Isa Miranda

• Birth Name — Ines Isabella Sampietro • Born — 5 July 1905 • Birthplace — Milan, Kingdom of Italy • Died — 8 July 1982 • Place of death — Rome, Italy • Occupation — Actress • Years Active — 1933–1978

Miranda was born Ines Isabella Sampietro in Milan, the daughter of a street car conductor. When she was 10 years old, she began working as an errand girl for a dressmaker. She later had jobs in a box factory and a handbag factory. When she was 15, she became a model, a job that provided enough income for her to learn bookkeeping and typing in night school. She worked as a typist while attending the Accademia dei Filodrammatici in Milan and trained as a stage actress. She went on to play bit parts in Italian films in Rome. She changed her name to Isa Miranda and success came with Max Ophüls' film La Signora di tutti (Everybody's Woman; 1934) in which she played Gaby Doriot, a famous film star and adventuress with whom men cannot help falling in love. This performance brought in its wake several film offers and a Hollywood contract with Paramount Pictures. There, billed as the "Italian Marlene Dietrich", she played femme fatale roles in films such as Hotel Imperial (1939) and Adventure in Diamonds (1940). She returned to Italy soon after the outbreak of World War II and continued to act on stage and to make films. In 1949, she starred in René Clément's The Walls of Malapaga, which won an Academy Award for the most outstanding foreign language film of 1950, and for Miranda, the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Another success of that period was La Ronde (1950), also directed by Ophüls. Her career took her to France, Germany and Britain, where she frequently appeared in TV films, including The Avengers. Other notable film appearances included Siamo donne (1953), a portmanteau film, in which Miranda shared the screen with Anna Magnani, Alida Valli and Ingrid Bergman; Summertime (1955), starring Katharine Hepburn; Gli Sbandati (1955); The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964); The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968); and Liliana Cavani's The Night Porter (1974). Miranda was married to the Italian director and producer Alfredo Guarini until his death in 1981. She died in Rome on 8 July 1982.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1933 — The Haller Case — Badwoman • 1934 — Cardinal Lambertini — Anna • Everybody's Woman — Gabriella Murge, alias Gaby Doriot • Tenebre — Vera • Creatures of the Night — Una gigolette • 1935 — Red Passport — Maria Brunetti • Like the Leaves — Irene "Nennele" Rosani • 1936 — The Love of the Maharaja — Mira Salviati • A Woman Between Two Worlds — Mina Salviati • Thou Art My Joy — Mary Hofer & Bianca Monti • 1937 — The Man from Nowhere — Louise Paléari • The Former Mattia Pascal — Luisa Paleari • Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of Hannibal — Velia, a Roman woman • The Lie of Nina Petrovna — Nina Petrovna • 1938 — Like the Leaves — Nennele • 1939 — Hotel Imperial — Anna Warschawska • 1940 — Adventure in Diamonds — Felice Falcon • Senza cielo — Regina • 1941 — A Woman Has Fallen — Dina • 1942 — Document Z-3 — Sandra Morini • Malombra — Marina di Malombra • 1944 — Zazà — Zazà • 1945 — La carne e l'anima — Katrin detta "Stella" • My Widow and I — Maria, sua moglie • 1948 — L'aventure commence demain — Clarence Holbane • 1949 — The Walls of Malapaga — Marta Manfredini • 1950 — I'm in the Revue — Isa • Pact with the Devil — Marta Larocca • La Ronde — Charlotte, the Actress • 1951 — Cameriera bella presenza offresi... — Angela Leonardi • 1952 — The Seven Deadly Sins — Mme Alvaro — Segment "Avarice and Anger" • Gli uomini non guardano il cielo — The countess • 1953 — We, the Women — Isa — Segment "Isa Miranda" • 1954 — Before the Deluge — Madame Françoise Boussard • The Secret of Helene Marimon — Hélène Marimon • Rasputin — La tsarine Alexandra • 1955 — Summertime — Signora Fiorini • The Abandoned — Contessa Luisa • Rommel's Treasure — Mrs. Fischer • 1956 — I pinguini ci guardano • 1957 — I colpevoli — Lucia Rossello • Arrivano i dollari! — Caterina Marchetti • A Kiss for a Killer — Betty Farnwell • 1959 — Le secret du Chevalier d'Éon — La tzarine Elisabeth Petrovna • 1963 — Corruption — Signora Mattoli • The Empty Canvas — Cecilia's Mother • 1964 — Hardi Pardaillan! — Catherine de Medicis • Dog Eat Dog — Madame Benoit • Do You Know This Voice? — Mrs. Marotta • The Yellow Rolls-Royce — Duchesse d'Angoulême • Una storia di notte — Peppino's wife • 1966 — Un monde nouveau — Une sage-femme • 1967 — Hell Is Empty — Isa Grant • 1968 — Darling Caroline — La duchesse de Bussez • The Shoes of the Fisherman — The Marchesa • 1969 — L'assoluto naturale — Mother • La donna a una dimensione — Elena • 1970 — The Syndicate: A Death in the Family — Tenutaria bordello • Dorian Gray — Mrs. Ruxton • Roy Colt and Winchester Jack — Mammola / Violet • Un estate con sentimento — Sue's Mother • 1971 — Marta — Elena • A Bay of Blood — Countess Federica Donati • 1972 — Lo chiameremo Andrea — Teacher • 1974 — The Night Porter — Countess Stein • I'll Take Her Like a Father — Lorè • 1977 — La lunga strada senza polvere — The wife • 1982 — Apocalisse di un terremoto — Madre di Ciro — Final film role