Lisa Ferraday (born Lisa Demezey; March 10, 1921 – March 22, 2004) was a Romanian-American model and actress, who appeared in theatre, radio, and television, but is best known for her appearances as a leading lady in several Columbia Pictures films, during the 1950s, such as China Corsair.Fetrow p.78
Early years An only child, Ferraday was born Lisa Demezey, daughter of Transylvanian diplomat Baron Demezey. In her childhood, she learned to milk cows, care for chickens, and handle other responsibilities that were expected on the family's 7,000-acre (2,833-hectare) produce farm. Her mother and she moved to Paris after her father died, and Ferraday began studying acting despite objections from her family. During World War II, she stopped acting and became an International Red Cross interpreter. Soviet suspicions that she was a spy led to her imprisonment and torture. She eventually escaped to northern Italy.
Career Ferraday's films included Show Boat, Snows of Kilimanjaro, and The Merry Widow. In addition to acting, she worked as a production advisor in Hollywood, as a model, and as "a late-show disc jockey for a Hollywood TV station".
Personal life Ferraday married Air Force Colonel E.L. Kincaid and came to the United States in 1948. They divorced in 1951. On October 17, 1958, she married industrialist John W. Anderson II in Detroit. She had a daughter, Carol.
In 1954, Ferraday won a New York legal case about the proceeds of a $50,000 life insurance policy designated to go to her 7-year-old daughter. Financier A. Pam Blumenthal had taken out the policy, but his widow, Emily Blumenthal, sued, with her lawyer calling Ferraday "a homewrecker". The state supreme court jury awarded the money to Ferraday as guardian for her daughter.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1949 Sky Liner Mariette Le Fare 1950 Under My Skin Minor Role Uncredited 1951 Flame of Stamboul Lynette Garay I Was an American Spy Dorothy Fuentes China Corsair Tamara Liu Ming Show Boat Renée Uncredited Too Young to Kiss Nina Marescu 1952 The Belle of New York Frenchie Rancho Notorious Maxine California Conquest Helena de Gagarine Last Train from Bombay Charlane The Merry Widow Marcella The Snows of Kilimanjaro Vendeuse Uncredited1955 The Kentuckian Gambler 1956 Death of a Scoundrel Zina Monte
References
Bibliography Alan G. Fetrow. Feature Films, 1950-1959: A United States Filmography. McFarland, 1999.
External links