Lydia Alfonsi (28 April 1928 – 21 September 2022) was an Italian actress.
Life and career Born Lidia Alfonsi in Parma into a wealthy middle-class family, Alfonsi interrupted her accounting studies at a young age to pursue a career in theater. In 1946 she won in a national competition for amateur dramatics and was noticed by one of the judges, the director Anton Giulio Bragaglia, who immediately hired her for his stage company. Soon she was cast in leading roles in dramas and often in classical works, including many Greek tragedies. In 1957 she made her film debut. In 1960 she began a professional and romantic relationship with television director Giacomo Vaccari, starring in several successful RAI TV-dramas directed by him. Their relationship ended with his death in a car accident in 1963. In the mid-1970s Alfonsi semi-retired, making sporadic appearances only in 1988 (with the TV movie Una lepre con la faccia da bambina), in 1990 (in Gianni Amelio's Open Doors) and in 1997 (in Roberto Benigni's Life Is Beautiful).
Alfonsi was appointed Grand Officer of the Italian Republic.
Death Alfonsi died on 21 September 2022, at the age of 94.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1950 A Dog's Life Friend of Franca Uncredited1951 Brief Rapture 1957 Susana y yo Julia 1957 Manos sucias Pilar 1958 Hercules The Sybil 1959 The Law Giuseppina 1960 The Loves of Hercules Megara Uncredited1960 Silver Spoon Set The Young Actress 1960 Morgan, the Pirate Dona Maria 1961 The Trojan Horse Cassandra 1962 A Man for Burning Francesca 1963 Noche de verano Carmen 1963 Black Sabbath Mary (segment "Il telefono")1965 La violenza e l'amore Lucia 1967 The Strange Night Erika 1967 Face to Face Belle de Winton 1969 L'amore è come il sole Ursula 1969 Love Birds Conny 1973 Lady Dynamite Costanza Cavallo 1990 Open Doors Marchesa Anna Pironti 1992 Trittico di Antonello Saveria 1997 Life Is Beautiful Guicciardini (final film role)
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