Alida Valli

**Alida Maria Laura Altenburger von Marckenstein-Frauenberg**, professionally known as **Alida Valli** or simply **Valli** was an acclaimed Italian actress. She had an illustrious 70-year long career in cinema from the 1930s to the early 2000s, which saw her appear in over 100 films. During the fascist era, she was one of Italy's biggest cinema stars even being hailed as the 'most beautiful woman in the world' by Benito Mussolini. Post World War II, she gained international stardom by working with directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Carol Reed, Luchino Visconti, and many more. She was bestowed with the honour of a Knight of the Italian Republic and received the Lifetime Achievement Golden Lion at the 1997 Venice Film Festival for her cinematic contributions. Her initial Hollywood career saw her acting in defining films like *The Paradine Case* and *The Third Man*, the latter being recognised as one of the best films ever made. However, she was not content with Hollywood's strict rules on actors which made her return to Europe in the early 1950s where she starred in numerous French and Italian films. Her last movie was *Semana Santa* (2002). Apart from film, Valli was also known for her stage appearances in famous plays like Ibsen's Rosmersholm and Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge.