Elissa Landi
Elissa Landi (December 6, 1904 – October 21, 1948) was an Italian born actress who was popular in Hollywood films of the 1920s and 1930s. Rumoured to be a descendant of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria, she was noted for her aristocratic bearing. Born Elisabeth Marie Christine Kühnelt in Venice, Landi was raised in Austria and educated in England. Her first ambition was to be a writer, and she wrote her first novel at the age of twenty. She would return to writing during lulls in her acting career. She joined the Oxford Repertory Company at an early age, appearing in many British and American stage successes. During the 1920s she appeared in British, French, and German films before travelling to the United States to appear in a Broadway production of A Farewell to Arms. She was signed to a contact by Fox Film Corporation (later 20th Century Fox) in 1931. She played the heroine in Cecil B. De Mille's The Sign of the Cross (1932), but was overshadowed by Claudette Colbert who played the flashier role of Poppea. She was paired successfully with some of the major leading men, such as David Manners, Charles Farrell, Warner Baxter, and Ronald Colman in romantic dramas such as Body and Soul (1931) before appearing in the box office hit The Count of Monte Cristo (1934) with Robert Donat. Her contract with Fox was abruptly cancelled in 1936 as a result of her refusal to accept a particular role. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer signed her to a contract and after a couple of romantic dramas she played the cousin of Myrna Loy in the very popular After the Thin Man (1936). After only two more films she retired, in 1943. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1943, and dedicated herself to writing, producing six novels and a series of poems. She died from cancer in Kingston, New York, and was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Elissa Landi has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to Motion Pictures, at 1615 Vine St. Description above from the Wikipedia article Elissa Landi, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
The Thirteenth Chair
as Helen Trent
The Thirteenth Chair
as Helen Trent
Hollywood Party
as Herself - the Hostess
Hollywood Party
as Herself - the Hostess
The Amateur Gentleman
as Lady Cleone Meredith
The Amateur Gentleman
as Lady Cleone Meredith
Crimson Dynasty
as Princess Aurore
Crimson Dynasty
as Princess Aurore
Without Regret
as Jennifer Gage
Without Regret
as Jennifer Gage
Enter Madame
as Lisa Della Robbia
Enter Madame
as Lisa Della Robbia
The Count of Monte Cristo
as Mercedes
The Count of Monte Cristo
as Mercedes
The Great Flirtation
as Zita Marishka
The Great Flirtation
as Zita Marishka
Sisters Under the Skin
as Blossom Bailey
Sisters Under the Skin
as Blossom Bailey
Man of Two Worlds
as Joan Pemberton
Man of Two Worlds
as Joan Pemberton
By Candlelight
as Marie
By Candlelight
as Marie
The Masquerader
as Eve Chilcote
The Masquerader
as Eve Chilcote
I Loved You Wednesday
as Vicki Meredith
I Loved You Wednesday
as Vicki Meredith
The Warrior's Husband
as Antiope
The Warrior's Husband
as Antiope
The Sign of the Cross
as Mercia
The Sign of the Cross
as Mercia
A Passport to Hell
as Myra Carson
A Passport to Hell
as Myra Carson
The Woman in Room 13
as Laura Ramsey
The Woman in Room 13
as Laura Ramsey
Devil's Lottery
as Evelyn Beresford
Devil's Lottery
as Evelyn Beresford
The Yellow Ticket
as Marya Kalish
The Yellow Ticket
as Marya Kalish
Wicked
as Margot Rande
Wicked
as Margot Rande
Always Goodbye
as Lila Banning
Always Goodbye
as Lila Banning
Body and Soul
as Carla
Body and Soul
as Carla
Children of Chance
as Binnie
Children of Chance
as Binnie
The Price of Things
as Anthea Mary Dayre
The Price of Things
as Anthea Mary Dayre
Knowing Men
as Korah Hurley / Collette
Knowing Men
as Korah Hurley / Collette
Sin
as Kersti
Sin
as Kersti
Underground
as Nell
Underground
as Nell
Bolibar
as Françoise-Marie / La Monita
Bolibar
as Françoise-Marie / La Monita
London
as Alice Cranston
London
as Alice Cranston