biography

Luciana Paluzzi Born in Rome on June 10, 1937, Italian sexpot Luciana Paluzzi enjoyed a lengthy career in films beginning when she was just a teenager with a small part in the 20th Century Fox romance Three Coins in the Fountain (1954; with Clifton Webb and Dorothy McGuire), which was lensed in Rome. Her beauty and natural talent soon got her cast in other films made in her native Italy, including My Seven Little Sins (1954; with Maurice Chevalier), The Lebanese Mission (1956; with Gianna Maria Canale and Omar Sharif), and Hercules (1958; with Steve Reeves and Sylva Koscina). Hollywood producers soon took note of the gorgeous redhead with a strong command of the English language, and after making several films in Britain and Germany, Paluzzi began picking up guest-star roles on such television shows as Have Gun - Will Travel, Adventures in Paradise, and The Tab Hunter Show and landed a starring role in the NBC series Five Fingers (1959-1960; with David Hedison). Her first Hollywood film role came in the potboiler Return to Peyton Place (1961; with Carol Lynley, Jeff Chandler, Brett Halsey, and Tuesday Weld). While on the set, she met actor Brett Halsey, and after a whirlwind courtship, the couple married in Las Vegas in January 1960.

Brett Halsey and Luciana Paluzzi
Paluzzi's marriage was short-lived, and they divorced in 1962 shortly after the birth of their son. After her divorce, with a son to support Paluzzi went back to work in films and television. An interesting role for her came in the American International's follow-up to Beach Party (1963; with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello), titled Muscle Beach Party (1964; with Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, and Peter Lupus). And today she's best remembered for her role as Bond villainess Fiona Volpe in Thunderball (1965; with Sean Connery and Martine Beswick).


the films of luciana paluzzi

Tank Force (1958)

Luciana PaluzziLuciana Paluzzi and Victor Mature

LEFT: As Carola in the Columbia flick Tank Force. RIGHT: With co-star Victor Mature, who retired from films soon after this picture lensed

Return to Peyton Place (1961)

Luciana Paluzzi and Brett Halsey

With future husband Brett Halsey in the potboiler Return to Peyton Place

Muscle Beach Party (1964)


Luciana Paluzzi and Peter LupusLuciana Paluzzi and Peter LupusPeter Lupus, Chet Yorton, Luciana Paluzzi, and Larry Scott

LEFT and CENTER: Luciana Paluzzi admires Peter Lupus as Flex Martian in American International's beach party entry Muscle Beach Party. RIGHT: With Peter Lupus, Chet Yorton, and Larry Scott

The Man From U.N.C.L.E (1964-1968 NBC TV Series)

Donald Harron and Luciana Paluzzi

With Donald Harron in the episode The Four-Steps Affair, which originally aired March 22, 1965

Thunderball (1965)

Luciana PaluzziLuciana Paluzzi, Martine Beswick, Sean Connery, Claudine Auger, and Molly Peters

LEFT: As femme fatale Fiona Volpe in the thrilling Bond film Thunderball. RIGHT: With fellow castmates Martine Beswick, Sean Connery, Claudine Auger, and Molly Peters

The Venetian Affair (1967)

Luciana Paluzzi, Robert Vaughn, and Roger C. Carmel

Robert Vaughn finds that Luciana Paluzzi and her boss Roger C. Carmel have been murdered in the MGM action thriller The Venetian Affair

Chuka (1967)

Luciana Paluzzi and Rod Taylor

With Rod Taylor as the title character in the western Chuka

The Green Slime (1968)

Robert Horton and Luciana Paluzzi

With Robert Horton in the MGM sci-fi flick The Green Slime

Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969)

Robert Ryan, Nanette Newman, and Luciana Paluzzi

With Robert Ryan and Nanette Newman in the MGM adventure Captain Nemo and the Underwater City

Black Gunn (1972)

Jim Brown, Gary Conway, Luciana Paluzzi, Timothy Brown, William Campbell, and Bruce Glover

From the Columbia action flick Black Gunn with Jim Brown, Gary Conway, Timothy Brown, William Campbell, and Bruce Glover

