--- name: "Alida Valli" canonical: "https://film.one/person/alida-valli" fi1m_id: "alida-valli" imdb_id: "nm0885098" tmdb_id: 15385 wikidata_id: "Q106940" roles: ["Actor"] born: "31 May 1921" died: "22 April 2006" reviewed_on_fi1m: 5 average_fi1m_score: 81 average_as: "actor" average_over: 5 updated: "2026-09-26T17:04:47.468945+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Alida Valli ## Identity Alida Valli - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/alida-valli - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** alida-valli - **IMDb ID:** nm0885098 - **TMDB ID:** 15385 - **Wikidata ID:** Q106940 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alida_Valli, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q106940, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0885098/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/15385 Actor. Born 31 May 1921 in Pola, Istria, Italy [now Pula, Istria, Croatia]. Died 22 April 2006. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 31 May 1921, Pola, Istria, Italy [now Pula, Istria, Croatia] - **Died:** 22 April 2006 - **Active:** 1949–1977 - **Also known as:** Valli, Alida Maria Laura von Altenburger, Alida Altenburger, Alida Maria Altenburger - **Frequently works with:** [Riccardo Gualino](https://film.one/person/riccardo-gualino.md) - **Venice Film Festival:** 1 Venice prize (1 won) - **Average Fi1m score:** 81, as actor, over 5 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1940s 92 (1), 1950s 79 (1), 1960s 86 (1), 1970s 75 (2) - **Fi1m against the critics:** 82 to 77 across 4 titles - **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 0 under 60 - **Lead roles:** 4 of 4 acting credits billed first or second - **Genres:** Drama 4, Mystery 2, Thriller 2, History 1, Horror 1, Romance 1 - **Screen time:** 12 hours of reviewed films - **Box office:** $1m across 2 films with figures - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alida_Valli, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q106940, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0885098/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/15385 ## Streaming the US now - **HBO Max:** [*Eyes Without a Face*](https://film.one/film/eyes-without-a-face.md) (86), [*Senso*](https://film.one/film/senso.md) (79) - **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Third Man*](https://film.one/film/the-third-man.md) (92) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Alida Valli > Alida Valli can suggest deep feeling without much outward display. We admire the restraint that makes her so affecting in *The Third Man*, though even she cannot fill every gap in an underwritten relationship. In *The Third Man* (1949), Alida Valli's Anna Schmidt is not there simply to make Joseph Cotten's character matter. Valli gives her relationships weight even when the screenplay tells us little about their history. We were moved by Anna because her feelings remain convincing where the writing is incomplete. Valli does not make those omissions disappear, but she gives us a reason to want the scenes that might have filled them. Her early Italian stardom included a dramatic role in *Piccolo mondo antico* (1941). Hollywood brought Hitchcock's *The Paradine Case* (1947), though some early notices found her overly reserved or wooden. Her return to Europe in the early 1950s led to Luchino Visconti's *Senso* (1954), with Valli as the countess Livia Serpieri. That leading role offers a useful next step for anyone who knows only Anna. The recurring strength is her ability to suggest turmoil beneath a composed exterior. From the 1960s, character and supporting parts increasingly made use of that composure. Franju cast her as Louise, a devoted nurse and assistant, in *Eyes Without a Face* (1960); Dario Argento used her as the strict dance instructor Miss