Gianna Maria Canale (12 September 1927 – 13 February 2009) was an Italian film actress.
Biography Canale was born in 1927 in Reggio Calabria. In 1947, she competed in the Miss Italia beauty contest, where she was runner-up to Lucia Bosè. Following this, she appeared in many Italian magazines, with her looks being compared to those of Ava Gardner.
Canale was offered a role in a movie by Riccardo Freda, with whom she eventually fell in love. They moved to Brazil where they were married and worked together in two movies. As Canale did not enjoy living in South America, the couple returned to Italy where, often directed by her husband, she starred in many Sword-and-sandal movies, as well as horror and adventure ones. I vampiri was her last film with Freda.
Canale retired from acting in 1964 at the age of 37. She died in Sutri, Viterbo in January 2009.
Filmography Year Title Role Director Cast Notes1946Black EagleRiccardo FredaRossano Brazzi, Irasema Dilián, Gino Cervi 1946RigolettoMaddalenaCarmine GalloneTito Gobbi, Marcella Govoni, Lina Pagliughi 1948Il cavaliere misteriosoCountess LehmannRiccardo FredaVittorio Gassman, María Mercader, Yvonne Sanson1948GuaranyJacquelineRiccardo FredaAntónio Vilar, Mariella Lotti1949Totò Le MokòViviane de ValanceCarlo Ludovico BragagliaTotò1949O caçula do BarulhoRiccardo FredaOscarito, Grande Otelo1949The Iron SwordsmanEmiliaRiccardo FredaCarlo Ninchi1949Nora O'KiraGuido BrignoneVirginia Belmont1950Son of d'ArtagnanLindaRiccardo FredaCarlo Ninchi1951Double CrossLuisettaRiccardo FredaAmedeo Nazzari, Vittorio Gassman1951Go for Broke!RosinaRobert PiroshVan Johnson1951Revenge of Black EagleTatiana CernicevskijRiccardo FredaRossano Brazzi1951See Naples and DieMarisa MerisRiccardo Freda1952The Eternal ChainMaria RaneriAnton Giulio MajanoMarcello Mastroianni1952 The Legend of the PiaveContessa Giovanna DolfinRiccardo Freda1953Sins of RomeSabina CrassusRiccardo FredaMassimo Girotti, Ludmilla Tchérina1953The Man from CairoLorraine BelogneRay EnrightGeorge Raft1953Alarm in MoroccoNathalie ProvenceJean DevaivreJean-Claude Pascal, Erich von Stroheim1954Theodora, Slave EmpressTheodoraRiccardo FredaGeorges Marchal1954Madame du BarryDuchesse de GrammontChristian-JaqueMartine Carol1954The ShadowElenaGiorgio BianchiMärta Torén, Pierre Cressoy1954Madame ButterflySinger: SuzukiCarmine GalloneKaoru Yachigusa, Nicola Filacuridi, Michiko Tanaka1955NapoleónPauline BonaparteSacha GuitryDaniel Gélin, Raymond Pellegrin, Orson Welles, Erich von Stroheim, Michèle Morgan, Danielle Darrieux, Yves Montand, Jean Gabin, Jean Marais1955Il coraggioSusy EspositoDomenico PaolellaTotò, Gino Cervi1956A Woman AloneMaraVittorio SalaEleonora Rossi Drago1956The Lebanese MissionCountess Athelstane OrloffRichard PottierJean-Claude Pascal, Omar Sharif, Jean Servais, Juliette Gréco1956Le schiave di CartagineJulia MartiaGuido BrignoneJorge Mistral1957I VampiriGiselle du GrandRiccardo FredaFilm completed by Mario Bava1958Pirate of the Half MoonInfanta CaterinaGiuseppe Maria ScoteseJohn Derek1958HerculesAnteaPietro FrancisciSteve Reeves, Sylva Koscina1958The Silent EnemyConchitaWilliam FairchildLaurence Harvey, Dawn Addams, Michael Craig1958The Mighty CrusadersArmidaCarlo Ludovico BragagliaFrancisco Rabal, Sylva Koscina, Rik Battaglia1958The Whole TruthGina BertiniJohn GuillerminStewart Granger, Donna Reed, George Sanders1958The Warrior and the Slave GirlAmiraVittorio CottafaviGeorges Marchal1959Devil's CavaliersBaroness Elaine of FaldoneSiro MarcelliniFrank Latimore1960Seven in the SunLibertàSergio BergonzelliFrank Latimore1960The Night They Killed RasputinCzarina AlexandraPierre ChenalEdmund Purdom, John Drew Barrymore1960Queen of the PiratesSandraMario Costa1960Colossus and the Amazon QueenAmazon QueenVittorio SalaRod Taylor, Ed Fury, Dorian Gray1960The Conqueror of the OrientDinazar / ZobeidaTanio BocciaRik Battaglia1961The Treasure of Monte CristoLucetta Di MarcaMonty Berman, Robert S. BakerRory Calhoun1961Maciste contro il vampiroAstraSergio Corbucci, Giacomo GentilomoGordon Scott, Jacques Sernas1961The CenturionArtemideMario CostaJacques Sernas, John Drew Barrymore, Geneviève Grad, Gordon Mitchell1962The SlaveClaudiaSergio CorbucciSteve Reeves, Jacques Sernas1962Princess Fausta BorgiaBernard BorderieGérard Barray1962Tiger of the Seven SeasConsueloLuigi CapuanoAnthony Steel1963SuzanneAntonio Isasi-IsasmendiGérard Barray, Michèle Girardon1963Il BoomSilvia AlbertiVittorio De SicaAlberto Sordi1963The Lion of St. MarkRossanaLuigi CapuanoGordon Scott, Rik Battaglia1964Il treno del sabatoLuisa ManciniVittorio Sala1964The Avenger of VeniceImperiaCarlo Campogalliani, Piero PierottiBrett Halsey(final film role)
External links
Gianna Maria Canale at MSN Movies