Margherita Horowitz, the great Austrian actress who played supporting roles (many uncredited) in countless Italian films.
Margherita was born in Austria on 9 August 1919. Her birth name was Margarete Horowitz and her mother was Jewish. She started her career as an actress very early, and was only 14 years old when she was discovered and started to play small theater roles in Vienna.
But the growing anti-semitism in Europe in the late 1930s put an end to Margarete's career, and she couldn't get any more work because she was half-Jewish. Desperate for work, the now 18-year-old Margarete heard about opportunities for young singers and dancers in Italy, and decided to go to an audition. The tall, blonde and attractive Margarete impressed on her audition and was given a six-month contract to work on the stage at the Teatro Valle in Rome.
In Rome, she met Renato Trentini, a handsome Italian fascist officer, and the two fell in love with each other. Margarete and Renato quickly got married, and Margarete now changed her name to Margherita Trentini and converted to Roman Catholocism. But the happiness was short-lived because soon World War 2 broke out. Renato started to work as a liaison with the German army. Because of the German occupation of Italy, there was desperate need for translators and a German major offered Margherita a translator job. Terrified that the Nazis would discover that she was half-Jewish, Margherita was too afraid to say no, and she worked with organizing theater performances for the Nazis and translaing their documents and conversations.
Fortunately, the Germans never discovered the truth about Margherita's Jewish heritage and when the war ended in 1945 she could finally feel safe. She divorced Renato, took back her maiden name Horowitz and started to act in the theater again. She also worked as a model, and also started to appear in small movie roles, and can be spotted in many 'generica' parts in the from the 1950s and early 1960s. In the mid 1960s she began to gain more substantial supporting roles, and was a prolific character actress in many, many films, including many credited roles.
In the early 1990s, Margherita retired from acting and then lived quietly outside the limelight, although in 2003 she was interviewed in the Associated Press about her experiences during the war. She died on 19 December 2011 in Vienna, Austria.
This bio for Margherita was made with info found in the aforementioned interview and supplemented by some additional informations supplied here in the forum by Tibor Róbert Szücs in 2014. (Johan Melle)
FILMOGRAPHY
- Cuore di mamma (uncredited) .... Dancing woman at the nightclub
1955 - I pappagalli (uncredited) .... Member of the audience at concert
1957 - A farewell to arms (uncredited) .... Nurse
1958 - Vento di primavera (uncredited) .... Spectatress at concert
- Totò a Parigi (uncredited) .... Train passenger
1959 - Il vedovo (uncredited) .... Party guest
1960 - Adua e le compagne (uncredited) .... Woman with striped suit in the trattoria
- Crimen (uncredited) .... Maid
- Gastone (uncredited) .... Audience member at Salone Margherita
- Il mattatore (uncredited) .... Night club customer
- Il vigile (uncredited) .... Party guest
- Letto a tre piazze (uncredited) .... Dancing woman
- Risate di gioia (uncredited) .... Noblewoman on the balcony
1961 - Fantasmi a Roma (uncredited) .... Journalist
- Il mantenuto (uncredited) .... Woman at funeral procession
1962 - Venere imperiale (uncredited) .... Woman in dance class
1963 - Cleopatra (uncredited) .... Roman noblewoman
- Gli imbroglioni (uncredited) .... Woman in the courtroom
- Gli onorevoli (uncredited) .... Woman discussing politics
- Il boom (uncredited) .... Restaurant customer
- Il gattopardo (uncredited) .... Guest at the ball
- Omicron (uncredited) .... Gala guest
1964 - 3 notti d'amore - segment: "La moglie bambina" (uncredited) .... Donatella's mother
- I marziani hanno 12 mani (uncredited) .... Party guest
- Il giovedì (uncredited) .... Kleptomaniac
