Paola Pezzaglia
Born
Paolina Pezzaglia

13 September 1886
Milan, Kingdom of Italy
Died17 December 1925 (aged 39)
Florence, Kingdom of Italy
Resting placeTrespiano Cemetery
OccupationActress
Years active1893–1925
Spouse
Antonio Greco
​
​
(m. 1908; died 1913)​
Children2

Paolina Pezzaglia Greco (13 September 1886 – 17 December 1925) was an Italian theatre and film actress.

Early life

Pezzaglia was the only daughter of the VIP hair-stylist Gerolamo Pezzaglia (1854–1899) and Adelinda Monti (1854–1940).[1] The family name was Pezzaglia, however, the variant spelling Pazzaglia is also found in some documents and sources.

Her uncle was the actor and "capocomico" Angelo Pezzaglia,[2] who encouraged her to start acting on stage.[3] At the age of 6 she already enchanted the public in theatre, and she grew to be a popular actress, acting in more than 120 theatrical pieces throughout Italy, Switzerland, Tunisia, Spain and Egypt.

Career

She was first actress in Ermete Zacconi's "Compagnia", which was highly successful.[4]

In 1914 Pezzaglia played the character of Sofia in the film Il fornaretto di Venezia, directed by Luigi Maggi.[5] In 1918 she was cast as Biribì in the four-film serial movie Il mistero dei Montfleury. In 1918 she performed in La capanna dello zio Tom, directed by Riccardo Tolentino, and Le peripezie dell'emulo di Fortunello e compagni, directed by Cesare Zocchi Collani, playing the character of Madama Girasole.[6]

She was a nonconformist artist, playing also male or grotesque characters.[7]

In 1921 she was in the cast of La vendetta dello scemo, directed by Umberto Mucci.[8]

Death

Pezzaglia continued acting on stage till the end of her life, when, during a successful theatrical season, she died of pneumonia in Florence at the age of 39.[9] She is buried at Trespiano Cemetery in Florence, Italy.

Personal life

In 1908 she married the actor Antonio Greco and they had a son, Ruggero. Antonio died in 1913, at 29.[10] In 1920 she had a daughter, Anna, with the actor and producer Luigi Mottura, who was 16 years younger. The two never married.[11]

The story of her life is told in the website "Archivio Pezzaglia-Greco" ("Pezzaglia-Greco Archive") by her grandson Gianni Greco, an Italian writer and radio-TV anchorman, with a lot of unpublished documents and photos. And in 2013 the Pezzaglia-Greco Archive was declared "of historical interest particularly important" by the Italian Ministry of Heritage and Culture and Tourism.[12]

In Amber Tamblyn's book, Dark Sparkler (2015), Pezzaglia is mentioned in a poem.

Filmography

  • Il fornaretto di Venezia (1914)
  • Muoio per lei! (1918)
  • La capanna dello zio Tom (1918)
  • Le peripezie dell'emulo di Fortunello e compagni (1918)
  • L'emulo di Fortunello direttore d'orchestra (1918)
  • Il mistero dei Montfleury (1918), serial movie in four full-length films:
  • Il campo maledetto
  • I bimbi di nessuno
  • La sagra dei martiri
  • Il giardino del silenzio
  • La vendetta dello scemo (1921)
  • Lo scemo Salvatore (1921)

References

  1. ↑ Alessandro Gandini, Luigi Francesco Valdrighi Giorgio Ferrari Moreni, Cronistoria dei teatri di Moderna dal 1539 al 1871, Modena, Tipografia Sociale, 1873.
  2. ↑ Francesco Possenti, I teatri del primo '900, Roma, Orsa Maggiore, 1984.
  3. ↑ Archivio Pezzaglia-Greco, chapters 8 - 9 - 10 - 11.
  4. ↑ L'Argante - Giornale Teatrale, Milano, June 8th, 1911.
  5. ↑ IMDb Internet Movie Database.
  6. ↑ IMDb Internet Movie Database.
  7. ↑ Gazzetta del Popolo, daily newspaper, September 29th, 1913.
  8. ↑ IMDb Internet Movie Database.
  9. ↑ Il Risveglio, monthly, Firenze, January 15th, 1926.
  10. ↑ Il Cittadino, daily newspaper, Savona, April 13th, 1909.
  11. ↑ Archivio Pezzaglia-Greco, chapters 19 - 21 - 22.
  12. ↑ Pezzaglia-Greco Archive.
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