Marisa Mell Actress - Born February 24, 1939 in Graz, Austria
Died May 16, 1992 in Vienna, Austria (cancer)
Birth Name Marlies Theres Moitzi
Bio Marisa Mell was born on February 24, 1939 in Graz, Austria as Marlies Theres Moitzi. She was an actress, known for Danger: Diabolik (1968), One on Top of the Other (1969) and Secret Agent Super Dragon (1966). She was married to Henri Tucci. She died on May 16, 1992 in Vienna, Austria.
Spouse (1) Henri Tucci (1959 - 1963) (divorced)
In 1963 she was involved in a serious automobile accident in France. For six hours she lay unconscious, not knowing that she was close to losing her right eye. The disfigurement extended to her lip as well. After that, she spent two years undergoing plastic surgery, and no damage remained in her face except a little curl at her upper lip.
One of her hobbies was archeology.
David Merrick produced and Vincente Minnelli directed a stage play about Mata Hari with Marisa in the title role opposite Pernell Roberts in 1968. It was a flop and never made it to Broadway.
Most famous for the sexy film role of criminal mastermind Eva Kant in Danger: Diabolik (1968).
Posed nude for the Italian version of Playboy in November of 1976.
Married Henri Tucci shortly after finishing her actor's school, but got divorced a few years later.
She graduated together with Senta Berger, Heidelinde Weis and Erika Pluhar from Vienna's Max-Reinhard-Seminar.
She died of cancer, in poverty, with only a few friends attending her funeral.
She wrote her autobiography, "Coverlove", which was published in Vienna in 1990. Another book, "Marisa, Rückblenden einer Freundschaft" by her best friend Erika Pluhar, was published in 1996 in Hamburg, Germany. In 2013, André Schneider published the first big biography on her and her movies, "Die Feuerblume: Über Marisa Mell und ihre Filme". The book contains more than 130 never-seen-before photos of Marisa.
Changed her name because she thought that "Marlies Moitzi" sounded too "steirisch" (from the Styrian province of Austria) for an international audience.
In 1964 she refused to sign a contract in Hollywood running for seven years. She said that the payment would have been great, but that "the contract was a whole book. I think that even to go to the toilet I would have needed a permission."
She loved to paint.
Had a miscarriage in 1969. Father of the child was her longtime companion Pier Luigi Torri, with whom she lived for about three years. According to her autobiography, the relationship was an ordeal. During that time Torri produced one of Marisa's better (yet unsuccessful) films, Devil's Ransom (1970), co-starring Philippe Leroy. He had to leave Italy in 1971 after a notorious cocaine scandal to avoid prison.
Of her own films, Masquerade (1965), French Dressing (1964), Casanova 70 (1965), and Marta (1971) were her favorites.
Had a lifelong crush on Curd Jürgens.
Her favorite actresses were Greta Garbo and Dorothy Dandridge, whom she admired for her beauty.
On November 26, 1977, she gave birth to a baby daughter, Louisa Erika, in Rome. It was a premature delivery, and the girl died the same day. The child was interred at the Camposanto Teutonico cemetery in Rome. Mell never revealed the father's identity.
Decided to become an actress after seeing Greta Garbo in Camille (1936) as a child. Coincidentally, Mell later starred in an ill-fated Broadway production based on another Garbo film, Mata Hari (1931).
From 1972 to 1984, she had a dog named Rocco. She bought him in Madrid while she was filming Violent Blood Bath (1974) with Fernando Rey.
She was good friends with Brigitte Bardot in the 1970s.
Of her own films, Ordered to Love (1961) was the one she disliked the most.
She turned down the leading roles in Boeing, Boeing (1965) and Stiletto (1969) that were eventually played by Christiane Schmidtmer and Britt Ekland. She never made a movie in Hollywood. As a matter of fact, her only American feature film was Mahogany (1975) which was shot in Rome and only offered her a small supporting role.
Jesús Franco was a great admirer of her. In February 1972, he announced that Mell would appear alongside Barbara Bouchet and Mark Damon in his new film, Camino solitario (1984). Unfortunately, Franco couldn't get the financial backing for this film and it was put on hold. Finally, it was made in 1984 with Lina Romay taking over Mell's role.
Lived in Graz (until 1957), Vienna (1957 to 1959 & 1989 to 1992), West Germany (1960 to 1963), Paris (1964 to 1965), and Rome (1965 to 1988). Between 1970 and 1977, she also had an apartment in Madrid because she worked there frequently.
Her favorite drama teacher was Susi Nicoletti.
Half-great-aunt of Alexander Moitzi.
Dated Warren Beatty.
Personal Quotes (3)
[1986, on her looks] I was never proud of my beauty, I was rather bothered by it. It was a tragedy. Every man wanted me, but no man wanted to keep me.
Movies are my life, and my life is a movie.
I have a higher goal than making one stupid picture after another.
Marisa Mell (born Marlies Theres Moitzi 24 February 1939 - 16 May 1992) was an Austrian actress who became a cult figure of 1960s Italian B-movies. She was born in Graz. In 1963, she was involved in a violent automobile accident in France. For six hours, she lay unconscious, unaware that she nearly lost her right eye. The disfigurement extended to her lip as well. She spent the next two years undergoing plastic surgery, and no damage remained in her face, except for a distinctive curl of her upper lip.
She turned down a seven-year Hollywood contract, saying that while the payment would have been great, "the contract was a whole book. I think that even to go to the toilet I would have needed a permission." In 1967, she performed the title role in the "utterly calamitous" musical Mata Hari alongside Pernell Roberts. After a preview performance in Washington, D.C. that became infamous for its numerous technical problems, producer David Merrick decided to close the production before its scheduled Broadway run. She is best known for the role of Eva Kant in Danger: Diabolik (1968). In the late 1990s, the television show MST3K brought the actress to a new generation of B-movie viewers when the film was featured on an episode. The show also spoofed another of her starring roles in the film Secret Agent Super Dragon. She died in Vienna from throat cancer in 1992.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marisa_Mell
Marisa Mell Active - 1961 - 1991 | Born - Feb 24, 1939 in Graz, Austria | Died - May 16, 1992 in Vienna, Austria | Genres - Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Comedy - Austrian lead actress in international films, onscreen from the '60s.
http://www.allmovie.com/artist/marisa-mell-p48317
You can find people similar to Marisa Mell by visiting our lists Actors from Graz and 20th-century Austrian actresses.
Full name at birth | Marlies Theres Moitzi
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Claim to fame | Eva Kant in Danger: Diabolik
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Date of birth | 24 February 1939
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Place of birth | Graz, Austria
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Date of death | 16 May 1992
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Age | 53 (age at death)
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Place of death | Vienna, Austria
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Cause of death | Throat Cancer
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Occupation | Actress
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Height | 5' 8" (173 cm)
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