Edwige Fenech

Edwige Fenech Biography

Edwige Fenech was born (as Edwige Sfenek) on December 24, 1948, in Bone, Constantine, France, to a Maltese father and an Italian mother. She began her show-business career as a participant in beauty contests (she won the title of "Miss Mannequin de la Cote dAzur" at age 16 and even won a Miss France beauty contest) and worked as a photo model prior to making her film debut in the comedy Toutes folles de lui (1967). She appeared in such saucy West German sex farces as Alle Kätzchen naschen gern (1969) and Frau Wirtin hat auch einen Grafen (1968). With her lustrous and long black hair, lovely and sensuous face, full shapely figure and smoldering screen presence, Edwige soon became a very popular and much sought-after actress in a diverse array of European productions made in Italy, France, Spain and West Germany. she achieved her greatest enduring cult cinema popularity by starring in several superior Italian giallos for director Sergio Martino : Lo strano vizio della Signora Wardh (1971), Tutti i colori del buio (1972) and Il tuo vizio è una stanza chiusa e solo io ne ho la chiave (1972) (she was the onetime girlfriend of Martinos producer brother, Luciano Martino). Edwige also acted for Martino in a handful of racy Italian sex comedies and the Italian mini-series "Delitti privati" (1993). Other noted Italian film directors Fenech has worked for are Mario Bava (5 bambole per la luna dagosto (1970)), Giuliano Carnimeo (Perché quelle strane gocce di sangue sul corpo di Jennifer? (1972)), Andrea Bianchi (Nude per lassassino (1975)), Umberto Lenzi (Il grande attacco (1978)), Steno (Dottor Jekyll e gentile signora (1979)),Dino Risi (Sono fotogenico (1980)) and Ruggero Deodato (Un delitto poco comune (1988)). She demonstrated her exceptional range and skill as an actress with enjoyably uninhibited performances in such amusingly bawdy Italian comedic romps as Quel gran pezzo della Ubalda tutta nuda e tutta calda (1972) and Linsegnante (1975). Edwige became a television personality in the 1980s and made frequent appearances on an Italian chat show along with fellow giallo goddess Barbara Bouchet. Moreover, Fenech launched her own fashion line and founded her own film production company, Immagine e Cinema S.r.l., with her son Edwin Fenech (she co-produced the 2004 film The Merchant of Venice (2004) as well as various Italian TV mini-series and made-for-TV features). In the mid-1990s Edwige was engaged to famous Italian industrialist Luca Cordero di Montezemolo. She made a welcome return to acting with a small but funny part as an alluring art class professor in Eli Roth s Hostel: Part II (2007).

