Always the epitome of elegance, Liana Del Balzo was an actress and generica active in Italian films from at least the 1930's until the end of the 70's.
According to her biography in the "Dizionario del cinema italiano: Le attrici" book, she was born on March 4th 1899 in Buenos Aires, Argentina and died on March 26th 1982 in Rome, aged 83, and was married to Guido Agnoletti, a well-known opera singer in the 1920's and 30's. Due to various spellings in credits it is unclear if Liana was an abbreviation of Eliana or Giuliana.
Her known film acting career began in 1939, with one role to be confirmed from 1935, but she was active in theatre since at least as early as 1923, so it's quite possible she started appearing in films before this, maybe even during the silent era and also maybe in South America. She generally played uncredited bit parts, with or without dialogue, but from time to time she would get cast in larger character roles. Even from her earliest known roles she almost always got cast in mature roles such as noblewomen, mothers or governesses.
I think it is highly likely that there will be additional roles to be found.
Filmography
- Ballo al castello (credited?) .... Gossiping noblewoman (role unconfirmed)
- Finisce sempre così (uncredited) .... Hotel maid
- Torna, caro ideal! (uncredited) .... Madame de Villet
1940 - Centomila dollari (credited as L. Del Balzo) .... Miss Vernon
1941 - È caduta una donna (uncredited) .... Neighbour
- I mariti (uncredited) .... Guest at the ball
- Il re si diverte (uncredited) .... Marquise
- Tosca (uncredited) .... Lady-in-waiting to the Marquise
1942 - 7 Jahre Glück (uncredited) .... Singer riding on the truck
- La mecca dei desideri (Short film) (credited) .... The sculptor's wife
- Sancta Maria (credited?) .... Cruise ship passenger
- Una signora dell'Ovest (uncredited) .... Audience member at Arianna's performance
1943 - Apparizione (uncredited) .... Susanna
- Sempre più difficile (credited) .... Directress of the Swiss college
1944 - Il diavolo va in collegio (credited) .... Signora Testones
1949 - I pirati di Capri (uncredited) .... Lady at the Queen's feast
- Totò cerca casa (uncredited) .... The countess
1950 - Il ladro di Venezia (credited) .... The chaperone
1951 - Amore e sangue (uncredited) .... Role?
- Quo Vadis (uncredited) .... Woman preparing Lygia for the arena
- Sette ore di guai (uncredited) .... Woman at the baptism
- Una bruna indiavolata! (credited) .... Giulio's mother
1952 - Altri tempi (uncredited) .... Spectator in courtroom
- Il romanzo della mia vita (uncredited) .... Woman in the trattoria
- Moglie per una notte (uncredited) .... Role?
1953 - Giuseppe Verdi (uncredited) .... Party guest
1954 - Casta diva (uncredited) .... Fiorillo's mother
- Tradita (uncredited) .... Chief seamstress
1955 - Bravissimo (uncredited) .... Patroness observing the auditions
- La donna più bella del mondo (uncredited) .... Noblewoman watching the duel
1956 - Noi siamo le colonne (uncredited) .... Sofia's mother
1958 - Aprite: Polizia! (TV series) - episode 6: "La trappola" (credited) .... Old woman at the fairground
1959 - Il moralista (uncredited) .... The baroness
- Ottocento (TV mini-series, episode 1) (uncredited) .... Party guest
1960 - Apocalisse sul fiume giallo (uncredited) .... Gambler
- I cosacchi (uncredited) .... Grand duchess Impacienza
- It started in Naples (uncredited) .... Nightclub customer
- L'ultimo zar (uncredited) .... Gossiping woman in the street
- Totò, Fabrizi e i giovani d'oggi (credited) .... Gabrielle's aunt
- Tre giorni a Roma (credited) .... Dina
1961 - Come September (uncredited) .... Mother Superior
- Five Golden Hours (uncredited) .... Woman at the funeral
- I masnadieri (uncredited) .... Acilia
1962 - Alta Pressione (TV show) (credited) .... Countess
- Escapade in Florence (uncredited) .... Contessa Della Scala
- Sodoma e Gomorra (credited) .... Hebrew woman
- Venere imperiale (credited) .... Princess Borghese
1963 - I mostri (uncredited) .... Woman at dinner
- La donna degli altri è sempre più bella (uncredited) .... Woman on the beach
1964 - I gemelli del Texas (credited) .... Mother of Malanza
- I miserabili (TV mini-series, episode 4: Cosetta) (credited) .... A sister
- Il disco volante (credited) .... Mother of Dolores
1966 - After the Fox / Caccia alla volpe (uncredited) .... Cinema audience member
- Scusi, lei è favorevole o contrario? (uncredited) .... Party guest
