Farewell to Moira Orfei, queen of the Italian circus
Spettacoli
November 15, 2015
The artist, who was born in Codroipo, died in Brescia at the age of 84 years. She had distant origins Sinti and was considered the queen of our circus, but she also worked in the cinema becoming a beloved face on TV
Moira Orfei died in the night in Brescia, where she was planning a show. She was found this morning in her mobile home by relatives. The undisputed queen of the Italian circus, was the most popular among our circus performers, would have turned 84 years on December 21.
"Moira Orfei - reads a note - leaves us in peace and surrounded by the love of her family, in this November morning in her beautiful and famous mobile home. The Moira Orfei Circus, together with her husband Walter Nones led by amuse generations, by the will of the same, their children and grandchildren will go on to continue the tradition in honor of the greatest icon of the circus. With this choice today in Brescia, will be held the last shows of our dates in Lombardy waiting for the Circus arrivals next week in Milan. "The funeral has been set up in her mobile home. The couple formed by Moira Orfei and Walter Nones has two sons, Stefaon and Lara. Lara gave birth to two children: Moira junior and Stefano junior while Stefano Walter, the union with Brigitta Ringlet, had made her grandmother ofManfredi.
Moira Orfei died, queen of Italian circus
Miranda Orfei was born in Codroipo, in the province of Udine, 21 December 1931. Her family has distant origins to Sinti and for generations were dedicated to the circus arts: the core of the Orfei Circus was composed by Father Riccardo Orfei, known as the famous clown Bigolo, and her mother Violet Arata, brothers Paolo, juggler and acrobat, and Mauro, acrobat to bicycles.
She came into the world in her father’s small circus wagon. Daughter of art born from the union of Riccardo Orfei, famous clown Bigolon, with Violetta Arata, she starred in the world of the circus, Moira has always lived in the shadow of the tent. In the circus she performed at the age of six as a rider, virtuoso on the trapeze and as an acrobat. Still very young, with her cousins Liana and Graziella was one of the highlights of the circus. The sons Stefano and Lara won, in their early twenties, the Oscar of the Circus Clown Silver Medal, delivered by Princess Caroline at the Circus Festival in Monte Carlo.
By the time Moira had become the very symbol of the circus in Italy. Her popularity was so strong that, in 1960, the company changed its name to Circus Moira Orfei. Her specialties were those of riding, aerialist, acrobat, animal tamer, trainer of elephants and doves. "The production Orfei is based on the three cornerstones of traditional circus acrobats, clowns and animals. All were revised in a modern way and with the most talented artists in circulation," explained Moira Orfei in an interview. "Our success lies in the fact that it is not the usual circus show, but a show that combines circus, theater, dance and musicals. All surrounded by carefully directed, with live music, glittering costumes, choreography and lights ".
Since 1975 the whole circus participated in numerous tours abroad. Symbolic that in Iran in 1977, when the circus is stuck with 100 artists and 50 animals after the popular uprising. It is mobilized Foreign Ministry doing sending the Achille Lauro to retrieve the staff. Circo Orfei was the first Italian to win, in 1987, a Golden Clown at the International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo with a number of 12 tigers.
Beautiful and exuberant, her fame grew thanks to roles on the big screen, where it is called to play in comedies and blockbuster Italian films and in many police films, for a total of about fifty films, and numerous TV appearances. The name change came first with Mora, because of his dark complexion, but it seems to be the name Moira that the hallmarks of her image festive to have been recommended by the director Dino De Laurentiis. In time he worked alongside Vittorio Gassman, Marcello Mastroianni, Toto, and was directed by filmmakers such as Lattuada, Visconti, Germi, De Sica.
Although the film never seriously focused on her, after recidato for Pietro Germi in “Ladies & Gentlemen”, he was the director to confide that if she studied acting could become as good as Sophia Loren. The roles that were assigned to her were always marginal and faithful to her circus character. The image of Moira Orfei was so strong that it was not necessary to embrace her real character. Moira was just: the tamer of elephants in lifetime view of men and the public on the screen. She becomes the wife of Christian De Sica in “Christmas Vacation '90”, Santina in “Casanova 70” by Mario Monicelli, starring opposite Marcello Mastroianni, Octavia with Toto in “Toto and Cleopatra”alongside the Neapolitan actor, working in “The Monaco Monza”. Tell him: "He had lost his head for me and one day I said, come to bed with me, then I'll give you a house." Then come “Straziami, ma di baci saziami”, with Nino Manfredi, and “Scent of a Woman”, with Vittorio Gassman, films by Dino Risi. Her last screen appearance was in 2003 when she plays herself in the film “Christmas in India”. On television, she participated as a permanent guest, together with the designer Renato Balestra and actress Silvana Pampanini, ‘Domenica In’, with Mara Venier.
ORFEI, Moira (Miranda Orfei)
Born: 12/21/1931, Codroipo, Udine, Italy
Died: 11/15/2015, Brescia, Lombardy, Italy
Moira Orfei’s westerns – actress:
Samson and the Slave Queen – 1963 (Malva)
The Two Sergeants of General Custer – 1965 (Baby O’Connor)