{{Short description|Italian actress (1920–2020)}} {{Infobox person | honorific_suffix = OMRI | image = Parigi o cara 1.jpg | imagesize = | landscape = yes | caption = Valeri in the film ''Paris, My Love'' (1962) | name = Franca Valeri | birth_date = {{Birth date|1920|7|31|df=yes}} | birth_place = Milan, Kingdom of Italy | death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|08|09|1920|07|31|df=yes}} | death_place = Rome, Italy | birth_name = Alma Franca Maria Norsa | occupation = Actress | years_active = 1949–2014 | spouse = {{marriage|Vittorio Caprioli|1960|1974|end=divorced}} | children = Stefania Bonfadelli (adopted) | partner = Maurizio Rinaldi (1985–1995) | othername = | homepage = }} '''Alma Franca Maria Norsa''' {{post-nominals|size=100%|post-noms=OMRI}} (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.<ref>[http://www.kolot.it/2014/06/23/franca-valeri-il-rimpianto-di-non-aver-mai-visto-Israele/ Interview with Franca Valeri (Kolot, 23 giugno 2014)].</ref> 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.<ref name=Strateg>{{cite book|last=Laura Peja|title=Strategie del comico|year=2009 |publisher=Le Lettere, 2009|isbn=978-8860872128}}</ref>
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.<ref name="Strateg"/> 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.
thumb|210px|Valeri in 2011 Valeri died on 9 August 2020, nine days after turning 100.<ref>[https://www.corriere.it/spettacoli/20_agosto_09/franca-valeri-morta-804b1db6-da17-11ea-a147-258d96344201.shtml È morta Franca Valeri, addio alla comicità femminile che sapeva graffiare: aveva appena compiuto 100 anni] {{in lang|it}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/franca-valeri-dead-italys-pioneering-comic-actor-dies-at-100-1306590 |title=Franca Valeri, Italy's Pioneering Comic Actor, Dies at 100 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=9 August 2020 |access-date=6 November 2020}}</ref>
==Filmography== === Actress === ==== Cinema ==== {{Div col}} *''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 {{div col end}}
====Television==== {{Div col}} * ''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) {{div col end}}
=== Screenwriter === {{Div col}} *''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) {{div col end}}
== Books == * {{cite book |title=Il diario della signorina Snob|location=Milano|year=1951|others=Colette Rosselli (illustration)}} ** {{cite book |title=Il diario della signorina Snob|year=2003|others=Colette Rosselli (illustration)|publisher=Lindau |isbn=978-88-718-0474-3}} * {{cite book |title=Le donne|location=Milano|year=1960}} ** {{cite book |title=Le donne|location=Torino|year=2012|isbn=978-88-062-1192-9|last1=Valeri |first1=Franca }} * {{cite book |title=Le catacombe. Tre atti|location=Bologna|year=1963}} * {{cite book |title=Questa qui, quello là|location=Milano|year=1965}} * {{cite book |title=Toh, quante donne!|location=Milano|year=1992|isbn=978-88-043-6283-8 |last1=Valeri |first1=Franca }} ** {{cite book |title=Toh, quante donne!|location=Torino|year=2004|isbn=978-88-718-0513-9|last1=Valeri |first1=Franca }} * {{cite book |title=Tragedie da ridere. Dalla signorina Snob alla vedova Socrate|location=Milano|year=2003|editor=Patrizia Zappa Mulas|isbn=978-88-773-8381-5}} * {{cite book |title=Animali e altri attori. Storie di cani, gatti e altri personaggi|location=Roma|year=2005|isbn=978-88-745-2063-3|last1=Valeri |first1=Franca }} * {{cite book |title=Di tanti palpiti. Divertimenti musicali|location=Milano|year=2009|editor=Patrizia Zappa Mulas|isbn=978-88-773-8462-1}} * {{cite book |title=Bugiarda no, reticente|location=Torino|year=2010|isbn=978-88-062-0640-6|ref=Franca Valeri, 2010|last1=Valeri |first1=Franca }} * {{cite book |title=Non tutto è risolto|location=Torino|year=2011|isbn=978-88-062-0645-1|last1=Valeri |first1=Franca }} * {{cite book |title=L<nowiki>'</nowiki>educazione delle fanciulle. Dialogo tra due signorine perbene|author=Franca Valeri|author2=Luciana Littizzetto|author2-link=Luciana Littizzetto|location=Torino|year=2011|isbn=978-88-062-0943-8}} * {{cite book|title=Il cambio dei cavalli|location=Torino|issue=437|year=2014|isbn=978-88-062-2050-1|last1=Valeri |first1=Franca }} * {{cite book |title=La vacanza dei superstiti (e la chiamano vecchiaia)|location=Torino|year=2016|isbn=978-88-062-3008-1|last1=Valeri |first1=Franca }} * {{cite book |title=La stanza dei gatti. Una chiacchierata con il teatro|location=Torino|year=2017|isbn=978-88-062-3612-0|last1=Valeri |first1=Franca }} * {{cite book |title=Il secolo della noia|location=Torino|year=2019|isbn=978-88-062-4209-1|last1=Valeri |first1=Franca }} * {{cite book |title=Tutte le commedie|location=Milano|year=2020|others=Lella Costa (preface)|isbn=978-88-948-1430-9}} * {{cite book |title=La Ferrarina. Taverna|location=Torino|issue=452|year=2020|isbn=978-88-062-4699-0 |last1=Valeri |first1=Franca }}
== References == {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== * Emanuela Martini, ''Franca Valeri: una signora molto snob'', Lindau, 2000, {{ISBN|887180290X}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|id=0884518|name=Franca Valeri}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valeri, Franca}} Category:1920 births Category:2020 deaths Category:Actresses from Milan Category:Writers from Milan Category:Italian screenwriters Category:Italian film actresses Category:Italian stage actresses Category:Italian radio personalities Category:Italian television actresses Category:20th-century Italian actresses Category:21st-century Italian actresses Category:David di Donatello winners Category:Italian women centenarians Category:20th-century Italian Jews Category:Jewish centenarians Category:Jewish Italian film people