Elsa De Giorgi

• Name — Elsa De Giorgi • Born — 26 January 1914 • Birthplace — Pesaro, Marche, Kingdom of Italy • Died — 12 September 1997 (aged 83) • Place of death — Rome, Italy • Other Names — Elsa Giorgi Alberti • Occupation — Actress • Years Active — 1933–1994 (film)

De Giorgi was born in Pesaro, Marche, from a family originally from Bevagna, a small town close to Spoleto in Umbria. When she was 18, she worked as a model, and was spotted by Mario Camerini, who offered her a role in his film T'amerò sempre (1933). De Giorgi then took up acting full-time, and worked with many Italian directors, including Pier Paolo Pasolini, Luigi Zampa, Mario Soldati and Alberto Sordi. In 1974 she wrote, directed and produced the film Sangue più fango uguale logos passione. In 1955, De Giorgi published her first book, I coetanei (The Peers), a recapitulation of her time during Italian Civil War as well as a tribute to her husband, Sandrino Contini Bonacossi. The book was published by Einaudi with a preface by Gaetano Salvemini. It won the Premio Viareggio. In the late 1950s De Giorgi had a romantic relationship with Italo Calvino. Their time together is chronicled in her 1992 book Ho visto partire il tuo treno (I Saw Your Train Rolling). In the early 1960s she worked as a theatre critic for the Rome-based magazine Pensiero Nazionale. De Giorgi's archive is housed at the Centre for the Studies of Contemporary and Modern Writers at University of Pavia.

• Year — Title — Role • 1933 — Nini Falpala — Torrazza's Daughter • L'impiegata di papà — Carla Monti • I'll Always Love You — Adriana Rosé • 1934 — Loyalty of Love — Princess Carolina Jablonowska • Lady of Paradise — Anna Lucenti • Port — Mariuccia • L'eredità dello zio buonanima — Titina • 1936 — But It's Nothing Serious — Elsa • 1938 — La sposa dei Re — Désirée Clary • La mazurka di papà — La marchesina Lucia • 1939 — The Fornaretto of Venice — Annetta • The Faceless Voice — La primatrrice • Two Million for a Smile — Maria • Montevergine — Carmencita • 1940 — Captain Fracasse — Isabella • 1941 — The Mask of Cesare Borgia — Dianora • 1942 — The Adventures of Fra Diavolo — Fortunata Consiglio • Tentazione — Elsa Passmann • 1943 — Sant'Elena, piccola isola — Betsy • 1944 — The Innkeeper — Ortensia • 1946 — The Tyrant of Padua — Caterina Bragadin in Malipieri • 1947 — Manù il Contrabbandiere — Florence Geraldy • 1963 — RoGoPaG — Producer's Mother • 1975 — Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom — Signora Maggi • 1992 — Acquitted for Having Committed the Deed — Countess Nicoletta • Poussière de diamant • 1994 — Cadabra