The Italian Connection (1972)

Woody Strode, Luciana Paluzzi, and Henry SilvaLuciana Paluzzi

LEFT: With Woody Strode and Henry Silva in the violent Italian crime flick The Italian Connection. RIGHT: Paluzzi as Eva Lalli

luciana paluzzi today

Paluzzi's career remained strong in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, starring in action flicks such as Black Gunn (1972; with Jim Brown and Martin Landau), The Italian Connection (1972; with Henry Silva, Woody Strode, and Adolfo Celi), and The Klansman (1974; with Lee Marvin, Richard Burton, and Cameron Mitchell), often portraying a femme fatale. And she continued working in television on such shows as Search and Hawaii Five-O. However, Paluzzi retired from acting upon her 1980 marriage to Michael Solomon, with whom she lives in Bel-Air.

filmography

FILM
Deadly Chase (1978) with Luc Merenda
The Greek Tycoon (1978) with Anthony Quinn, Jacqueline Bisset, Edward Albert, James Franciscus, Marilu Tolo, and Charles Durning
Nick the Sting (1976) with Luc Merenda, Lee J. Cobb, and Dagmar Lassander
The Secrets of a Sensuous Nurse (1975) with Jack Palance, Ursula Andress, and Daniele Vargas
The Maniac Responsible (1975) with Antonio Sabato
The Manhunt (1975) with Henry Silva
The Klansman (1974) with Lee Marvin, Richard Burton, Cameron Mitchell, O.J. Simpson, Lola Falana, David Huddleston, and Linda Evans
Mean Mother (1974) with Dobie Gray, Marilyn Joi, Lang Jeffries, and Albert Cole; directed by Al Adamson (actually a re-edited version of Run For Your Life)
La Sbandata (1974)
The Six Million Dollar Man: Solid Gold Kidnapping (1973) with Lee Majors, Richard Anderson, Alan Oppenheimer, Elizabeth Ashley, Terry Carter, John Vernon, Maurice Evans, Leif Erickson, and David White
The Great Kidnapping (1973) with Lee J. Cobb and Jean Sorel
Medusa (1973) with George Hamilton, Cameron Mitchell, and Alana Stewart
The War Goddess (1973) with Helga Line
Black Gunn (1972) with Jim Brown, Martin Landau, Brenda Sykes, Vida Blue, Stephen McNally, Keefe Brasselle, William Campbell, Bernie Casey, Gary Conway, and Bruce Glover
Tragic Ceremony (1972)
The Two Faces of Fear (1972) with George Hilton and Fernando Rey
The Italian Connection (1972) with Henry Silva, Woody Strode, Adolfo Celi, and Sylva Koscina
Colpo grosso, grossissimo... anzi probabile (1972) with Terry-Thomas
Come Together (1971) with Tony Anthony
Run for Your Life (1971) with Lang Jeffries
Powderkeg (1971) with Rod Taylor, Dennis Cole, Fernando Lamas, John McIntire, Michael Ansara, Tisha Sterling, and William Kerwin
Man of Legend (1971) with Peter Strauss, Tina Aumont, and Massimo Serato
The Secret of the Glass Soldier (1970) with Dale Robertson
Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969) with Robert Ryan and Chuck Connors
Playgirl 70 (1969)
Gunman of Ave Maria (1969) with Leonard Mann and Peter Martell
The Insatiables (1969) with Dorothy Malone, John Ireland, and Robert Hoffmann
99 Women (1969) with Maria Schell, Herbert Lom, Mercedes McCambridge, and Rosalba Neri
The Green Slime (1968) with Robert Horton and Richard Jaeckel
Now You See It, Now You Don't (1968) with Jonathan Winters, Steve Allen, Jayne Meadows, Jack Weston, and Richard Kiel
A Black Veil for Lisa (1968) with John Mills and Robert Hoffman
OSS 117: Murder for Sale (1968) with John Gavin, Margaret Lee, Curd Jurgens, Rosalba Neri, and George Eastman
A Thousand and One Nights (1968) with Jeff Cooper
Chuka (1967) with Rod Taylor, Ernest Borgnine, John Mills, James Whitmore, and Michael Cole
The Venetian Affair (1967) with Robert Vaughn, Elke Sommer, Felicia Farr, Boris Karloff, Roger C. Carmel, Edward Asner, and Wesley Lau
The One Eyed Soldiers (1966) with Dale Robertson
Thunderball (1965) with Sean Connery, Claudine Auger, Adolfo Celi, Rik Van Nutter, Martine Beswick, Bernard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn, and Lois Maxwell
Let's Talk About Men (1965) with Nino Manfredi, Margaret Lee, and Tony Anthony
I Kill, You Kill (1965) with Franco Franchi, Ciccio Ingrassia, Rosalba Neri, and Margaret Lee
Muscle Beach Party (1964) with Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, John Ashley, Don Rickles, Jody McCrea, Peter Lupus, Peter Lorre, Donna Loren, and Morey Amsterdam
Vice and Virtue (1963) with Catherine Deneuve
Delitto e castigo (1963)
The Reluctant Saint (1962) with Maximilian Schell, Ricardo Montalban, Akim Tamiroff, and Mark Damon
Return to Peyton Place (1961) with Carol Lynley, Jeff Chandler, Eleanor Parker, Mary Astor, Robert Sterling, Brett Halsey, and Tuesday Weld
Man in a Cocked Hat (1959) with Terry-Thomas and Peter Sellers
Journey to the Lost City (1959) with Debra Paget
My Wife's Enemy (1959) with Marcello Mastroianni and Vittorio De Sica
Sea Fury (1958) with Stanley Baker, Victor McLaglen, and Joe Robinson
Si le roi savait ca (1958)
Tank Force (1958) with Victor Mature and Anthony Newley
Hercules (1958) with Steve Reeves and Sylva Koscina
La Donna che venne dal mare (1957)
Guaglione (1957) with Terence Hill
Plucking the Daisy (1956) with Brigitte Bardot
The Lebanese Mission (1956) with Gianna Maria Canale, Omar Sharif, Juliette Greco, and Jess Hahn
Adriana Lecouvreur (1955)
Faccia da mascalzone (1955) with Valentina Cortese, Lee Patterson, and Rossano Brazzi
Il Vetturale del Moncenisio (1954) with Virna Lisi
My Seven Little Sins (1954) with Maurice Chevalier
Sua altezza ha detto no! (1953) with Jacques Sernas and Ugo Tognazzi

