Luciana
Paluzzi
Born this
day in 1937
Fiona Volpe
in Thunderball
I have had
the pleasure of meeting Luciana Paluzzi a couple of times in Los Angeles for Bond
Reunions hosted by the Hollywood Collector’s Show. Each time, she has been
exceeding friendly, engaging, and an absolute darling of a lady to meet. She is
still gorgeous with her firecracker signature hair and mischievous smile.
Paluzzi was
born in Rome at a tumultuous time for Italy and for Europe. Her first role was
either in 1953 (according to IMDB), or in the 1954 Three Coins in the
Fountain (per Wikipedia), which I just
re-watched recently and I think I remember seeing her in her “walk on” role. She
had a prosperous acting career in Italy and by the 1960s, she was working
abroad as well as in her native country.
She
auditioned for the role of Domino in Thunderball, who was originally Italian in
the story, but was changed to a Frenchwoman to accommodate the casing of
Claudine Auger. However, Paluzzi was offered the role of Fiona Volpe, a SPECTRE
agent, and she said that the henchwoman was “more fun to play.” Although
Paluzzi is best known for the role, sadly she said that after the publicity and
fame died down, she felt she wasn’t taken as seriously as an actress,
especially after she returned to Italian parts in Italy.
Hugo
De Vernier
Born this
day in 1912
Hotel Porter
in From Russia With Love
Hugo De
Vernier worked 30+ years in the industry as an actor. He got his start with a
role in the UK television show The Scarlet Pimpernel in 1956, being cast as a prison guard. De Vernier
made guest appearances in several television shows, most notably The
Avengers, The Saint, and Secret Agent. Besides From Russia With Love, he was cast in Kelly’s
Heroes (1970) as the French Mayor and The
Return of the Pink Panther (1975) as a
doctor. In all, De Vernier had 41 acting credits to his name before his death
in 1993.
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