Pellegrini, Amalia


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Pellegrini, Amalia

Post by Johan Melle » 08/12/2020, 20:17

Questa E La Vita - Amalia Pellegrini.jpg
Amalia Pellegrini in Questa è la vita (1954)

Amalia Pellegrini was a generica-actress who was active in Italian films from the mid 1930s and until the end of the 1950s.

A diminutive lady with a characteristic face dominated by a large nose and winning smile, she was most often cast as maids, but also played her fair share of grandmothers, nuns, old noblewomen etc. She mostly appeared in uncredited bit parts, but always knew how to make the most of her limited screen-time and managed to land roles in films by several of the most well-known directors, such as Luchino Visconti, Roberto Rossellini, Luigi Comencini and Alessandro Blasetti.

In the 1950s, Amalia's name began to appear more frequently in the on-screen credits, though for the most part, her roles didn't become much bigger. One notable exception was the comedy Piccola posta (1955), in which she had a memorable part as a rich old woman that Alberto Sordi keeps trying to murder in order to inherit her money. Around the same time she also appeared with Sordi in various other roles.

According to IMDb and Italian Wikipedia, she was born on 16 June 1873 in Vigevano - the source for which appears to be the Pavia e dintorni website. According to this website, "others" (whoever that's supposed to be) say she was born in Pavia in 1877. IMDb and Wikipedia also list her as having died on 13 September 1958 in New York of all places, which seems highly unlikely to be correct.

Filmography

1935
  1. Il cappello a tre punte .... Maid (uncredited)

    1938
  2. Voglio vivere con Letizia .... Housekeeper (uncredited)

    1939
  3. I grandi magazzini .... Department store customer (uncredited)

    1940
  4. Una romantica avventura .... Maid (uncredited)

    1941
  5. Il prigioniero di Santa Cruz .... Maria, the maid (uncredited)
  6. L'elisir d'amore .... Woman at the party (uncredited)

    1942
  7. Il romanzo di un giovane povero .... Maddalena (uncredited)
  8. Odessa in fiamme .... Detained woman of Bessarabia (uncredited)
  9. Un garibaldino al convento .... Nun (uncredited)

    1942
  10. Dagli Appennini alle Ande .... Rosita (uncredited)
  11. Il fidanzato di mia moglie .... Woman in the taxi (uncredited)

    1944
  12. La Fornarina .... Marozia (uncredited)
  13. Sorelle Materassi .... The Swedish lady's maid (uncredited)

    1945
  14. Lo sbaglio di essere vivo .... Adriano's neighbor (uncredited)
  15. Roma città aperta .... Boarding house maid (uncredited)

    1946
  16. Canto, ma sottovoce... .... Old refugee (uncredited)
  17. Un giorno nella vita .... Sister Scolastica (credited)
  18. Voglio bene soltanto a te! .... Rossi's maid (uncredited)

    1948
  19. Il barone Carlo Mazza .... Woman at the funeral (uncredited)

    1949
  20. Catene .... Woman who delivers secret message (uncredited)
  21. Fabiola .... Woman at the feast (uncredited)
  22. Monastero di Santa Chiara .... Aunt Ines (uncredited)

    1950
  23. Faddija - La legge della venedetta .... Annarita's grandmother (credited)
  24. Prima comunione .... Guest at Carloni's house (uncredited)

    1951
  25. Bellissima .... Grandmother at Cinecittà (credited)
  26. Io sono il Capataz .... Old woman by the well (uncredited - uncertain identification)
  27. La famiglia Passaguai .... One of the three gossips (credited)
  28. La vendetta del corsaro .... Nun (uncredited)
  29. Signori, in carrozza! .... Train station employee (uncredited)

    1952
  30. Altri tempi - segment "Una selezione di canzoni del tempo" .... The grandmother (credited)
  31. Città canora .... Amalia, the maid (credited as "A. Pellegrini")
  32. Cuore forestiero .... Donna Carmela (credited)

    1953
  33. Pane, amore e fantasia .... Matteo's grandmother (uncredited)
  34. Puccini .... Concierge (uncredited)

    1954
  35. Amori di mezzo secolo - segment "Dopoguerra 1920" .... Alberto's aunt (uncredited)
  36. I tre ladri .... Witness at the trial (uncredited)
  37. Maddalena .... Filomena, the maid (uncredited)
  38. Pane, amore e gelosia .... Matteo's grandmother (uncredited)
  39. Peccato che sia una canaglia .... Old woman with luggage at the train station (credited)
  40. Questa è la vita - segment "Marsina stretta" .... Adele, the professor's maid (credited)
  41. Spettacolo fuori programma (TV movie) .... Wardrobe keeper (credited)
  42. Un americano a Roma .... Old woman watching TV (uncredited)
  43. Un giorno in pretura .... The old rich woman (credited as "Amelia Pellegrini")

    1955
  44. Bravissimo .... The maestro's mother (credited)
  45. L'intrusa .... Amelia, the priest's sister (uncredited)
  46. La bella mugnaia .... Donna Dolores' maid (credited)
  47. Piccola posta .... Donna Virginia (credited)
  48. Prigionieri del male .... Woman by the ex-voto (uncredited)

    1956
  49. Cime tempestose (TV mini-series) - ep. 3 .... Old woman at the ball (credited)
  50. Mio figlio Nerone .... Agrippina's maid (credited as "Amelia Pellegrini")
  51. Moglie e buoi... .... Bevilacqua's maid (credited)

    1957
  52. A vent'anni è sempre festa .... role? (poster credit)
  53. La nonna Sabella .... Donna Valentina (uncredited)
  54. Totò, Vittorio e la dottoressa .... Hospital sister (uncredited)

