Isa Miranda

Isa Miranda was an Italian actress who built an international film career. Born in Milan, she trained at the Accademia dei Filodrammatici and worked as a typist before taking small parts in Italian films in Rome. After adopting the name Isa Miranda, she broke through in Max Ophüls's La Signora di tutti (1934) as Gaby Doriot, a celebrated screen star. The role brought offers and a Paramount contract in Hollywood, where she took femme fatale roles in Adventure in Diamonds (1940) and Hotel Imperial (1939). Back in Italy during World War II, she continued stage and film work. Her performance in The Walls of Malapaga (1949), directed by René Clément, won an Academy Award for outstanding foreign language film and earned her the Palme d'Or at Cannes. Other credits included La Ronde (1950), Summertime (1955), The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964), The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968) and The Night Porter (1974). She also appeared in television films and died in 1982.