Colangeli, Ada

[Johan Melle]

Ada Colangeli, in Campane a martello (1949)

Ada Colangeli (Rome, March 5, 1913—Rome, February 29, 1992)[1] was a ubiquitous presence in Italian cinema of the 1940s and 50s. She specialized in playing simple women such as maids, nuns, gossiping neighbors or peasant women.

Though very expressive and sympathetic, she was always relegated to small and usually uncredited roles, though she always made the most of her screen-time and usually crops up in films by highly esteemed directors such as Federico Fellini, Luigi Comencini, Luigi Zampa and especially Alessandro Blasetti, who was also her personal friend.

Ada Colangeli vanished from Italian movie screens at the end of the 1950s and she passed away at the age of 78.

Filmography

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1939

1. Un'avventura di Salvator Rosa .... A woman of the people (uncredited)
   
   1940
2. Centomila dollari .... Francesca, the airport guardian's wife (uncredited)
   
   1941
3. La corona di ferro .... Spectator at the tournament (uncredited)
   
   1942
4. 4 passi fra le nuvole .... Anna (uncredited)
   
   1943
5. Apparizione .... Maid (uncredited)
6. Dagli Appennini alle Ande .... Nun (uncredited)
7. Nessuno torna indietro .... Maid (uncredited)
   
   1946
8. Un giorno nella vita .... Nun (credited)
   
   1949
9. Anselmo ha fretta (a.k.a. La sposa non può attendere) .... Sister Celeste (credited)
10. Campane a martello .... Francesca (credited)
    
    1950
11. Benvenuto reverendo! .... Woman in church (uncredited)
12. È arrivato il cavaliere .... Woman waiting to see the minister (uncredited)
13. È più facile che un cammello... .... School directress (uncredited)
    
    1951
14. Anna .... Seamstress (uncredited)
15. Maracatumba... ma non è una rumba! (credited) .... The count's maid (uncredited)
16. Signori, in carrozza! .... Assunta, the concierge (uncredited)
17. Una bruna indiavolata .... Caterina, the maid (uncredited)
    
    1952
18. Il romanzo della mia vita .... Woman watching Luciano sing in the trattoria (uncredited)
19. Il tenente Giorgio .... Caterina, the maid (uncredited)
20. La prigioniera della torre di fuoco .... The maid (credited?)
21. Processo alla città .... Maid at boarding house (uncredited)
22. Wanda, la peccatrice .... Concierge (uncredited)
    
    1953
23. La voce del silenzio .... Nun (uncredited)
24. Lo scocciatore (Via Padova 46) .... Tenant chatting in the doorway (uncredited)
25. Pane, amore e fantasia .... Nosy village woman (uncredited)
26. Una di quelle .... Nun (uncredited - uncertain identification)
    
    1954
27. Cronache di poveri amanti .... Signora Fidalma (credited)
28. Disonorata senza colpa .... Amedeo's mother (uncredited)
29. L'arte di arrangiarsi .... Maid (uncredited)
30. La Luciana .... Ada, the maid (credited)
31. La romana .... Mino's maid (credited)
32. Papà Pacifico .... Concierge (uncredited)
33. Peccato che sia una canaglia .... Woman at the police station (uncredited)
34. Questa è la vita - segment "Marsina stretta" .... Nosy woman chatting with the doorman (uncredited)
35. Tempi nostri - segment "Casa d'altri" .... Woman at the clergy house (credited)
    
    1955
36. Bravissimo .... A mother (uncredited)
37. Buonanotte... avvocato! .... Woman in the procession (uncredited)
38. Il bidone .... Maria Bove, shanty dweller (uncredited)
39. L'intrusa .... Caterina, the maid (uncredited)
40. La bella di Roma .... Gracco's maid (uncredited)
41. La vena d'oro .... Woman playing barrel organ (uncredited)
42. Le signorine dello 04 .... Concierge (uncredited)
43. Prigionieri del male .... Rosa, the maid (uncredited)
44. Ragazze d'oggi .... Filomena, the maid (uncredited)
    
    1956
45. Difendo il mio amore .... Signora Dosti's maid (uncredited)
46. Il bigamo .... Peasant woman who gets a ride with Mario (uncredited)
47. La fortuna di essere donna .... Concierge (uncredited)
    
    1957
48. A Farewell to Arms .... Woman in crowd watching soldiers leaving (uncredited)
49. La trovatella di Pompei .... Concetta (uncredited)
50. Le notti di Cabiria .... Woman in the religious procession (uncredited)
51. Marisa la civetta .... Woman dancing in the tavern (uncredited)
    
    1958
52. Anna di Brooklyn .... Gossiping village woman (uncredited)
53. Ladro lui, ladra lei .... Woman of the people (uncredited)
    
    1959
54. Nel blu dipinto di blu .... Sor Napoleone's wife (uncredited)

Filmography to check

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• Santo disonore (1950) .... Commoner (uncredited)
• Strano appuntamento (1951)
• Carne inquieta (1952)
• Er fattaccio (1952)
• Una croce senza nome (1952)
• Anni facili (1953)
• Scampolo '53 (1953)
• I calunniatori (1956)

Fotoromanzi

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1. "Ben Hur" (Published in Incanto D'Amore from November 1958 to March 1959) - credited

Notes and sources

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1. Lancia, Poppi. Dizionario del cinema italiano: Le attrici (2003).

[Johan Melle]

Ada's earliest known role is in Un'avventura di Salvator Rosa (1939) as A woman of the people

[Johan Melle]

Centomila dollari (1940) as Francesca, the airport guardian's wife

[Johan Melle]

4 passi fra le nuvole (1942) as Anna

[Johan Melle]

Dagli Appennini alle Ande (1943) as Nun

[Johan Melle]

Nessuno torna indietro (1943) as Maid

[Johan Melle]

Apparizione (1943) as Maid

[Johan Melle]

Campane a martello (1949) credited, as Francesca

[Johan Melle]

Anselmo ha fretta a.k.a. La sposa non può attendere (1949) credited, as Sister Celeste

[Johan Melle]

È più facile che un cammello... (1950) as School directress