Edwige Fenech (French: [ɛdviʒ fənɛʃ], Italian: [edˈviʒ feˈnɛk, - ˈfɛːnek];[1] born 24 December 1948) is a French-Italian actress and film producer.[2] She is mostly known as the star of a series of commedia sexy all'italiana and giallo films released in the 1970s, which turned her into a sex symbol.
Edwige Fenech | |
|---|---|
 Fenech in The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (1971) | |
| Born | 24 December 1948 |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1968–present |
| Known for | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Biography
editFenech was born in Bône, Constantine, French Algeria (now Annaba, Annaba Province, Algeria) to a Maltese father and a mother from Sicilia.
Cinema career
editFenech moved from Nice, France, to Rome in 1967 for her first Italian film Samoa, Queen of the Jungle by Guido Malatesta.[3][4] In 1968, she came under contract with Austrian director Franz Antel and from the late 1960s to early 1970s, she acted in various films of Antel (including his acclaimed Frau Wirtin series) as well as that of Franz Marischka.[citation needed]
Fenech starred in many genres of cinema[5] but her greatest commercial success came with commedia sexy all'italiana films, particularly including earlier works Ubalda, All Naked and Warm (1972) and Giovannona Long-Thigh (1973), as well as the following l'insegnante (school teacher), la soldatessa (soldier), la poliziotta (policewoman) series and other films that featured Fenech in stereotypical professions, which further bolstered Fenech's position as the most popular actress of the genre. She often paired with Carlo Giuffrè and later with Renzo Montagnani in commedia sexy films.[citation needed]
Fenech was also a regular in giallo films.[6] Her works in this genre include The Seducers (1969), Five Dolls for an August Moon (1970), The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (1971), Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (1972), All the Colors of the Dark (1972), The Case of the Bloody Iris (1972), Strip Nude for Your Killer (1975), and Phantom of Death (1987).
Later career
edit
In the 1980s, she became a television personality, typically appearing with Barbara Bouchet on a chat show on Italian television. After many years of work in movie production, she co-produced The Merchant of Venice (2004) with Al Pacino, and later accepted Eli Roth's offer to appear in another movie, Hostel: Part II (2007). Quentin Tarantino named the character of Lt. Ed Fenech in Inglourious Basterds (2009) in her honour, and invited Fenech to the Italian premiere of his film.[7]
Personal life
edit
Fenech was married to Italian film producer Luciano Martino from 1971 to 1979.
In the mid-1990s, she was engaged to the Italian industrialist Luca di Montezemolo. Her son Edwin (born 1971) has worked at her production company and was the former CEO of Ferrari Asia-Pacific, Ferrari Greater China and Ferrari North America.[8]
She considers herself Roman Catholic.[9]
In popular culture
editThe English metal band Cathedral wrote the song "Edwige's Eyes" on their album The Guessing Game as a tribute to the actress.
Filmography
edit
References
edit- ^ "Edvige" and "Fenech". DiPI Online (in Italian). Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- ^ "Edwige Fenech". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
- ^ Gomarasca, Manlio. "Intervista a Edwige Fenech". nocturno.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
- ^ Cozzi, Luigi (4 April 2012). "Cinema X Talks to Edwige Fenech". Squadra Merli (blog). Archived from the original on 12 January 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ "Edwige Fenech". cultsirens.com. 13 June 2023 [2002]. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
- ^ Larsen, Dan. "Edwige Fenech, the giallo queen". Rare Cult Cinema (blog). Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- ^ "Tarantino a Roma (meno male che c'è Edwige)". Donna Moderna (in Italian). 22 September 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
- ^ "Ferrari names Edwin Fenech head of N.A. unit". autonews.com. Automotive News. 20 November 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- ^ Giordano, Lucio (7 July 2023). "Lo amo infinitamente, oltre a darmi la vita mi ha sempre protetto". Dipiù (in Italian). No. 27. pp. 84–87.
Further reading
edit- Loparco, Stefano (2009). Il corpo dei Settanta: il corpo, l'immagine e la maschera di Edwige Fenech. Rome: Il Foglio Letterario. ISBN 978-88-7606-258-2.
