Happy 75th Birthday Liana Orfei

Liana Orfei was born in San Giovanni, Italy on June 6, 1937. She is the daughter of  the Orfei circus owners Paride ‘Pippo’ Orfei [1909-1956] and Miranda Orfei [1913-1988] and sister of circus performers Nando Orfei [1932- ], Rinaldo Orfei and cousin of actress and circus owner Moira Orfe  [1931- ]. At the age of two she debuted in the circus as a clown called Tear. At four she contracted a serious illness and was forced to stop her activity with the circus for four years. In 1954 at the age of eighteen she married juggler Angelo Piccinelli (the two later divorced). Liana became a film actress during the 1950s working with such directors as Orson Welles , Dino Risi, Mario Antonio and Pietrangeli Monicelli . She then became a TV personality (among other things, she played in the 1965 telenovela musical Scaramouche), and appeared in the theater as part of the company of Eduardo De Filippo and Emma Gramatica. Liana also recorded several songs for various labels. She received Festivalbar award in 1969 as "Face of the juke-box" for that year. Orfei return to the theater and appeared in 2005 with Rosanna Ruffini, Max Giusti and Roberta Lanfranchi in the musical “Se il tempo fosse un gambero”.She received a Lifetime Achievement Award last July 9, 2011 during the eleventh edition of the "Grand Prix City Corallo of Alghero". Liana appeared in one Euro-western, 1967’s “Django Kills Silently” as Linda/Liana. Today we celebrate Liana Orfei’s 75^th birthday.