Tanner in *Suspiria* (1977). The later horror work gives that reserve a less reassuring purpose. It is a sensible use of an actress whose quietness need not imply kindness. Carol Reed's use of her remains the place to begin. In *The Third Man*, Trevor Howard's Major Calloway has the firmness that Cotten's uncertainty needs, and Cotten's less showy work is essential. Valli belongs alongside them rather than serving as confirmation of the leading man's importance. The relationships sometimes need more space, and her performance cannot provide all the history the screenplay leaves out. Follow *The Third Man* with *Senso* before heading for the horror films. ## Biography Alida Valli was an Italian actress whose career spanned from the mid-1930s to the early 2000s. Born Alida Maria Laura Altenburger von Marckenstein-Frauenberg on 31 May 1921 in Pola, Istria (then Italy, now Pula, Croatia), she trained at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome and made her film debut as a teenager. She appeared in more than 100 films, working with directors including Alfred Hitchcock in *The Paradine Case* (1947), Carol Reed in *The Third Man* (1949) as Anna Schmidt, Luchino Visconti in *Senso* (1954), and Dario Argento in *Suspiria* (1977). She was also known for roles in *Eyes Without a Face* (1960), *1900* (1976) and *Inferno* (1980). Valli received the Lifetime Achievement Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1997. She was married to composer Oscar de Mejo from 1944 until their divorce in the early 1950s; they had two sons, including actor Carlo De Mejo. Valli died in Rome on 22 April 2006. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, nytimes.com.* ## On Fi1m (5) - *1900* (1976), Fi1m 70, as Signora Pioppi — [page](https://film.one/film/1900.md) - *The Spider's Stratagem* (1970), Fi1m 80, as Draifa — [page](https://film.one/film/the-spiders-stratagem.md) - *Eyes Without a Face* (1960), Fi1m 86, as Louise — [page](https://film.one/film/eyes-without-a-face.md) - *Senso* (1954), Fi1m 79, as La Contessa Livia Serpieri — [page](https://film.one/film/senso.md) - *The Third Man* (1949), Fi1m 92, as Anna Schmidt — [page](https://film.one/film/the-third-man.md) ## Complete filmography (116) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Akai Ito* (2025), Actor - *Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen* (2012), as (archive footage) - *Angel of Death* (2002), as Doña Catalina - *Vino Santo – Es lebe die Liebe, es lebe der Wein* (2001), as Sveva Salvini - *The Sweet Sounds of Life* (1999), as Sofia's grandmother, Nonna di Sofia - *Fatal Frames* (1996), as Countess Alessandra Mirafiori - *A Month by the Lake* (1995), as Signora Fascioli - *The Final Scoop* (1994), as Caterina, Andrea's mother - *The Long Silence* (1993), as Carla's Mother - *Private Crimes* (1993), series, as Matilde Pierboni - *Zitti e mosca* (1991), as Clara - *Silent Love* (1991), as Countess Bianca Rospigliosi - *To Our Late Husband* (1988), as Catarina - *Manuela's Loves* (1987), as Bacha - *Secrets Secrets* (1985), as Gina - *Forbidden Dreams* (1982), as Madre di Marina - *Aspern* (1982), as Juliana Barther - *The Fall of the Rebel Angels* (1981), as Bettina - *Season of Peace in Paris* (1981), Actor - *Illa - Punto d'osservazione* (1981), as Maria Dal Ponte - *Illa - Punto di osservazione* (1981), series, as Maria Dal Ponte - *That House in the Outskirts* (1980), as Isabel - *Towards Zero* (1980), as Lady Camilla Tressilian - *The Bailiff of Greifensee* (1980), as Marianne - *Inferno* (1980), as Carol - *Luna* (1979), as Giuseppe's Mother - *Killer Nun* (1979), as Mother Superior - *Zoo zéro* (1979), as Yvonne, la mère - *Lycanthropus, the Son of the Night* (1979), Actor - *The Perfect Crime* (1978), as Lady Clementine De Revere - *Dirty World* (1978), as Teresina - *Berlinguer: I Love