- Tecnica di una spia (uncredited) .... Hotel guest
1967 - Caravaggio (TV mini-series) - episode 1 (credited as Liliana Del Balzo) .... Woman at the dinner
- The Taming of the Shrew (uncredited) .... Wedding guest
1968 - E per tetto un cielo di stelle (uncredited) .... Mourner
- Fenomenal e il tesoro di Tutankamen (uncredited) .... Party guest
- Il figlio di Aquila Nera (uncredited) .... Woman at the ball (re-used footage)
- La pecora nera (uncredited) .... Party guest
1969 - I fratelli Karamazov (TV mini-series) - episodes 6 & 7 (credited as Eliana Del Balzo) .... Spectator at the trial
- Infanzia, vocazione e prime esperienze di Giacomo Casanova veneziano (uncredited) .... Woman at the 2nd sermon
- Jekyll (TV mini-series) - episode 2 (credited) .... Mr. Hyde's landlady
- La monaca di Monza (uncredited) .... Nun
- Zorro alla corte d'Inghilterra (uncredited) .... Party guest
1970 - L'inafferrabile invincibile Mr. Invisibile (credited) .... Madame Claire
- Shango, la pistola infallibile (credited) .... Taña
1971 - Tre donne - 1943: Un incontro (uncredited) .... Woman listening to Royalist speech
- Un omicidio perfetto a termine di legge (credited) .... Mrs. Foschi
1972 - Colpo grosso... grossissimo... anzi probabile (credited) .... Countess
- La prima notte di quiete (uncredited) .... Woman at the funeral
1973 - Il gatto di Brooklyn aspirante detective (credited as Giuliana Del Balzo) .... Adelina Bacherozza De Porcaris
1975 - Profondo rosso (credited) .... Elvira
1976 - Cassandra Crossing (uncredited) .... Train passenger
1978 - Il vizietto (credited) .... Madame Charrier
1979 - Luna (uncredited) .... Maestro's sister
Loadsa Liana!
There are plenty more titles where Liana is rumoured to appear that I have been unable to find copies of, particularly titles from earlier in her career, so if anybody has any of the titles below you know what to do...
- Casta diva (1935) IMDb. I have looked through the pretty awful quality copy on You Tube with no luck. Since she does appear in a 1954 film of the same title I wouldn't rule out the possibility that her appearance here may have been confused with that film.
- Le educande di Saint-Cyr (1939) ANICA as Insegnante di musica
- Eravamo sette vedove (1939) ANICA as Passeggera pettegola
- Una moglie in pericolo (1939) ANICA as Invitata alla festa di nozze
- Il sogno di Butterfly (1939) ANICA
- La canzone rubata (1940) ANICA as Portinaia
- La fanciulla di Portici (1940) ANICA as Duchessa Carafa
- Kean (1940) ANICA as Invitata al ballo del principe
- Scandalo per bene (1940) ANICA
- Caravaggio, il pittore maledetto (1941) ANICA
- Idillio a Budapest (1941) ANICA
- L'orizzonte dipinto (1941) ANICA
- La danza del fuoco (1942) ANICA
- La donna del peccato (1942) ANICA
- Miliardi che follia! (1942) ANICA as Invitata alla festa
- La principessa del sogno (1942) ANICA as Amica della cantante lirica
- La signorina (1942) ANICA
- Sette anni di felicità (1942) (Italian-language version of 7 Jahre Glück) ANICA as Cantante sul camion
- Soltanto un bacio (1942) ANICA as Invitata alla festa di fidanzamento
- La storia di una capinera (1945) ANICA
- Eugenia Grandet (1946) ANICA as Dama amica signora D'Aubrion. I've been through this film and didn't recognise her anywhere.
- L'Apocalisse (1947) ANICA
- Il fiacre N. 13 (1948) IMDb in segment "Il castigo"
- Romanzo d'amore (1950) ANICA as Ospite dei Contini
- Santo disonore (1950) IMDb
- Core 'ngrato (1951) ANICA
- Strano appuntamento (1951) ANICA
- Don Lorenzo (1952) ANICA
- Una donna prega (1953) ANICA as Una vicina curiosa
- Fanciulle di lusso (1953) ANICA as Signora Wilson
- I cavalieri della regina (1954) ANICA
- Valeria, ragazza poco seria (1958) ANICA
- Le cameriere (1959) ANICA as Principessa
- L'étrange monsieur Duvallier (1979) TV series, season 1, episode 3: Bing-Banque, IMDb as La vieille femme
Lost Liana!
As always seems to be the case with little-known actors with large online filmographies, there are titles where she is credited somewhere online, but either does not appear or else I was unable to find her for some reason.
- Carosello napoletano (1954) ANICA and IMDb as "bit part", searched for but not found
- Ben-Hur (1959) IMDb as Guest at banquet. I have been through the film now specifically looking for Liana with no luck, and there is no banquet scene in the film, so the role description is unreliable, however with thousands of extras, many who can't be seen too clearly, it is still quite possible that she may appear.