Franca Bettoia
Acting
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Franca Bettoia (or Bettoja; born 14 May 1936) is an Italian actress. Born in Rome, she made her first film appearance in Un palco all'opera (1955, by Siro Marcellini). The following year she appeared in Los amantes del desierto ("Desert Warrior", a Spanish-Italian desert epic starring Ricardo Montalban, Carmen Sevilla and Gino Cervi. She next appeared opposite Pietro Germi in L'uomo di paglia (1958), and opposite Macha Méril and Jacques Charrier in the French production La main chaude (1960, by Gérard Oury). She appeared as a nun in Apocalisse sul Fiume Giallo (The Dam on the Yellow River, 1960), an anti-Communist propaganda film which portrays the victory of Mao Zedong's People's Liberation Army as seen through the eyes of an American journalist (Georges Marchal) reporting from the side of the nationalists. In 1961, she starred opposite Alan Ladd in Orazi e Curiazi (Duel of the Champions), a sword and sandals adventure set in ancient Rome. In 1964, Bettoia co-starred with Vincent Price in the horror/science fiction film The Last Man on Earth (1964, by Ubaldo Ragone and Sidney Salkow), the first screen adaptation of Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend. She then played a princess in the adventure films Sandokan alla riscossa (1964) and Sandokan contro il leopardo di Sarawak (1964). In 1967 she appeared as Ugo Tognazzi’s lover in the comedy Il fischio al naso (The Seventh Floor, 1967). Bettoia and Tognazzi married in 1972. They had a had a daughter, film director Maria Sole Tognazzi. Bettoia acted in only three more films after Il fischio al naso. In the comedy Riusciranno i nostri eroi a ritrovare l'amico misteriosamente scomparso in Africa? (1968, by Ettore Scola) she starred alongside Alberto Sordi and Bernard Blier. In Touche pas à la femme blanche (Don’t Touch the White Woman, directed by Marco Ferreri in 1974) she starred alongside Catherine Deneuve, Marcello Mastroianni and Michel Piccoli. Her last film, Teste rasate (1993) is a drama about skinheads, in which her son, Gianmarco Tognazzi, plays the lead role. Description above from the Wikipedia article Franca Bettoia, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
When a disease turns all of humanity into the living dead, the last man on earth becomes a reluctant vampire hunter.
The Last Man on Earth
This drama about the Carmelite order of nuns is set during the French Revolution. A young woman seeks refuge with the Carmelites because she is terrified of dying during the upheaval. The longer she associates with the nuns the more she is transformed by their faith and devotion.
The Dialogue of the Carmelites
A rich businessman is fed up with work, family, society, and goes with his accountant to Africa, in search of his brother-in-law who had vanished there in mysterious circumstances. They will find him alright - as a tribal chief, surrounded with lots of topless, shapely wives. They are going to return to civilisation, but will their friend come with them?
Will Our Heroes Be Able to Find Their Friend Who Has Mysteriously Disappeared in Africa?
Omar Sultan's army has been defeated. However, Prince Said, son of the Sultan died, encourages people to form an army and fight again to Ibrahim. The town gets excited and running quickly, while crossing the desert, they encounter the enemy caravans and raid without knowing that one of them is Fatima, daughter of Ibrahim, who poses as a singer of the harem. Said, dazzled by the beauty of the girl, released. But soon after, Fatima, who also doesn´t know the origin of the robber, sees him again, and among them born a strong attraction.
Desert Warrior
In 1620 pirates are terrorizing the Adriatic coast. Our hero sets out to defeat them.
The Lion of St. Mark
An evil duke kidnaps the good king and tries to make the virtuous queen his bride and the peasants take arms.
Attack of the Normans
A highly stylized surreal farce about the events leading up to Custer's Last Stand anachronistically reenacted in an urban renewal area in modern Paris.
Don't Touch the White Woman!
A Roman nobleman, Horatius leads an imperial legion during the long and bloody war between the Romans and the Albans. A desperate arrangement is agreed on how to settle the war. Three valiant brothers are chosen from each side to fight one last fierce and bloody duel...
Duel of Champions
A documentary on the history of Italy's peplum genre.
Kolossal - The Magnificent Macisti
Samoa is kidnapped and held captive hypnotized in caves by her cousin Charles Druk, whose father has been murdered by her future husband Sandokan, lord of Malaya. Assisted by his European friend Iannis, he wants to rescue her.
Return of Sandokan
The mental illness affecting young Dario, one of the two sons of the Dominici family living in a council building in Rome, disrupts the lives of all its members.
Day by Day, Desperately
In this unusual offbeat black comedy directed by Ugo Tognazzi, Giuseppe (Tognazzi) is a middle-aged industrialist obsessed with gadgets. When his nose starts to whistle uncontrollably, he checks into a clinic to resolve the problem. What begins as a minor affliction worsens, and Giuseppe is placed on a different floor as his ailments multiply. The sicker he gets, the higher he goes up in the floors of the clinic, until he is near death's door.
The Seventh Floor
No description available.
The Man with the Cigar in His Mouth
When Sandokan learns he is the rightful heir to the throne of Malaysia, he immediately sets off to claim his land back.
Sandokan Fights Back
Anti-Communist propaganda film, in which the victory of Mao Tse-Tung's People's Liberation Army is seen through the eyes of an American journalist reporting from the Nationalists' side.
The Dam on the Yellow River
22-year-old Marco leads an aimless life in Rome's suburbs. One day he meets skinhead Saverio, aka 'Führer', head of a local neo-nazi chapter. Marco becomes fascinated with their single-minded purpose and ends up joining Führer's group, partaking in bullying, beatings, and other violent activities. However he is hiding his previous relationship with an immigrant Somalian girl.
Skinheads
No description available.
Cavalcata selvaggia
Andrea Zaccardi has returned home from hunting. He and his wife Luisa are very close. Their young son Giulio develops a cough. The doctor recommends the seaside. Luisa leaves with Giulio for several weeks. Andrea stays to work at the metal shop.
Man of Straw
A widow in her fifties,Madame Lacoste ,meets Jean when they both come to put their pussy in a cattery.The man borrows a hefty sum from her ,to send his sick young son to breathe the fresh air of the country ,or so he said;in fact there's no son at all.He gives the money to his mistress who claims she's pregnant by him and who wants to have an abortion.She lies too ,for she does not expect any child and she intends to help the young man she's in love with to buy a scooter.But the latter does not care about her either and intends to marry a "rich " girl ....who's actually the concierge's daughter.
The Itchy Palm
An Italian drama directed by Leopoldo Savona.