Marina Malfatti (25 April 1940 – 8 June 2016) was an Italian actress.

Biography

Born in Florence, Malfatti moved to Paris at the age of 17 where she attended the Cours d'Art Dramatique, the drama school founded by René Simon. Two years later, after returning to Italy, she obtained a scholarship for the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and started appearing in films and on stage with some small parts.

Her theater career was launched by Arnoldo Foà who chose her as his co-star in the playTwo for the Seesaw by William Gibson. Hence Malfatti began a career filled with both brilliant and dramatic roles.

During the 1970s Malfatti was an icon of Italian horror films, especially of demonic background. In the 1980s, her career focused on theatre, and in 1986 Alberto Moravia wrote specifically for her the drama La cintura. In 1990 she began a critically acclaimed collaboration with stage director Luigi Squarzina.

Malfatti was married to the diplomat Umberto La Rocca.

Selected filmography

• A Man for Burning (1962)
• Outlaws of Love (1963)
• The Reckless (1965)
• Me, Me, Me... and the Others (1966)
• More Than a Miracle (1967)
• Run, Psycho, Run (1968)
• Pronto... c'è una certa Giuliana per te (1967)
• Black Killer (1971)
• The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (1971)
• Seven Blood-Stained Orchids (1972)
• The Return of Clint the Stranger (1972)
• All the Colors of the Dark (1972)
• The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972)
• The Bloodstained Lawn (1973)
• The Balloon Vendor (1974)
• A Black Ribbon for Deborah (1974)
• Lezioni di violoncello con toccata e fuga (1976)