May, Leontine
Posted: 27/04/2020, 3:13
Leontine May was a beautiful and exotic-looking actress who played supporting roles in a handful Italian movies during the mid 1960s.
Her most memorable role was arguably as the seductive villainess Selima in the peplum adventure Il trionfo dei dieci gladiatori (1964). She also appeared in several Eurospy movies - most of them alongside Giorgio Ardisson - but then disappeared from the limelight almost as quickly as she had appeared.
ANICA lists her real name as being Leontina Mariotti, but otherwise there are no other biographical details to be found anywhere, and unlike a lot of other starlets, Leontine doesn't appear to have done any pictorials for mens' magazines or appeared in fotoromanzi etc.
Unfortunately, there's a lot of confusion about Leontine's identity as a result of her being credited in a handful of movies made during 1970-71, but in which she doesn't actually appear. All of these films were co-productions with Spain, Greece or Germany and had few Italian actors in the cast, and it looks as if Leontine's name might have been put in the credits simply for quota reasons so there would be enough Italian actors in the films.
Complicating things even further is the sci-fi film 2+5: Missione Hydra (1966), in which one of the main female roles is played by an actress credited simply as Leontine. ANICA lists this Leontine as being the same as Leontine May, but it is in fact Leontine Snell, who is an entirely different actress. IMDb currently lists Leontine Snel and Leontine May as being the same person, resulting in even more confusion!
Filmography
- Il vecchio testamento .... Wife of the assassin who starts the riot (uncredited)
- La cieca di Sorrento .... Gloriana (credited)
1964 - Il trionfo dei dieci gladiatori .... Selima (credited)
1965 - Agente 3S3: Passaporto per l'inferno .... Woman who hides Walter (credited as "Loni May")
- Agente Z55: Missione disperata .... Tania (credited)
- Asso di picche - Operazione controspionaggio .... Contact person (credited)
- Il ranch degli spietati .... Mrs. Hogg (credited)
1966 - Agente 3S3: Massacro al sole .... Doña Paquita (credited)
1970 - Prima ti perdono... poi t'ammazzo (credit only)
- Quei dannati giorni dell'odio e dell'inferno (credit only)
1971 - Ore di terrore (credit only)
- Sei già cadavere Amigo... ti cerca Garringo (credit only)
Leontine is missing
Some movies that Leontine is reported as appearing in, but in which there's no sight of her.
- 2+5: Missione Hydra (1966) - Listed on ANICA and IMDb as playing Luisa, but the role is instead played by Leontine Snell who is credited simply as Leontine.
- Scusi, lei è favorevole o contrario? (1966) - IMDb wrongly credits Leontine with appearing in this film, but it's instead Leontine Snell.
- Goldface il fantastico Superman (1967) - Listed on ANICA and IMDb with no role given. However, Leontine is not credited in either the Italian, English or German versions, and is nowhere to be found anywhere in the film either.