Denis, María (1916–2004)

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Denis, María (1916–2004)

Italian actress. Name variations: Maria Denis. Born María Esther Beomonte, Nov 22, 1916, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, of Italian parents; died April 15, 2004, in Rome, Italy; married, 1953; children: 1 son, Filippo.

One of the most popular film stars in Mussolini's fascist Italy, moved there as a child; at 16, had a small part in the comedy Gli Uomini, che mascalzoni! (What Scoundrels Men Are!), then played the lead in Treno Populare (1933); within a decade, made 30 films (1933–43), including 1860, Contessa Di Parma, Addio Giovinezza and L'Assedio dell'Alcazar; after war, was accused of being the mistress of the notorious Pietro Koch, chief of police in Rome under the Nazis (though she always denied it); facing charges of colla-boration, was forced to retire from film, after starring with Peter Ustinov in Private Angelo (1949); became an interior decorator.