From her earliest credits it seems probable that her birth name was Maria Cristina Gajoni. Most sources seem agreed that her birth date is November 4th 1940 in Milan, Italy (IMDb alone gives the same date in 1938). Her father was artist Adriano Gajoni. She married composer/musician Alberto Visentin in 1969, with whom she has a daughter born in 1974, Christiana, who is an accomplished painter.[2] She is still living at the time of writing.
Cristina's Wikipedia profile contains the unconfirmed information that she studied acting at the drama school of Piccolo Teatro in Milan under George Strehler. A biography on You Tube says she started her career as a photo model in the 50's.
Following a blink-and-you'll miss-it appearance in La tempesta (1958), she kicked off her career with 4 substantial roles the following year. The Cinema offers her excellent opportunities especially at the beginning of her career.
For example, in Castellani's succesful film Nella città l'inferno (1959) where she manages to get noticed, among much more experienced actresses such as Giulietta Masina and Anna Magnani, even winning the Nastro d'Argento[1] as supporting actress.
She has many opportunities to become a leading actress, in some roles where she gives excellent acting tests, such as the servant of Un maledetto imbroglio (1959) by Germi or the wealthy girlfriend of the arrivalist Mastroianni in L'assassino (1961) by Petri, passing through the naive girlfriend of Arrangiatevi (1959) by Bolognini.
She worked steadily throughout the 1960's, occasionally playing other lead roles, but most often being the 2nd or 3rd-billed actress in the credits, never quite achieving the upper levels of stardom. She tended to get cast in roles as victims, or as characters who were not too bright or somewhat mentally unstable.
Towards the end of the decade she began to devote herself to painting (like her father), an art in which she also obtained a certain appreciation.
With the arrival of the 70's she mostly, with one exception, avoided the exploitation fare which saw the slow decline of the careers of many of her contemporaries, instead finding work more sporadically and, one would assume, concentrating on her marriage and raising her daughter, but still appearing in roles every few years up until the mid-90's.
Her looks, with tousled hair piled high, pouting lips and freckles, were in the "sex kitten" mould, similar in type to Brigitte Bardot or Mylene Demongeot. She always had a look as if she were about to burst into tears, possibly the result of usually having a fringe that hung to her eyes.
Most websites use the "I" spelling of her surname, but since she was more often credited using the "J" spelling then, after some deliberation, that's the one I've chosen to use.
- La tempesta .... Gypsy girl (uncredited)
1959 - Arrangiatevi .... Maria Berta Armentano (credited as "Maria Cristina Gajoni")
- Guinguette .... Maryse (credited as "Maria Christina Gajoni")
- Nella città l'inferno .... Marietta Mugnari (credited)
- Un maledetto imbroglio .... La matta (credited)
1960 - Letto a tre piazze .... Prassede (credited as "Maria Cristina Gajoni")
- Via Margutta .... Marisa Maccesi (credited as "Cristina Gaioni")
1961 - Gioventù di notte .... Suzette (poster credit - unconfirmed role)
- I soliti rapinatori a Milano .... Elena (credited as "Cristina Gaioni")
- Il re di Poggioreale .... Pupetta (credited)
- L'assassino .... Nicoletta Nogaro (credited)
- Ursus .... Magali (credited)
1962 - Dieci italiani per un tedesco (Via Rasella) .... Mariella (credited as "Cristina Gaioni")
- I tre nemici .... Kitty (credited as "Cristina Gaioni")
- Il figlio dello sceicco .... Fawzia (credited as "Cristina Gaioni")
- L'amore a vent'anni .... Christina (credited)
- L'ira di Achille .... Xenia (credited)
- La steppa .... La ragazza del fiume (poster credit - unconfirmed role)
- Le massaggiatrici .... Iris (credited)
- Ultimatum alla vita .... Marcella (credited as "Cristina Gaioni")
1963 - I tre implacabili .... Marisol Benavente (credited)
- Il giorno più corto .... Timid presenter (picture credit)
- Il successo .... Maria (credited as "Cristina Gaioni")
- Le verdi bandiere di Allah .... Ursula (credited)
1964 - Agent Secret FX 18 .... Arlette (credited as "Cristina Gaioni")
- I marziani hanno 12 mani .... The farmer's daughter (credited as "Cristina Gaioni")
- Squillo .... unknown role (poster credit)
- Via Veneto .... unknown role (poster credit)
1965 - Agente S 03: Operazione Atlantide .... Rosie (credited as "Cristina Gaioni")
- L'incendio di Roma .... Giulia (credited as "Cristina Gaioni")
- Le notti della violenza .... Franca (credited as "Cristina Gaioni")
1966 - El Cisco .... Edda (credited as "Cristina Gaioni")
- Furia a Marrakech .... Greta (credited)
- La battaglia dei Mods .... Mary (credited as "Cristina Gaioni")
- La lunga notte di Veronique .... unknown role (credited)
1967 - Spia spione .... The girl from the advert (credited)
1968 - Una jena in cassaforte .... Jeanine (credited as "Cristina Gaioni")
1971 - Le juge .... The orphan (credited as "Cristina Gaioni")
- Per amore o per forza .... Sister Giacinta (credited)
1972 - Pulp .... Second typist (credited)
1973 - Diario segreto da un carcere femminile .... Religious prisoner (credited as "Cristina Gaioni")
- Flesh for Frankenstein .... Girlfriend of Nicholas (credited as "Cristina Gaioni")
1974 - Prostituzione .... Prostitute (credited)
1975 - Attenti al buffone .... Prostitute (credited)
1976 - Albert e l'uomo nero (TV mini-series) Eps. 1 & 2 .... Agata (credited)
1989 - Willy Signori e vengo da lontano .... Ilona (credited)
- Amour Rue De Lappe (1984) IMDb as Marisa Meccasi
- Keep on Running (1991) IMDb as Raffaella
- Camerieri (1995) listed by ANICA and IMDb, "Christiana Gajoni" is credited, but it appears that the credit actually refers to Cristina's daughter.
1. NASTRO D'ARGENTO PER CRISTINA GAJONI E PIER PAOLO PASOLINI (1960) on Artmajeur.com. 2. Christiana Visentin Gajoni on Artmajeur.com. |