Lea Massari

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Lea Massari
Massari in The Camp Followers (1965)
Born
Anna Maria Massatani

(1933-06-30)30 June 1933
Rome, Kingdom of Italy
Died23 June 2025(2025-06-23) (aged 91)
Rome, Italy
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active1954–1990
Spouse
Carlo Bianchini
​
​
(m. 1963; div. 2004)​
[1]

Anna Maria Massatani (30 June 1933 – 23 June 2025), known professionally as Lea Massari, was an Italian actress and singer. Her international breakout role as Anna in Michelangelo Antonioni's L'Avventura (1960) established her as an icon of European art cinema.[2] She won the Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress twice, and was nominated for the David di Donatello for Best Actress once.

Early life

Massari was born Anna Maria Massatani in Rome, and was raised variously in Spain, France, and Switzerland. She originally studied architecture at university, while working as a model for costume and production designer Piero Gherardi. She adopted her stage name at the age of 22, after the sudden death of her fiancé Leo.

Career

Massari became known in art cinema for two roles: the missing girl Anna in Michelangelo Antonioni's L'Avventura (1960), and as Clara, the mother of a sexually precocious 14-year-old boy named Laurent (Benoît Ferreux) in Louis Malle's Murmur of the Heart (1971).[3] She began to receive critical acclaim in 1961 after her performance in A Difficult Life (Una vita difficile), directed by Dino Risi, earning her a special David di Donatello award.[4]

Massari worked in both Italian and French cinema. Her career includes Sergio Leone's debut The Colossus of Rhodes (Il Colosso di Rodi, 1961)[5] and international commercial films such as The Things of Life (Les choses de la vie, 1970).

Massari was a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1975.[6]

Massari won the Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress award for her appearance in Francesco Rosi's Christ Stopped at Eboli (Cristo si è fermato a Eboli, 1979).

Death

Massari died on 23 June 2025, one week before her 92nd birthday.[7][8][9]

Partial filmography

Massari in L'Avventura (1960)

References

  1. Gosetti, Giorgio (29 June 2024). "Lea Massari, il compleanno di un'antidiva ribelle" (in Italian). ANSA. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  2. Roxborough, Scott (25 June 2025). "Lea Massari, Italian Cinema's Anti-Diva, Dies at 91". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
  3. Monahan, Mark (9 March 2002). "Film-makers on film: Wes Anderson". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
  4. Roxborough, Scott (25 June 2025). "Lea Massari, Italian Cinema's Anti-Diva, Dies at 91". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  5. "The Colossus of Rhodes". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 October 2006. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
  6. "Cannes Film Festival Goes on Despite Bombing ". St. Petersburg Times. 10 May 1975. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
  7. Pieroni, Bruno P. (2012). "Aspirante cantante poi diva del cinema". 90 anni di "Italie". Milano: Springer Milan. pp. 17–23. doi:10.1007/978-88-470-2541-7_4. ISBN 978-88-470-2540-0.
  8. Roxborough, Scott (25 June 2025). "Lea Massari, Italian Cinema's Anti-Diva, Dies at 91". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  9. Addio a Lea Massari, la diva discreta del cinema italiano aveva 91 anni (in Italian)