TELEVISION SERIES
Five Fingers, 1959-1960 NBC TV Series. Paluzzi portrayed Simone Genet

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Hawaii Five-O, episode My Friend, the Enemy, originally aired April 13, 1978
The New Dick Van Dyke Show, episode Preston al Naturale, originally aired November 12, 1973
Tenafly, episode The Cash and Carry Caper, originally aired October 31, 1973
Search, episode A Honeymoon to Kill, originally aired January 10, 1973
Mr. Terrific, episode Matchless, originally aired January 9, 1967
12 O'Clock High, episode Face of a Shadow, originally aired September 23, 1966
The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., episode The Dog-Gone Affair, originally aired September 13, 1966
The Man from U.N.C.L.E., episode The Four-Steps Affair, originally aired March 22, 1965
Burke's Law, episode Who Killed Marty Kelso?, originally aired February 28, 1964
Bonanza, episode The Dowry, originally aired April 29, 1962
Thriller, episode Flowers of Evil, originally aired March 5, 1962
The Tab Hunter Show, episode One Night in Paris, originally aired December 4, 1960
Hong Kong, episode To Catch a Star, originally aired November 30, 1960
Adventures in Paradise, episode Heads, You Lose, originally aired April 18, 1960
Have Gun - Will Travel, episode Unforgiven, originally aired November 7, 1959
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Presents, episode Together, originally aired March 11, 1957

luciana paluzzi trailers now showing

Watch the trailers for Luciana Paluzzi's 1968 science fiction film The Green Slime and 1969 adventure Captain Nemo And The Underwater City

luciana paluzzi film now showing

Watch Luciana Paluzzi's 1969 crime drama 99 Women
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