Pier Angeli

Pier Angeli
Featured in the American fan magazine Modern Screen, 1957
Born	Anna Maria Pierangeli (1932-06-19)19 June 1932 Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Died	10 September 1971(1971-09-10) (aged 39) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Cause of death	barbiturate overdose
Resting place	Cimitière des Bulvis in Rueil Malmaison, France
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1950–1971
Spouse(s)	Vic Damone ​ ​ (m. 1954; div. 1958)​ Armando Trovajoli ​ ​ (m. 1962; div. 1969)​
Children	2
Relatives	Marisa Pavan (sister)

Pier Angeli (19 June 1932 – 10 September 1971),^[1] also credited under her birth name, Anna Maria Pierangeli, was an Italian television and film actress. Her American motion picture debut was in the starring role of the film Teresa (1951), for which she won a Golden Globe Award for Young Star of the Year - Actress.

Early life and career[]

Born Anna Maria Pierangeli to Enrichetta (Romitiin) and Luigi Pierangeli in Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy.^[1] Her twin sister is the actress Marisa Pavan, and her youngest sister, Patrizia Pierangeli, is also an actress.

Angeli made her film debut with Vittorio De Sica in Domani è troppo tardi (1950) after being spotted by director Léonide Moguy and De Sica.^[1] MGM launched her in Teresa (1951), her first American film, which also saw the film debuts of Rod Steiger and John Ericson. Reviews for this performance compared her to Greta Garbo, and she won the New Star of the Year–Actress Golden Globe. Under contract to MGM throughout the 1950s, she appeared in a series of films, including The Light Touch with Stewart Granger. Plans for a film of Romeo and Juliet with her and Marlon Brando fell through when a British-Italian production was announced.

While filming The Story of Three Loves (1953), Angeli began a relationship with costar Kirk Douglas. She next appeared in Sombrero, in which she replaced an indisposed Ava Gardner, then Flame and the Flesh (1954). After discovering Leslie Caron, another European ingénue, MGM lent Angeli to other studios. She went to Warner Bros. for both The Silver Chalice (1954), which marked the debut of Paul Newman, and Oh No, Mam'zelle (Mam'zelle Nitouche, also 1954). For Paramount, she was in contention for the role of Anna Magnani's daughter in The Rose Tattoo (1955), but the role went to Marisa Pavan, her twin sister. MGM lent her to Columbia for Port Afrique (1956). She returned to MGM for Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) as Paul Newman's long-suffering wife (Angeli's former lover, James Dean, was to play the starring role, which went to Newman after Dean's death). She then appeared in The Vintage (1957) and finished her MGM contract in Merry Andrew (1958).

During the 1960s and until 1970, Angeli lived and worked in Britain and Europe, and was often screen-credited under her birth name, Anna Maria Pierangeli. Her performance in The Angry Silence (1960) was nominated for a Best Foreign Actress BAFTA, and she was reunited with Stewart Granger for Sodom and Gomorrah (1963), in which she played Lot's wife. She had a brief role in the war epic Battle of the Bulge (1965). Angeli worked in Israel, and was top-billed, for Every Bastard a King (1968), about events during the Arab-Israeli Six-Day War the previous year.

Personal life and death[]

Armando Trovajoli and Pier Angeli on their wedding day, London, 14 February 1962

According to Kirk Douglas' autobiography, he and Angeli were engaged in the 1950s after meeting on the set of the film The Story of Three Loves (1953).^[2] Angeli also had a passionate romantic relationship with James Dean. Much against her will, she was forced to break it off because her mother was not happy with their relationship as Dean was not Catholic.^{[citation needed]}

Angeli was married to singer and actor Vic Damone from 1954 to 1958.^[3] It was reported that Dean had watched the wedding from across the road on his motorcycle, even gunning the engine during the ceremony, although Dean later denied doing anything so "dumb". During their marriage, they appeared as guests on the June 17, 1956 episode of What's My Line?.^[4] She had one son with Vic Damone; their divorce was followed by highly publicized court battles for the custody of their only child, son Perry (1955–2014).

Angeli next married Italian composer Armando Trovajoli in 1962 with whom she had another son, Howard, in 1963. She and Trovajoli separated in 1969.^[5]

In September 1971, at the age of 39, Angeli was found dead of a barbiturate overdose at her home in Beverly Hills. On the day of her death, Angeli was given an injection of Compazine by her doctor. Consequent death due to anaphylaxis has been suggested, however, it is not supported by the findings of her autopsy.^[1][6][7] She is interred in the Cimetière des Bulvis in Rueil-Malmaison, Hauts-de-Seine, France.

In November 1971, Angeli's last film was released. Titled Octaman, it was considered the worst film of her career.

Portrayals in popular culture[]

Angeli was portrayed by Valentina Cervi in the 2001 TV movie James Dean, which depicted her relationship with Dean. In 2015, she was portrayed by Alessandra Mastronardi in the James Dean biopic Life.

Filmography[]

Awards and nominations[]

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Anna Maria Pierangeli.

• Pier Angeli at IMDb
• Pier Angeli at AllMovie
• Pier Angeli at Find a Grave
• Pier Angeli Official Site
• Photographs and literature