Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Happy Birthday Luciana Paluzzi & Hugo De Vernier…Day 161 of Bond 365





Luciana Paluzzi
Born this day in 1937
Fiona Volpe in Thunderball

I have had the pleasure of meeting Luciana Paluzzi a couple of times in Los Angeles for Bond Reunions hosted by the Hollywood Collector’s Show. Each time, she has been exceeding friendly, engaging, and an absolute darling of a lady to meet. She is still gorgeous with her firecracker signature hair and mischievous smile.

Paluzzi was born in Rome at a tumultuous time for Italy and for Europe. Her first role was either in 1953 (according to IMDB), or in the 1954 Three Coins in the Fountain (per Wikipedia), which I just re-watched recently and I think I remember seeing her in her “walk on” role. She had a prosperous acting career in Italy and by the 1960s, she was working abroad as well as in her native country.

She auditioned for the role of Domino in Thunderball, who was originally Italian in the story, but was changed to a Frenchwoman to accommodate the casing of Claudine Auger. However, Paluzzi was offered the role of Fiona Volpe, a SPECTRE agent, and she said that the henchwoman was “more fun to play.” Although Paluzzi is best known for the role, sadly she said that after the publicity and fame died down, she felt she wasn’t taken as seriously as an actress, especially after she returned to Italian parts in Italy.


Hugo De Vernier
Born this day in 1912
Hotel Porter in From Russia With Love

Hugo De Vernier worked 30+ years in the industry as an actor. He got his start with a role in the UK television show The Scarlet Pimpernel in 1956, being cast as a prison guard. De Vernier made guest appearances in several television shows, most notably The Avengers, The Saint, and Secret Agent. Besides From Russia With Love, he was cast in Kelly’s Heroes (1970) as the French Mayor and The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) as a doctor. In all, De Vernier had 41 acting credits to his name before his death in 1993.

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