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Franca Bettoia

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Franca Bettoia
Bettoia in The Last Man on Earth (1964)
Born(1936-05-14)14 May 1936
Died13 September 2024(2024-09-13) (aged 88)
Rome, Italy
OccupationActress
Spouse
(m. 1972; died 1990)
ChildrenGianmarco Tognazzi
Maria Sole Tognazzi

Franca Bettoia (or Bettoja; 14 May 1936 – 13 September 2024) was an Italian actress known for her role as Ruth Collins in the film The Last Man on Earth.

Life and career

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Born in Rome in an upper-class family, Bettoia studied dance at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, and made her first film appearance in Un palco all'opera (1955, by Siro Marcellini).[1] She had her breakout in 1958, starring opposite Pietro Germi in A Man of Straw , a role which got her a Grolla d'oro nomination for best actress.[2] In 1962, she got a Nastro d'argento nomination for best supporting actress for her performance in Alfredo Giannetti's Day by Day, Desperately.[2] Despite the critical acclaim for her performances, she was more active in genre films, mostly in adventure and sword-and-sandal films.[1] Among them, 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.[2]

In 1963, Bettoia started a long relationship with Ugo Tognazzi, whom she married in 1972, and with whom she had two sons, film director Maria Sole Tognazzi and actor Gianmarco Tognazzi.[2][3]

In 1975, Bettoia and her mother Maris founded the Gran Loggia Femminile d'Italia, the first Italian Masonic obedience exclusively for women which was officially recognized by the Grand Orient of Italy.[4][5][6][7]

Bettoia died in Rome in September 2024, at the age of 88.[8]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b Lancia, Enrico; Poppi, Roberto (2003). "Bettoia, Franca". Le attrici: dal 1930 ai giorni nostri. Gremese Editore. p. 33. ISBN 978-88-8440-214-1.
  2. ^ a b c d "E' morta Franca Bettoja, la moglie di Ugo Tognazzi". Sky TG24 (in Italian). 14 September 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  3. ^ "Franca Bettoja, chi era la moglie di Ugo Tognazzi: recitò con Scola e Ferreri, divenne famosa per Sandokan". Il Messaggero (in Italian). 14 September 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  4. ^ Overview of the Italian Masonic obediences
  5. ^ Masonic Lodge "Giordano Bruno"
  6. ^ Luca Bagatin. "Donne e Massoneria: intervista esclusiva alla Gran Maestra Gabriella Bagnolesi" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Lettera aperta di Luca Bagatin alla giornalista de "Il Fatto Quotidiano" Antonella Beccaria a proposito del suo libro "I segreti della Massoneria in Italia"". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  8. ^ E' morta Franca Bettoja, la moglie di Ugo Tognazzi (in Italian)
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