, 2009.
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