Evi Maltagliati: Movies & Filmography

Evi Maltagliati, born Evelina Maltagliati on 11 August 1908 in Florence, was a distinguished Italian stage, television, and film actress whose career spanned several decades of twentieth-century Italian entertainment. She began her theatrical journey at the remarkably young age of just fifteen, joining the Galli-Guasti stage company and quickly establishing herself as a promising talent in the Italian theatrical scene. Her critical breakthrough came in 1933, when she took on the iconic role of Titania in a celebrated production of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by the legendary Max Reinhardt and staged in the breathtaking Boboli Gardens. This performance earned her wide acclaim and cemented her reputation as a serious dramatic actress. Throughout her long and prolific career, Maltagliati had the privilege of working alongside some of the most revered names in Italian theater, including Eduardo De Filippo, Gino Cervi, Vittorio Gassman, Nino Manfredi, and Sergio Tofano. Although her opportunities in cinema were comparatively limited, she delivered memorable performances in notable films such as The Betrothed (1941), Ulysses (1954), Suleiman the Conqueror (1961), Imperial Venus (1962), and the Hollywood classic Catch-22 (1970). She found particular success on the small screen, becoming a familiar face in Italian television dramas and series, most notably playing Signora Nickleby in The Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1958). Maltagliati was married to the Italian comedian Eugenio Cappabianca, with whom she shared her personal life away from the stage lights. She passed away on 27 April 1986 in Rome at the age of 77, leaving behind a rich legacy of performances that contributed significantly to the golden age of Italian theater and screen acting.