Edwige Fenech
Encyclopedia
Edwige Fenech (born Edwige Sfenek; 24 December 1948) is a French-born
Italian
actress and film producer
.
), in French Algeria
to a Maltese
father and Sicilian
mother. From the late 1960s to early 1980s, Fenech starred in many types of European movies. She is best known for her erotic comedies
, and began to work in that field in the late 1960s with Austria
n director Franz Antel
. Fenech also achieved fame with giallo
and sex
films such as Five Dolls for an August Moon
, Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key
and Sex with a Smile
, many of which were directed by Sergio Martino
.
In the 1980s, she became a television personality, typically appearing with Barbara Bouchet
on a chat show on Italian television. In the mid-1990s, she was engaged to the well-known Italian industrialist Luca di Montezemolo
.
After many years of work in movie production (she produced, among others, The Merchant of Venice
, 2004, with Al Pacino
), Fenech accepted Quentin Tarantino
's offer to star in another movie, Hostel: Part II (2007), directed by Eli Roth
. A British general named Ed Fenech (played by Mike Myers
) is a character in Tarantino's 2009 film Inglourious Basterds.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
actress and film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
.
Biography
Fenech was born in Bône (now AnnabaAnnaba
Annaba is a city in the northeastern corner of Algeria near the river Seybouse. It is located in Annaba Province. With a population of 257,359 , it is the fourth largest city in Algeria. It is a leading industrial centre in eastern Algeria....
), in French Algeria
French Algeria
French Algeria lasted from 1830 to 1962, under a variety of governmental systems. From 1848 until independence, the whole Mediterranean region of Algeria was administered as an integral part of France, much like Corsica and Réunion are to this day. The vast arid interior of Algeria, like the rest...
to a Maltese
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
father and Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
mother. From the late 1960s to early 1980s, Fenech starred in many types of European movies. She is best known for her erotic comedies
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
, and began to work in that field in the late 1960s with Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n director Franz Antel
Franz Antel
Franz Antel was a veteran Austrian filmmaker.Born in Vienna, Antel worked mainly as a film producer in the interwar years. After World War II, he began writing and directing films on a large scale...
. Fenech also achieved fame with giallo
Giallo
Giallo is an Italian 20th century genre of literature and film, which in Italian indicates crime fiction and mystery. In the English language it refers to a genre similar to the French fantastique genre and includes elements of horror fiction and eroticism...
and sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
films such as Five Dolls for an August Moon
Five Dolls for an August Moon
Five Dolls for an August Moon is a 1970 Italian thriller film directed by Mario Bava, from a screenplay by Mario di Nardo. The music is written by the Italian film composer Piero Umiliani...
, Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key
Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key
Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key is a 1972 giallo film directed by Sergio Martino. The picture stars Edwige Fenech, Luigi Pistilli, and Anita Strindberg...
and Sex with a Smile
Sex with a Smile
Sex with a Smile is a 1976 Italian comedy film starring Marty Feldman, Barbara Bouchet, Edwige Fenech, Dayle Haddon and directed by Sergio Martino....
, many of which were directed by Sergio Martino
Sergio Martino
Sergio Martino is an Italian film director and producer, notable for his contributions to the giallo genre.Martino is the brother of producer Luciano Martino. They collaborated frequently in their respective professions...
.
In the 1980s, she became a television personality, typically appearing with Barbara Bouchet
Barbara Bouchet
Barbara Bouchet, is a German-American actress and entrepreneur.She has acted in more than 80 films and television episodes and founded a production company that has produced fitness videos and books as well as owning a fitness studio...
on a chat show on Italian television. In the mid-1990s, she was engaged to the well-known Italian industrialist Luca di Montezemolo
Luca di Montezemolo
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo is an Italian businessman and Chairman of Ferrari. He was also Chairman of Fiat S.p.A from 2004 to 2010 and President of Confindustria from 2004 to 2008 and FIEG. He comes from an aristocratic family from the region of Piedmont in Italy...
.
After many years of work in movie production (she produced, among others, The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice (2004 film)
The Merchant of Venice is a 2004 romantic drama film based on Shakespeare's play of the same name. It is the first full-length sound film version in English of Shakespeare's play; most other versions are videotaped productions made for television...
, 2004, with Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
), Fenech accepted Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
's offer to star in another movie, Hostel: Part II (2007), directed by Eli Roth
Eli Roth
Eli Raphael Roth is an American film director, producer, writer and actor. He is known for his role as Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds for which he won both a SAG Award and a BFCA Critic's Choice Award...
. A British general named Ed Fenech (played by Mike Myers
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
) is a character in Tarantino's 2009 film Inglourious Basterds.
External links
- http://lovelockandload.com/mainsite/Cinema-X-Talks-to-Edwige-FenechInterview with Fenech, by Luigi CozziLuigi CozziLuigi Cozzi is an Italian movie director and screenwriter who directed mainly science fiction and horror films in the mid-1970s and throughout the 1980s...
, from around 1970] - Edwige Fenech Movie poster images