Anita Durante

Italian actress (1897–1994)

Anita Durante
Anita and Checco Durante in 1957
Born	Anita Bianchi (1897-09-28)28 September 1897 Rome, Kingdom of Italy
Died	2 May 1994(1994-05-02) (aged 96) Rome, Italy
Occupation	Actress
Relatives	Francesco Prando (grandson)

Anita Durante (28 September 1897 – 2 May 1994) was an Italian actress.

Born Anita Bianchi in Rome into a humble family, after attending a dramatic society for several years Durante made her official debut on stage in 1919, in Ettore Petrolini's Romani de Roma.^[1]^[2]^[3] Married with the actor Checco Durante, she stayed with the Petrolini's stage company nine years, then she formed a company with her husband.^[1]^[3] Also active in films, where she is best remembered as the Alberto Sordi's mother in Un americano a Roma, Durante was active on stage until 1992.^[1]^[3] She died in 1994, aged 96, following an accidental fall from the balcony of her home, while cleaning the windows.^[2]^[3]

Partial filmography

Scampolo (1941) - La proprietaria della stireria
The Last Wagon (1943) - Adele Urbani
Peddlin' in Society (1946) - Caterina (uncredited)
Fatalità (1947) - Adele
Cavalcade of Heroes (1950)
The Two Sisters (1950) - Agatina
The Ungrateful Heart (1951) - Anna, padrona della pensione
Core 'ngrato (1951)
Viva il cinema! (1952) - Gambalesta's Maid
Vortice (1953) - La portinaia
If You Won a Hundred Million (1953) - Pasqua (segment "Il promesso... sposato")
Angels of Darkness (1954)
Of Life and Love (1954) - (segment "La Patente")
Papà Pacifico (1954) - The Porter
Orient Express (1954)
Guai ai vinti (1954) - Popolana sulla scala (uncredited)
An American in Rome (1954) - Madre di Nando
Il porto della speranza (1954)
Il vetturale del Moncenisio (1954)
The Sign of Venus (1955) - Madre di Agnese
Bella non piangere (1955) - Zia di Nina
A Hero of Our Times (1955)
Roman Tales (1955) - La madre di Alvaro
Cortile (1955) - Geltrude
Processo all'amore (1955) - Nona Mariani
The Bigamist (1956) - Amalia
The Courier of Moncenisio (1956) - Carmela
Il prezzo della gloria (1956) - Aunt Bettina
I calunniatori (1956)
Saranno uomini (1957)
Ladro lui, ladra lei (1958) - Madre di Cencio
Adorabili e bugiarde (1958) - The concierge's wife
Nella città l'inferno (1959) - Assunta
Policarpo (1959) - Mario Marchetti's Mother
Genitori in blue-jeans (1960) - The Old Nun (uncredited)
Carmen di Trastevere (1962) - Landlady of the Bording House (uncredited)
Adultero lui, adultera lei (1963) - La portinaia
Mare matto (1963) - Rosario Lo Russo - la madre
Siamo tutti pomicioni (1963) - Mario's Mother (segment "Le gioie della vita")
White Voices (1964) - Agnese - Meo's mother
Made in Italy (1965)
Why Did I Ever Say Yes Twice? (1969) - (uncredited)
Er Più – storia d'amore e di coltello (1971) - Mother of Nino
Colpo grosso... grossissimo... anzi probabile (1972) - Monsignore's mother
Storia di fifa e di coltello - Er seguito d'er più (1972) - Caterina
Granada, addio! (1977) - Peppa
I Hate Blondes (1980)
Count Tacchia (1982) - Fernanda's Grandmother
Giovanni Senzapensieri (1986) - Zia Teresa (final film role)

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Enrico Lancia, Roberto Poppi. Dizionario del cinema italiano, Le Attrici. Gremese Editore, 2003. ISBN 888440214X.
^ ^a ^b Emilia Costantini (3 May 1994). "l' addio ad Anita Durante, maschera del teatro romanesco". Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Rodolfo Di Giammarco (3 May 1994). "L'ultima attrice di Petrolini". La Repubblica. Retrieved 10 March 2014.