[These daily posts will cover little known actors or people that have appeared in more recent films and TV series. Various degrees of information that I was able to find will be given and anything that you can add would be appreciated.]
Born Elena Caterina Catardi in Florence, Italy on July 24, 1892, she changed her name after marrying film actor and director Wladimiro De Liguoro [1893-1968], the son of film director and producer Giuseppe De Liguoro. They had a daughter, Regana, born the following year. in 1918. Later, Wladimiro De Liguoro would direct several of her films. After a concert in 1920, Rina was invited to visit a film set. During this visit, she appeared as an extra in “La Principessa Bebé/The Princess Baby (Lucio D'Ambra, 1920)”. This was the start of a prolific film career.
She had her breakthrough with the lead role in the historical epic “Messalina/The Fall of an Empress” directed by Enrico Guazzoni in1924, in which she played the sensual, untamed third wife of the Roman Emperor Claudius. De Liguoro became the last diva of the Italian silent cinema. Her last silent Italian film was Assunta Spina directed by Roberto Roberti in 1930, a remake of the classic version of 1915, starring Francesca Bertini.
In 1930, Rina De Liguoro was invited to go to Hollywood. As Countess De Liguoro, she appeared in films like the box office success “Romance” directed by Clarence Brown in 1930 starring Greta Garbo and the flop “Madam Satan” by Cecil B. DeMille also in1930.
But the silent cinema days were over, and Rina De Liguoro could play only minor parts in Hollywood. She decided to try again in a career as a piano player.
She returned to Italy in 1939. There she appeared in a few films, including “Ritrovarsi/Lost and Found” directed by Oreste Palella in 1947 and her only Euro-western “Buffalo Bill a Roma” (Buffalo Bill in Rome) directed by Giuseppe Accatino in 1949.
Her last role was that of Princess of Presicce, Burt Lancaster's table companion at the ball in “Il Gattopardo” (The Leopard) by Luchino Visconti in 1963. Rina De Liguoro died on April 15, 1966, in Rome, Italy. She had demanded to be buried in her costume for Messalina.
De LIGUORO, Rina (aka Countess De Liguoro, Countess
Rina De Liguero, Countess De Rina) (Elena Caterina Catardi)
[7/24/1892, Florence, Tuscany, Italy – 4/15/1966, Rome, Lazio, Italy] –
producer, film actress, musician, married to director Wladimiro De Liguoro
(Wladimiro De Liguoro di Presicce) [1893-1968] (1918-1966), mother of Regina De
Liguoro [1919-19??].
Buffalo Bill in Rome – 1949 (Contessa Stefania)
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