You* (1977), as Mamma di Mario - *A Simple Heart* (1977), as Mrs. Obin - *Suspiria* (1977), as Miss Tanner - *The Cassandra Crossing* (1976), as Mrs. Chadwick - *The Game of Solitaire* (1976), as Germaine - *1900* (1976), as Signora Pioppi — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/1900.md) - *Cher Victor* (1975), as Anna - *The House of Exorcism* (1975), as Countess (archive footage) - *Flesh of the Orchid* (1975), as la folle de la gare - *Lisa and the Devil* (1974), as Contessa - *The Antichrist* (1974), as Irene - *Tender Dracula* (1974), as Héloïse - *It's Nothing Mama, Just a Game* (1974), as Louise - *Indian Summer* (1972), as Marcella Abati - Vanina's mother - *Eye in the Labyrinth* (1972), as Gerda - *The Spider's Stratagem* (1970), as Draifa — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/the-spiders-stratagem.md) - *The Killer Strikes at Dawn* (1970), as Linda Benson - *Oedipus Rex* (1967), as Merope, Queen of Corinth - *Black Humor* (1965), as The Widow - segment 3 'La cornacchia' - *The Other Woman* (1964), as Annabel - *The Paper Man* (1963), as La Italiana - *The Castilian* (1963), as Reina Teresa - *Ophélia* (1963), as Claudia Lesurf - *The Getaway Face* (1963), Actor - *Combat!* (1962), series, as Marie - *Al otro lado de la ciudad* (1962), Actor - *Disorder* (1962), as Carlo's Mother - *La Fille du torrent* (1962), as Livia Boissière - *Homage at Siesta Time* (1962), as Constance Fischer - *The Happy Thieves* (1961), as Duchess Blanca - *Dr. Kildare* (1961), series, as Luisa Brabante - *The Long Absence* (1961), as Thérèse Langlois - *Il peccato degli anni verdi* (1960), as madre di Elena - *The Gigolo* (1960), as Agathe - *The Dialogue of the Carmelites* (1960), as Mother Thérèse of Saint-Augustin - *Eyes Without a Face* (1960), as Louise — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/eyes-without-a-face.md) - *Signed, Arsène Lupin* (1959), as Aurélia Valéano - *The Sons of Medea* (1959), as Medea / Alida Valli - *L'uomo dai calzoni corti* (1958), as Carolina - *The Night Heaven Fell* (1958), as Aunt Florentine - *The Wide Blue Road* (1957), as Rosetta, the Wife - *This Angry Age* (1957), as Claude - *Il Grido* (1957), as Irma - *Senso* (1954), as La Contessa Livia Serpieri — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/senso.md) - *The Stranger's Hand* (1954), as Roberta Gleukovitch - *We, the Women* (1953), as Alida (segment "Alida Valli") - *The World Condemns Them* (1953), as Renata Giustini - *The Lovers of Toledo* (1953), as Doña Inés de Arévalo Blas - *Last Meeting* (1951), as Lina Castelli - *Miracles Only Happen Once* (1951), as Claudia - *Walk Softly, Stranger* (1950), as Elaine Corelli - *The White Tower* (1950), as Carla Alton (as Valli) - *The Third Man* (1949), as Anna Schmidt — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/the-third-man.md) - *The Za-Bum Circus* (1949), as (segments "Gelosia", "Il postino" and "Galop finale al circo") - *The Miracle of the Bells* (1948), as Olga Treskovna - *The Paradine Case* (1947), as Mrs. Paradine - *Eugenia Grandet* (1946), as Eugenia Grandet - *Il canto della vita* (1945), as Giovanna - *Life Begins Anew* (1945), as Patrizia Martini - *Apparizione* (1943), as Andreina - *I'll Love You Forever* (1943), as Adriana Rosé - *Laugh Pagliacci* (1943), as Giulia - *We the Living, Part Two* (1942), as Kira Argounova - *We the Living, Part One* (1942), as Kira Argounova - *Le due orfanelle* (1942), as Enrichetta - *Catene invisibili* (1942), Actor - *Stasera niente di nuovo* (1942), as Maria - *L'amante segreta* (1941), Actor - *Schoolgirl Diary* (1941), as Anna Campolmi - *Luce nelle tenebre* (1941), as Marina Ferri - *Piccolo mondo antico* (1941), as Luisa Maironi - *La prima donna che passa* (1940), as Gabriella - *Taverna rossa* (1940), as Susanna Sormani - *Manon Lescaut* (1940), as Manon Lescaut - *Beyond Love* (1940), as Vanina Vanini - *Ballo al castello* (1939), as Greta Larsen - *You Love Me, I Love You* (1939), as Vera Fabbri - *A Thousand Lire a Month* (1939), as Magda - *La casa del peccato* (1938), as Girl - *L'amor mio non muore!