Alma Franca Maria Norsa (31 July 1920 – 9 August 2020), known professionally as Franca Valeri, was an Italian actress, author, and screenwriter.

Life and career Born in Milan as Alma Franca Maria Norsa. Her Jewish father and brother were able to flee to Switzerland.Interview with Franca Valeri (Kolot, 23 giugno 2014). As her father did not want her to become an actress, Norsa adopted the stage name Valeri in the 1950s as suggested by a friend of hers who was reading a book by French critic and poet Paul Valéry.

Valeri started her career on stage in 1947, and in 1949 she co-founded the Teatro dei Gobbi, along with Luciano Salce and her future husband Vittorio Caprioli. On the radio, she created and played the characters of La signorina Snob (Mrs. Snob), Cesira la manicure and Sora Cecioni. She co-starred in such films as A Hero of Our Times (1955), The Sign of Venus (of which she co-wrote both the story and the screenplay), and Il vedovo, as well as others. She often wrote her scenes in the films in which she appeared.

Among the major films she co-wrote, Paris, My Love (1962) is a rare case where the story is focused on her role only. In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, she frequently worked for the Italian television. She starred in Studio Uno, Le divine and Sabato Sera. In the 1980s and early 1990s, she starred in a series of commercials for Pandoro Melegatti, which were well received and stretched over a number of years (Pandoro being a seasonal product tied to the Christmas holidays).

During the 2005–06 theatrical season, she performed her own monologue, La Vedova di Socrate ("Socrate's Widow"), and Les Bonnes, by Jean Genet. In January 2008 she played the role of Solange in Les Bonnes at Milan's Piccolo Teatro. On 8 May 2020, Valeri received an Honorary David di Donatello Award.

Valeri died on 9 August 2020, nine days after turning 100.È morta Franca Valeri, addio alla comicità femminile che sapeva graffiare: aveva appena compiuto 100 anni

Filmography Actress Cinema

Variety Lights (1951) – Mitzy, Hungarian designer The Two Sergeants (1951) Toto in Color (1952) – Giulia Sofia Solo per te Lucia (1952) It Happened in the Park (1953) – Elvira (segment Concorso di bellezza) Questi fantasmi (1954) Le signorine dello 04 (1955) – Carla, shift manager The Sign of Venus (1955) – Cesira The Letters Page (1955) – Lady Eva The Bigamist (1956) – Isolina Fornaciari A Hero of Our Times (1957) – De Ritis' widow Husbands in the City (1957) – Olivetti The Love Specialist (1958) – countess Bernardi Non perdiamo la testa (1959) – Beatrice Il moralista (1959) – Virginia You're on Your Own (1959) – Marisa 'Siberia' Il vedovo (1959) - Elvira Almiraghi Rocco and His Brothers (1960) – widow (uncredited) Mariti in pericolo (1960) – Gina Crimen (1960) – Giovanna Filonzi Leoni al sole (1961) – Giulia I motorizzati (1962) – Velia Paris, My Love (1962) – Delia Nesti Le motorizzate (1963) The Shortest Day (1963) Gli onorevoli (1963) – Bianca Sereni I cuori infranti (1963) – Fatma Angioj (segment La manina di Fatma) I maniaci (1964) – wife (segment Il pezzo antico) Me, Me, Me... and the Others (1966) – journalist La ragazza del bersagliere (1967) – Bice Marinetti Listen, Let's Make Love (1968) – Diraghi Basta guardarla (1970) – Pola Prima Nel giorno del Signore (1970) – Anticoli's widow Hector the Mighty (1972) – Cassandra The Last Italian Tango (1974) – (playing the role of a) film director Poker in Bed (1974) – Giulia Nascimbeni L'Italia s'è rotta (1976) Come ti rapisco il pupo (1976) – Dada La Bidonata (1977) – Giovanna Bronchi Grazie tante – Arrivederci (1977) – lady on the bus Tanto va la gatta al lardo... (1978) – Maria It's Not Me, It's Him (1980) – Carla Weiss Love in First Class (1980) – Mrs. Della Rosa I Don't Understand You Anymore (1980) – Maritza Paulo Roberto Cotechiño centravanti di sfondamento (1983) – countess Tosca e le altre due (2003) – Emilia Alberto il grande (2013) – Herself

Television

La cantatrice calva, directed by José Quaglio (1967) Felicita Colombo, directed by Antonello Falqui (1968) - TV series Le donne balorde, written and played by Valeri, directed by Giacomo Colli (1970) - TV series Sì, vendetta..., directed by Mario Ferrero (1974) - TV series Nel mondo di Alice, directed by Guido Stagnaro (1974) - TV series Le avventure della villeggiatura, directed by Mario Missiroli (1974) Il barone e il servitore, directed by Davide Montemurri (1978) - TV series La strana coppia, stage direction by Valeri; television direction by Roberto Russo (1989) - play and TV series Papà prende moglie, directed by Nini Salerno (1993) - TV series Norma e Felice, directed by Giorgio Vignali (1995) - TV series Caro maestro, directed by Rossella Izzo (1996-1997) - TV series Come quando fuori piove, directed by Mario Monicelli (2000) - TV series Linda e il brigadiere, directed by Gianfrancesco Lazotti and Alberto Simone (2000) - TV series Non tutto è risolto - television film (2014)

Screenwriter

The Sign of Venus, directed by Dino Risi (1955) Leoni al sole, directed by Vittorio Caprioli (1961) Paris, My Love, directed by Vittorio Caprioli (1962) Listen, Let's Make Love, directed by Vittorio Caprioli (1967) Sì, vendetta..., directed by Mario Ferrero (1974) - TV series Tosca e altre due, directed by Giorgio Ferrara (2003)

Books

References

Further reading Emanuela Martini, Franca Valeri: una signora molto snob, Lindau, 2000,

External links