Early career '' (1961) Born in
Ancona, Lisi began her film career in her teens. Discovered in
Rome by two Neapolitan producers, Antonio Ferrigno and Ettore Pesce, she debuted in ''La corda d'acciaio
(The Steel Rope, 1953). Initially, she appeared in musical films like E Napoli canta
(Naples Sings, 1953) and Questa è la vita
(Of Life and Love, 1954, with Totò). While initially cast in roles highlighting her physical appearance, such as Le diciottenni
(Eighteen Year Olds) and Lo scapolo
(The Bachelor), both released in 1955, she went on to more demanding roles, particularly in The Doll That Took the Town (1956), Eva (1962), and the spectacle Duel of the Titans'' (1961). In the late 1950s, Lisi performed on stage at
Piccolo Teatro di Milano in
I giacobini by Federico Zardi under the direction of
Giorgio Strehler. During the 1960s, Lisi appeared in comedies and participated in television dramas that were widely viewed in Italy. Lisi also promoted a toothpaste brand on television with a slogan that would become a catchphrase among Italians: "
con quella bocca può dire ciò che vuole" (
with such a mouth, she can say whatever she wants).
Hollywood career Though she turned down the
Tatiana Romanova role in
From Russia with Love (1963), Hollywood producers sought a new
Marilyn Monroe and so, Lisi debuted in Hollywood comedy as a green-eyed blonde temptress with
Jack Lemmon in
How to Murder Your Wife (1965) and appeared with
Tony Curtis in ''
Not with My Wife, You Don't! (1966). Lisi then starred with Frank Sinatra, in Assault on a Queen (1966), in The Girl and the General,
co-starring with Rod Steiger, and in two films with Anthony Quinn, The Secret of Santa Vittoria, directed by Stanley Kramer, and the war drama The 25th Hour. In 1969 she did a cameo appearance in If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium. In the 80s she played in two american movies, Miss right
and I Love N.Y.''. She garnered attention for a photo of her 'shaving' her face that appeared on the March 1965 cover of
Esquire magazine. In 1968 she turned down the role of
Barbarella because she was not interested in a sexualized role
Later career in Europe '' (1966) To overcome her typecasting playing seductresses, Lisi sought new types of roles, of evil women or of a lover in relationships of disparate age for example. In those years, she participated in Italian productions, in
Casanova 70 and
Le bambole (1965),
Arabella (1967), and
Le dolci signore (1968). She turned down the part played by
Jane Fonda in
Roger Vadim's
Barbarella (1968). Lisi also starred in
The Birds, the Bees and the Italians (1966) which shared the Grand Prix (then equivalent to the
Palme d'Or, which was not awarded at the time) with
A Man and a Woman at the
Cannes Film Festival that year. She told
The New York Sunday Times that after marrying Franco Pesci, an Italian builder and architect, she briefly retired from acting in the early 1970s to spend more time with her husband and their son, Corrado. along with a
Silver Ribbon for Best Supporting Actress. In 2002, Lisi starred in
The Best Day of My Life. Lisi then participated in many
sitcoms and TV series. Her last movie was in the Italian
comedy drama Latin Lover in 2014, shortly before her death. ==Personal life and death==