- Sedotti e bidonati (uncredited) .... Casino player
- The Visit (uncredited) .... Maid
1965 - Io uccido, tu uccidi - segment "Giochi acerbi" (uncredited) .... Woman at the memorial service
- La bugiarda (uncredited) .... Nun
1966 - 3 colpi di Winchester per Ringo (credited) .... Mrs. Carson
- Come imparai ad amare le donne (uncredited) .... Nun
- I criminali della galassia (as Margaret Horowitz) .... Mrs. Fowler
- Io, io, io... e gli altri (uncredited) .... Woman in church
- Kriminal (uncredited) .... Casino player
- Missione speciale Lady Chaplin (uncredited) .... Woman at the fashion show
- Sette pistole per i MacGregor (as Margaret Horowitz) .... Annie MacGregor
1967 - 7 donne per i MacGregor (credited) .... Annie MacGregor
- Addio, mamma! (as Margaret Horowitz) .... role? (no pic)
- I giorni dell'ira (uncredited) .... Gambler
- John il bastardo (credited) .... Old maid aunt
- OK Connery (credited) .... The Princess
1968 - Buona sera, Mrs. Campbell (uncredited) .... Woman who travels to attend the reunion party for the 293rd Squadron
- I tre che sconvolsero il West (as Margareth Horowitz) .... Woman in mourning
- La morte ha fatto l'uovo (credited) .... Marco's secretary
- Rose rosse per il Führer (uncredited) .... Woman at the embassy party
- Scusi, facciamo l'amore? (uncredited) .... Woman waiting for the funeral
1969 - Camille 2000 (uncredited) .... Woman at the opera
1970 - Il dio chiamato Dorian (uncredited) .... Party guest
- Lady Barbara (uncredited) .... Party guest
1971 - All'ultimo minuto (TV series) - episode 1: "Allarme a bordo" (uncredited) .... Airplane passenger
- Homo Eroticus (credited but unidentifiable)
- Il gatto a nove code (uncredited) .... Lori's babysitter
- Il prete sposato (uncredited) .... role? (no pic)
- La stirpe di Caino (credited) .... role? (no pic)
1972 - ...e poi lo chiamarono il Magnifico (uncredited) .... Stagecoach passenger
- Avanti! (uncredited) .... Hotel guest
- Il west ti va stretto, amico... è arrivato Alleluja (as Margaret Horowitz) .... Church camp lady
- Los amigos (as Margherita Trentini) .... Mrs. McDonald
- Ludwig (uncredited) .... Woman of the court
- Questa specie d'amore (credited) .... Banquet guest
- Sette scialli di seta gialla (uncredited) .... Fashion salon worker
- La vita, a volte, è molto dura, vero Provvidenza? (uncredited) .... Church woman
1973 - Anche gli angeli mangiano fagioli (credited) .... Gerace's wife
- Ci risiamo, vero Provvidenza? (uncredited) .... Diner at café
- L'ultima neve di primavera (credited) .... Mariolina, the maid
- Troppo rischio per un uomo solo (credited) .... Rudy's maid
- Tutti per uno... botte per tutti (uncredited) .... Woman at hoedown
- Ultimo tango a Zagarol (uncredited) .... Dancer
1974 - Anna Karenina (TV mini series) (uncredited) .... Guest at the ball
- Anno uno (uncredited) .... Journalist
- Daisy Miller (uncredited) .... Mrs. Walker's guest
- Donna è bello (credited) .... role?
- E cominciò il viaggio nella vertigine (uncredited) .... Participant at the Communist Party meeting
- Fatevi vivi: la polizia non interverrà (credited) .... The governess
- Gruppo di famiglia in un interno (credited) .... Woman in flashback with the professor's mother
- Identikit (uncredited) .... Airplane passenger
- Il profumo della signora in nero (uncredited) .... Signora Lovati
- Il ritorno di Zanna Bianca (uncredited) .... Woman at the book launch
- Il sorriso del grande tentatore (credited) .... Prince Ottavio's mother
1975 - ...a tutte le auto della polizia (credited) .... Antonietta, Icardi's maid
- Ah sí? E io lo dico a Zzzorro! (uncredited) .... Wedding guest
- Attenti al buffone (uncredited) .... Woman at funeral
- Babysitter - Un maledetto pasticcio (uncredited) .... The housekeeper
- Fantozzi (uncredited) .... Guest at Catellani's house
- Le malizie di venere (uncredited) .... Witness at the trial
- Lezioni private (uncredited) .... Tourist
- Macchie solari (uncredited) .... American tourist
- Mahogany (uncredited) .... Woman at fashion show
- Prima ti suono e poi ti sparo (uncredited) .... Town woman
