Bella Cortez

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Bella Cortez
Sfida al diavolo (1963) Bella Cortez (2) (cropped).png
Cortez in Katarsis (1963)
Born
Alicia Paneque

1944 (age 78–79)
Cuba
Other namesBella Cortese
OccupationActress

Bella Cortez (born Alicia Paneque, [1] also known as Bella Cortese) is a Cuban actress and dancer known for her work in Italian sword-and-sandal films of the 1960s.

Contents

Career

Alicia Paneque was spotted by an Italian film producer visiting Cuba. She accepted the proposal and moved to Italy. [2] Her first release was Primo Zeglio's The Seven Revenges (1961). [3]

Cortez played niece to Orson Welles 's character and formed "an attractive pair of young lovers" with Luciano Marin in the international film The Tartars (1961). [4] The same year, she was paired opposite Gordon Mitchell in the Seven Arts production The Giant of Metropolis (1961), directed by Umberto Scarpelli. [5] They appeared together in two more films; Vulcan Son of Jupiter (1962) and Ali Baba and the Seven Saracens (1964). [6] [ self-published source ] Cortez's characters were that of and Greco-Roman mythological Aetna an Arabian princess, respectively in these films. [7] [8] She continued her starring roles with Antonio Leonviola-directed epic drama Taur, The Mighty (1963). [9]

Cortez played the female lead in Ali Baba and the Sacred Crown, directed by Erminio Salvi. The book Italian Sword and Sandal Films, 1908-1990 noted that Cortez was a "major asset to the production". [1] She made appearance in a supporting character in Gothic horror Katarsis (1963). [10] [11]

Beside starring in 11 films, Cortez also did print modelling for cars and graced the covers of several European magazines. Following her marriage, she left the film industry. [2]

Personal life

Cortez was romantically involved with Emimmo Salvi. [6] After her marriage, she relocated to the United States and as of 2011 Cortez was living at her daughter's house. [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 Kinnard & Crnkovich 2017, p. 16.
  2. 1 2 3 Fraser, Patrick (25 July 2011). "Help Me Howard: Movie Star Bella". WSVN. Archived from the original on 9 September 2011.
  3. ↑ Smith 2009, p. 285.
  4. ↑ Smith 2009, p. 250.
  5. ↑ "[Untitled]". The Greenwood Commonwealth. Greenwood, Mississippi. 29 May 1963. p. 5. Retrieved 1 November 2017– via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  6. 1 2 Prickette, James (2012). Actors of the Spaghetti Westerns. Xlibris Corporation. p. 1919. ISBN   978-1-4691-4429-0.
  7. ↑ Kinnard & Crnkovich 2017, p. 17.
  8. ↑ Smith 2009, p. 274.
  9. ↑ Smith 2009, p. 286.
  10. ↑ McKay, James (2012). The Films of Victor Mature. McFarland. p. 162. ISBN   978-0-7864-4970-5.
  11. ↑ Curti, Roberto (2015). Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1957–1969. McFarland. p. 92. ISBN   978-1-4766-1989-7.

Bibliography

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