Liana Orfei
- Actress
Liana Orfei was primarily a circus performer. The daughter of circus owner Paride Orfei (aka 'Pippo') and his wife Alba Furide, she started in the business at the age of 2 as a pint-sized clown named Lacrima. She grew up to become an expert trapeze artist, acrobat, juggler and animal trainer, married (from 1954) to a fellow juggler named Angelo Piccinelli. Along with her two brothers, Liana organized her own three-ring circus in 1962. In 1970, this enterprise had mushroomed into the Circorama extravaganza which featured top acts and numerous exotic animals, interspersed with interludes of films projected onto a cinemascope screen.
Liana entered the movie business in 1959, followed a year later by her older sister Moira. Moira Orfei, likewise steeped in the world of circus, was popularly dubbed 'Moira of the elephants'. Both siblings went on to act in many peplum and escapist adventure films, often with 'touring' American stars. Liana provided many an exotic, sultry diversion, especially for Lex Barker in the swashbuckling trio Il terrore della maschera rossa (1960), Il cavaliere dai cento volti (1960) and I pirati della costa (1960); and for Kirk Morris in Maciste contro Ercole nella valle dei guai (1961). She was also the incongruously cast Victor Mature's Viking wife in The Tartars (1961), an Atlantean queen in The Giant of Metropolis (1961), a pirate's faithful Creole companion in The Black Buccaneer (1961), the ruler of an Italic tribe in War of the Trojans (1962) (starring Steve Reeves), an Egyptian in Queen of the Nile (1961) and a Greek in The Tyrant of Syracuse (1962). Her main contribution to the spaghetti western genre was Bill il taciturno (1967), in which a blonde Liana played the titular hero's goldmine-owning love interest, held captive by an evil town boss. In one of her final appearances (Federico Fellini's The Clowns (1970)), she played a character purportedly based on herself.
Liana retired from acting in the mid-80s but remained very much involved with the circus. Along with her producer-husband Paolo Pristipino, she staged the Golden Circus Festival in Rome's Teatro Tendastrisce from 1984, featuring many top acts.
Liana entered the movie business in 1959, followed a year later by her older sister Moira. Moira Orfei, likewise steeped in the world of circus, was popularly dubbed 'Moira of the elephants'. Both siblings went on to act in many peplum and escapist adventure films, often with 'touring' American stars. Liana provided many an exotic, sultry diversion, especially for Lex Barker in the swashbuckling trio Il terrore della maschera rossa (1960), Il cavaliere dai cento volti (1960) and I pirati della costa (1960); and for Kirk Morris in Maciste contro Ercole nella valle dei guai (1961). She was also the incongruously cast Victor Mature's Viking wife in The Tartars (1961), an Atlantean queen in The Giant of Metropolis (1961), a pirate's faithful Creole companion in The Black Buccaneer (1961), the ruler of an Italic tribe in War of the Trojans (1962) (starring Steve Reeves), an Egyptian in Queen of the Nile (1961) and a Greek in The Tyrant of Syracuse (1962). Her main contribution to the spaghetti western genre was Bill il taciturno (1967), in which a blonde Liana played the titular hero's goldmine-owning love interest, held captive by an evil town boss. In one of her final appearances (Federico Fellini's The Clowns (1970)), she played a character purportedly based on herself.
Liana retired from acting in the mid-80s but remained very much involved with the circus. Along with her producer-husband Paolo Pristipino, she staged the Golden Circus Festival in Rome's Teatro Tendastrisce from 1984, featuring many top acts.