- Quel movimento che mi piace tanto (uncredited) .... Party guest
- Salon Kitty (credited) .... Margherita's mother
1976 - Cadaveri eccellenti (uncredited) .... Party guest
- Il trucido e lo sbirro (uncredited) .... Restaurant customer
- L'innocente (credited) .... Gossiping party guest
- Languidi baci, perfide carezze (uncredited) .... Party guest
- Mark il poliziotto spara per primo (uncredited) .... Maria Clerici
- Milano violenta (credited) .... Bank employee
- Quelle strane occasioni - segment: ''Italian Superman'' (uncredited) .... Woman at nightclub
- Quelli della calibro 38 (uncredited) .... Woman at the casino
- Telefoni bianchi (uncredited) .... Woman outside the cinema
- Uomini si nasce, poliziotti si muore (credited) .... Mona, the hostage
1977 - Casanova & co. (as Margherita Trentini) .... Mother Superior
- Gran bollito (uncredited) .... Dancing woman at the nightclub
- I nuovi mostri - segment: "L'elogio funebre" (uncredited) .... Woman at the funeral
- Il marito in collegio (credited) .... role? (no pic)
- Io ho paura (uncredited) .... Judge Cancedda's sister
- La svastica nel ventre (credited) .... Hanna's mother
- La via della droga (credited) .... Drug-addicted girl's mother
- Pane, burro e marmellata (uncredited) .... Bruno's neighbor
- Quel giorno il mondo tremerà (uncredited) .... Scotland Yard secretary
- Suspiria (credited) .... Teacher
1978 - Il commissario di ferro (uncredited) .... Sergio's neighbor
- La cage aux folles / Il vizietto (credited) .... Madame Deblon's secretary
- Tutto suo padre (credited) .... Adalgisa, Adolfo's mother
1979 - Caro papà (uncredited) .... Airplane passenger
- Il giocattolo (uncredited) .... Pizzeria diner during the shoot-out
- La luna (uncredited) .... One of Caterina's fans
- Letti selvaggi - segment: "Attenzione a quei due" (uncredited) .... Princess at the casino
1980 - Ciao Marziano (uncredited) .... Party guest
- La terrazza (credited) .... Party guest
- Sono fotogenico (uncredited) .... Woman on the train
1981 - L'isola del gabbiano (TV mini series) (uncredited) .... Woman at the spa
- Occhio alla penna (uncredited) .... Woman in the train dining car
- Pierino il fichissimo (uncredited) .... Woman in the phone booth
- The Salamander (uncredited) .... Wife of Minister of Defence
1982 - Dio li fa e poi li accoppia (uncredited) .... Woman in the courtroom
- Grand Hotel Excelsior (uncredited) .... Hotel guest
- Morte in Vaticano (credited but unidentifiable)
- Sogni mostruosamente proibiti (uncredited) .... Party guest
- Una tranquilla coppia di killer (TV mini series) (uncredited) .... Woman at the process
- Vai avanti tu che mi vien da ridere (uncredited) .... Party guest
1983 - Benvenuta (uncredited) .... Party guest
- The Lonely Lady (uncredited) .... Woman at the high school awards ceremony
- Zero in condotta (uncredited) .... Examinator
1984 - ...e la vita continua (TV mini series) (uncredited) .... Party guest
- I due carabinieri (uncredited) .... Wedding guest
- Il turno (credited) .... role? (no pic)
1985 - Assisi underground (uncredited) .... Jewish woman
- Pizza connection (uncredited) .... Party guest
- Saving Grace (credited) .... Nun interpreter
- Sono un fenomeno paranormale (uncredited) .... Dinner party guest
1986 - Detective School Dropouts (Asilo di polizia) (uncredited) …. Woman at confessional
- Il bi e il ba (uncredited) .... Foreign tourist
- Quando arriva il giudice (TV series) - episode 5: "La notte delle stelle" (uncredited) .... Guest at the costume party
1987 - Roba da ricchi (uncredited) .... Party guest
1988 - War and Remembrance (TV mini series) (credited) .... Mrs. Sacerdote (no pic)
1989 - Classe di ferro (TV series) - episode 4: "La licenza" (credited) .... Nun
- I ragazzi della 3C (TV series) - episode 30: "Il sosia di Bruno Sacchi" (uncredited) .... Shop customer
1991 - Hudson Hawk (uncredited) .... Woman at the auction
- La condanna (uncredited) .... Lawyer
FOTOROMANZI
- Sogno: "Nel profondo del cuore" (from September 1962 to early 1963)