* (1938), as Maria D'Alba - *Il trovatello* (1938), as Maria - *Il feroce saladino* (1937), as Dora Florida / La bella Sulamita - *I Was to Blame* (1937), as Lauretta - *Three Cornered Hat* (1935), Actor - *La macchina da scrivere*, series, as Solange ## Gallery - ![Promotional portrait of Alida Valli for the 1947 film The Paradine Case](https://film.one/media/person/59004/gallery-297a49f7a40a.jpg) Promotional portrait of Alida Valli for the 1947 film The Paradine Case — Vanguard Films, photograph by John Miehle, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Alida-Valli-1947.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Italian actress Alida Valli with her sons at the zoo of Rome (1960)](https://film.one/media/person/59004/gallery-8a4fe4005cee.jpg) Italian actress Alida Valli with her sons at the zoo of Rome (1960) — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Alida_Valli%2C_zoo_of_Rome.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Alida Valli a Lopott feleség (Taverna Rossa) című 1940-es olasz filmben](https://film.one/media/person/59004/gallery-2256a072004c.jpg) Alida Valli a Lopott feleség (Taverna Rossa) című 1940-es olasz filmben — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Alida_Valli_%28Taverna_Rossa%2C_1940%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Alida Valli nel film italiano Noi vivi (1942)](https://film.one/media/person/59004/gallery-01f9a50fa6c2.png) Alida Valli nel film italiano Noi vivi (1942) — Film diretto da Goffredo Alessandrini e prodotto da Scalera Film, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Alida_Valli_-_Noi_vivi_%281942%29.png/1280px-Alida_Valli_-_Noi_vivi_%281942%29.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Alida Valli](https://film.one/media/person/59004/gallery-a188593c9ede.jpg) Alida Valli — Image via TMDB - ![Alida Valli](https://film.one/media/person/59004/gallery-6526c774d41d.jpg) Alida Valli — Image via TMDB - ![Alida Valli](https://film.one/media/person/59004/gallery-74fedcd96fa8.jpg) Alida Valli — Image via TMDB - ![Alida Valli nel film italiano Noi vivi (1942)](https://film.one/media/person/59004/gallery-9fc370717d8e.png) Alida Valli nel film italiano Noi vivi (1942) — Film diretto da Goffredo Alessandrini e prodotto da Scalera Film, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Alida_Valli_-_Noi_vivi_%281942%29_%282%29.png/1280px-Alida_Valli_-_Noi_vivi_%281942%29_%282%29.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Alida Valli e Amedeo Nazzari nel film italiano Apparizione (1943)](https://film.one/media/person/59004/gallery-b51b92fe82c2.png) Alida Valli e Amedeo Nazzari nel film italiano Apparizione (1943) — Film diretto da Jean de Limur e prodotto da Cines, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Alida_Valli_e_Amedeo_Nazzari_-_Apparizione_%281943%29.png/1280px-Alida_Valli_e_Amedeo_Nazzari_-_Apparizione_%281943%29.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) ## Awards ### Golden Globes — 0 won, 1 nominated - 1963: Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama (nominated), for *The Paper Man* ### Venice Film Festival — 1 won - 1997: Lifetime Achievement (won) ### Other awards — 3 won - David di Donatello Award for Lifetime Achievement 1991: David di Donatello Award for Lifetime Achievement (won) - Gamajun International Award 1990: Gamajun International Award (won) - Grolla d'oro for Best Leading Actress 1955: Grolla d'oro for Best Leading Actress (won), for *Senso* *From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.* --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/alida-valli