    1958
  55. Amore e chiacchiere .... Old woman requesting pension (uncredited)
  56. Ballerina e buon Dio .... Grandmother (uncredited)

    1959
  57. The Nun's Story .... Nun (uncredited)

More Amalia!
Here's a list of further titles that Amalia is supposed to appear in, but for which I've not been able to find copies...
  • Amicizia (1938) - Wikipedia as Curious peasant woman
  • L'orologio a cucù (1938) - ANICA
  • Il carnevale di Venezia (1939) - ANICA .... Curious old woman in the window
  • Il ladro (1939) - ANICA .... Old woman with umbrella
  • Un mare di guai (1939) - ANICA .... Procuress
  • La canzone rubata (1940) - ANICA
  • Rosa di sangue (1940) - ANICA .... Mamita
  • Il signore a doppio petto (1941) - ANICA
  • I due Foscari (1942) - ANICA .... Old woman in hotel
  • Il ponte sull'infinito (1942) - Cinematografo.it .... Boarding house landlady
  • Labbra serrate (1942) - ANICA .... D'Anzi's maid
  • Dente per dente (1943) - ANICA
  • Gelosia (1943) - ANICA .... Friend of the marchese of Roccaverdina
  • I dieci comandimenti (1945) - ANICA
  • La storia di una capinera (1945) - ANICA
  • Le vie del peccato (1946) ANICA .... Pinna's maid
  • Sperduti nel buio (1947) - ANICA .... Assunta, the maid
  • Santo disonore (1950) - ANICA .... Commoner at the trial
  • Carcerato (1951) - ANICA
  • Sentiero dell'odio (1951) - ANICA .... Angela, the grandmother
  • Il romanzo di un giovane povero (1958) - ANICA .... Countess Giovanna

No Amalia!
Like always with little-known actors with large online filmographies, there are some titles that various sources list them as appearing in, but in which they are actually nowhere to be found.
  • Harlem (1943) - Listed at Cinematografo.it and IMDb with no role given. I couldn't find anyone that look like her.
  • Graziella (1954) - Listed by ANICA with no role given. IMDb and Wikipedia list her with playing a noblewoman, but I couldn't find her anywhere. The print I watched was very bad, though, so I might possibly have missed her.
  • L'ultimo amante (1955) - Listed at IMDb as playing an old guest at the institute, but she doesn't play this role and doesn't appear anywhere else either. It's possible that someone has confused her with the somewhat similarly named Amelia Perrella.
Last edited by PeplumParadise on 30/07/2023, 10:00, edited 11 times in total.

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Re: Amalia Pellegrini

Post by Johan Melle » 08/12/2020, 20:20

Il cappello a tre punte (1935) as Maid. In her earliest known film appearance, Amalia is playing what was to be her signature role, that of the maid or housekeeper.
Cappello A Tre Punte - Amalia Pellegrini1.jpg
Cappello A Tre Punte - Amalia Pellegrini2.jpg
Cappello A Tre Punte - Amalia Pellegrini3.jpg

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Re: Amalia Pellegrini

Post by Johan Melle » 08/12/2020, 20:22

Voglio vivere con Letizia (1938) as Housekeeper
Voglio Vivere Con Letizia - Amalia Pellegrini1.jpg
Voglio Vivere Con Letizia - Amalia Pellegrini2.jpg
I believe she appears in some other scenes too, but the print I watched made several scenes unwatchable, whereas others were missing outright due to print damage.

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Re: Amalia Pellegrini

Post by Johan Melle » 08/12/2020, 20:23

Grandi magazzini (1939) as Department store customer
Grandi Magazzini - Amalia Pellegrini1.jpg
Grandi Magazzini - Amalia Pellegrini2.jpg

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Re: Amalia Pellegrini

Post by Johan Melle » 08/12/2020, 20:24

Una romantica avventura (1940) as Maid
Romantica Avventura - Amalia Pellegrini1.jpg
Romantica Avventura - Amalia Pellegrini2.jpg

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Re: Amalia Pellegrini

Post by Johan Melle » 08/12/2020, 20:25

Il prigioniero di Santa Cruz (1941) as Maria, the maid
Prigioniero Santa Cruz - Amalia Pellegrini1.jpg
Prigioniero Santa Cruz - Amalia Pellegrini2.jpg
Prigioniero Santa Cruz - Amalia Pellegrini3.jpg

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Re: Amalia Pellegrini

Post by Johan Melle » 08/12/2020, 20:26

L'elisir d'amore (1941) as Woman at the party
Elisir D'Amore - Amalia Pellegrini1.jpg
Elisir D'Amore - Amalia Pellegrini2.jpg

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Re: Amalia Pellegrini

Post by Johan Melle » 08/12/2020, 20:27

Il romanzo di un giovane povero (1942) as Maddalena
Romanzo Giovane Povero - Amalia Pellegrini1.jpg
Romanzo Giovane Povero - Amalia Pellegrini2.jpg
Romanzo Giovane Povero - Amalia Pellegrini3.jpg

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Re: Amalia Pellegrini

Post by Johan Melle » 08/12/2020, 20:29

Un garibaldino al convento (1942) as Nun. As far as I can tell, she only appears in this scene, which is a bit odd since most of the other nuns recur in several different scenes.
Garibaldino Al Convento - Amalia Pellegrini1.jpg
Garibaldino Al Convento - Amalia Pellegrini2.jpg

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Re: Amalia Pellegrini

Post by Johan Melle » 08/12/2020, 20:30

Dagli Appennini alle Ande (1943) as Rosita
Dagli Appennini - Amalia Pellegrini1.jpg
Dagli Appennini - Amalia Pellegrini2.jpg

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