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Edwige Fenech Filmography

• (2012) La figlia del capitano as Caterina II di Russia
• (2010) Io canto as Herself
• (2007) Hostel: Part II as Art Class Professor
• (2002) Le ragioni del cuore as
• (2000) Il fratello minore as
• (1995) Donna as Paola
• (1993) Delitti privati as Nicole Venturi
• (1993) Quelli che... il calcio as Herself
• (1993) Quelli che... il calcio as Herself (archive footage)
• (1992) Alta società as Anna Carizzi
• (1992) Il coraggio di Anna as Anna Carizzi
• (1988) Un delitto poco comune as Hélène Martell
• (1987) Immagina as
• (1987) Nel gorgo del peccato as Silvana Serpieri (1987)
• (1984) Bene, bravi, bis as Hostess/Various Characters
• (1984) Vacanze in America as Signora De Romanis
• (1982) Il paramedico as Nina Millio
• (1982) Ricchi, ricchissimi... praticamente in mutande as Francesca - Wife of Del Prà
• (1982) Sballato, gasato, completamente fuso as Patrizia Reda
• (1981) Asso as Silvia
• (1981) Cornetti alla crema as Marianna
• (1981) La poliziotta a New York as Gianna Amicucci/Pupa
• (1981) Tais-toi quand tu parles! as Belle/Béatrix
• (1980) Il ficcanaso as Susanna Luisetti
• (1980) Il ladrone as Deborah
• (1980) Io e Caterina as Elisabetta
• (1980) La moglie in vacanza... l'amante in città as Giulia
• (1980) Sono fotogenico as Cinzia Pancaldi
• (1980) Zucchero, miele e peperoncino as Amalia
• (1979) Dottor Jekyll e gentile signora as Barbara Wimply
• (1979) La patata bollente as Maria
• (1979) La poliziotta della squadra del buon costume as Gianna D'Amico
• (1979) Sabato, domenica e venerdì as Tokimoto, the Japanese engineer (segment "Sabato")
• (1978) Amori miei as Deborah
• (1978) Il grande attacco as Danielle
• (1978) L'insegnante va in collegio as Monica Sebastiani
• (1978) L'insegnante viene a casa as Luisa De Dominicis
• (1978) La soldatessa alle grandi manovre as Dottoressa Eva Marini
• (1977) La soldatessa alla visita militare as Eva Marini
• (1977) La vergine, il toro e il capricorno as Gioia Ferretti
• (1977) Taxi Girl as Marcella
• (1976) 40 gradi all'ombra del lenzuolo as Emilia Chiapponi (segment "La cavallona")
• (1976) Cattivi pensieri as Francesca Marani
• (1976) La dottoressa del distretto militare as Dottoressa Elena Dogliozzi
• (1976) La poliziotta fa carriera as Gianna Amicucci
• (1976) La pretora as Judge Viola Orlando/Rosa Orlando
• (1975) Grazie... nonna as Marianna Persiquetti
• (1975) Il vizio di famiglia as Suzie
• (1975) L'insegnante as Giovanna Pagaus
• (1975) La moglie vergine as Valentina
• (1975) Nude per l'assassino as Magda Cortis
• (1974) Innocenza e turbamento as Carmela Paternò
• (1974) La signora gioca bene a scopa? as Eva - la moglie di Alberto
• (1973) Anna, quel particolare piacere as Anna Lovisi
• (1973) Dio, sei proprio un padreterno! as Orchidea
• (1973) Fuori uno sotto un altro arriva il passatore as Mora
• (1973) Giovannona Coscialunga disonorata con onore as Giovannona Coscialunga in arte Cocò
• (1973) La vedova inconsolabile ringrazia quanti la consolarono as Catarina Prevosti
• (1972) Il tuo vizio è una stanza chiusa e solo io ne ho la chiave as Floriana
• (1972) La bella Antonia, prima Monica e poi Dimonia as Antonia
• (1972) Perché quelle strane gocce di sangue sul corpo di Jennifer? as Jennifer Lansbury
• (1972) Quando le donne si chiamavano 'Madonne' as Giulia
• (1972) Quel gran pezzo della Ubalda tutta nuda e tutta calda as Ubalda
• (1972) Tutti i colori del buio as Jane Harrison
• (1971) Deserto di fuoco as Juana
• (1971) Le calde notti di Don Giovanni as Aiscia
• (1971) Lo strano vizio della Signora Wardh as Julie Wardh
• (1970) 5 bambole per la luna d'agosto as Marie Chaney
• (1970) Le Mans scorciatoia per l'inferno as Cora
• (1970) Satiricosissimo as Poppea
• (1969) Alle Kätzchen naschen gern as Blande
• (1969) Der Mann mit dem goldenen Pinsel as Hong-Kong
• (1969) Die nackte Bovary as Emma Bovary
• (1969) Don Franco e Don Ciccio nell'anno della contestazione as Anna Bellinzoni
• (1969) Frau Wirtin hat auch eine Nichte as Rosalie Bobinet
• (1969) Komm, liebe Maid und mache as Felicitas
• (1969) Madame und ihre Nichte as Yvette
• (1969) Testa o croce as Manuela
• (1969) Top Sensation as Ulla
• (1968) Frau Wirtin hat auch einen Grafen as Celine
• (1968) Il figlio di Aquila Nera as Nastacia
• (1968) Le démoniaque as Herself/Cameo appearance (uncredited)
• (1968) Samoa, regina della giungla as Samoa
• (1967) Toutes folles de lui as Gina
• (1951) Festival di Sanremo as Herself - Hostess

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Edwige Fenech Trivia and Facts

• Her father was Maltese, and her mother was an Italian from Tunisia.
• Founder of Immagine e Cinema S.r.l. (Rome, Italy) - a movie production company.
• In the mid-90s she was engaged to famous Italian industrialist Luca Cordero di Montezemolo , who was president of Ferrari, chief of the organization of the 1990 Football World Cup in Italy and, since May 2004, president of the FIAT Group.
• Began her career as a photo model.
• Mother of Edwin Fenech.
• She has an entry in Jean Tulards Dictionnaire du Cinéma/Les Acteurs, published in Paris in 2007 (page 47).

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Edwige Fenech Photoshoots

• "Celebrity Sleuth" (USA), 1994, Vol. 7, Iss. 4, pg. 82-85, by: staff, "Cult Figures: Edwige Fenech"
• "Excelsior" (Italy), November 1989, Vol. 4, pg. 40-51, "Splendida Edwige"
• "High Society" (Germany), March 1984, pg. 48-55, by: Christoph Reiter, "Mädchen aus 1001 Nacht?"
• "High Society" (Germany), January 1983, pg. 36-39
• "Playboy" (Italy), March 1978
• "Playboy" (Italy), September 1977, pg. 31-39, by: Angelo Frontoni, "Edwige va alla guerra"
• "Playmen" (Italy), July 1975, pg. 104-111, by: Angelo Frontoni, "Il bonbon indiscreto"
• "Sexyscope" (Italy), April 1971, Vol. 1, Iss. 2, pg. 39, "Le scene più avvicenti di Lo strano vizio della Signora Wardh con Edwige Fenech"
• "Continental Film Review" (UK), April 1970, pg. 29, "diary"

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