Marisa Pavan

An Italian actress rises from the shadow of her famous twin to claim her own spotlight, earning an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe in a career-defining role.

Born

June 19, 1932

Died

Dec 6, 2023

From

Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy

Also:
Actress

Credits on file

Decades active

Awards

In short · Acted for three decades — 15 credits, 1 Golden Globe Award win.

Remembered for

Ranked by community engagement + sustained interest across this person's credits in our database.

Biography

Marisa Pavan (born Maria Luisa Pierangeli; 19 June 1932 – 6 December 2023) was an Italian-born actress who initially gained attention as the twin sister of movie star Pier Angeli (Anna Maria Pierangeli) before establishing her own career in film. Her breakthrough role came in *The Rose Tattoo*, in which she played the daughter of Anna Magnani's character. The part was originally intended for her twin sister, who could not take it at the time. When Magnani won the Academy Award for Best Actress, Pavan accepted the award on her behalf as Magnani was not present at the ceremony. Pavan was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress for the same film, losing to Jo Van Fleet for *East of Eden*. Both Magnani and Pavan won Golden Globe awards in that year.

Following this, Marisa Pavan appeared in films including *The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit*, *Diane*, *John Paul Jones*, and *The Midnight Story*.

She married in 1956, divorced in 1963, and later remarried in 1969 to French actor Jean-Pierre Aumont, with whom she remained until his death in 2001.

Filmography · 15 of 15

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