Lara Wendel
| Lara Wendel | |
|---|---|
| Born |
29 March 1965 Munich |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1972-1993 |
Lara Wendel (born 29 March 1965) is a German actress, active in Italian cinema and television.
Life and career
Born Daniela Barnes in Munich, Wendel is the daughter of German actress Britta Wendel and of the American football player and film actor Walt Barnes.[1] She made her debut at just four years old as a model for ads, and at the age of seven she made her film debut in the Tonino Valerii's giallo film My Dear Killer (1972).[2] She also appeared as the young Silvia in The Perfume of the Lady in Black (1974), directed by Francesco Barilli.
Wendel had her first main role at 12 years old in the controversial erotic drama Maladolescenza (1977), which involved both nudity and simulated sex.[1][3] Later she appeared in other controversial films, characterized by plots involving incest and improper relations between adults and adolescents, such as Un dramma borghese (1979) and Desideria: la vita interiore (1980).[1] She also appeared in the satanic possession movie Ring of Darkness (aka Satan's Wife) (1979) opposite Anne Heywood and Frank Finlay.
In the 1980s Wendel was mainly active in horror films, working with Dario Argento (Tenebre, 1982), Lamberto Bava (Midnight Killer, 1986), Joe D'Amato (Killing Birds, 1988), and Umberto Lenzi (Ghosthouse, 1988) among others.[1] She was also active in comedy films and appeared in a number of art films, including Federico Fellini's Intervista and Michelangelo Antonioni's Identification of a Woman.[1][4] She also appeared on television, notably playing a role of weight in the second season of the TV-series La piovra.[1] She retired at just 26 years old; her last film was the Mauro Bolognini's erotic drama Husband and Lovers.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Enrico Lancia, Fabio Melelli. Le straniere del nostro cinema. Gremese Editore, 2005. ISBN 8884403502.
- ↑ Roberto Chiti, Roberto Poppi, Enrico Lancia. Dizionario del cinema italiano: I film. Gremese, 1991. ISBN 8876059695.
- ↑ Marco Giusti (1999). Dizionario dei film italiani stracult. Sperling & Kupfer. ISBN 8820029197.
- ↑ Roberto Chiti, Roberto Poppi, Enrico Lancia. Dizionario del cinema italiano: I film. Gremese, 2000. ISBN 8877424230.