Actress. With a large number of film and television features to her credit she is probably best remembered for her starring turns in several low budget Italian movies of the late 1960s. Born Marlies Theres Moitzi she was raised in Graz, Austria, and after graduation from high school studied acting in Vienna and was briefly married to director Henri Tucci. Marisa made her silver screen bow with a cameo in the 1954 "Das Licht der Liebe" then in the early 1960s began to earn increasingly substantial roles; she saw her career derailed by severe injuries in a 1963 motor vehicle accident but after extensive facial plastic surgery started earning high billing in British features. Following her appearances in the 1964 "French Dressing" and 1965's "Masquerade" Marisa went to Italy where she made a number of now cult-classics; she was Thelma of the 1965 comedy "Casanova 70" and Charity Farrell in 1966's thriller "Secret Agent Super Dragon" before landing what is possibly her best known role, that of Eva Kant in the 1968 action comedy "Danger: Diabolik". Marisa's 1967 attempt to play on Broadway as the title lead of "Mata Hari" did not go well as the production turned out to be a monumental flop and was withdrawn during its Washington, DC, run. Returning to the big screen she received better marks as Susan in the 1969 mystery "One On Top of the Other", but as time went on the sex symbol roles dried up. Her appearance in the 1972 "Elisabeth Empress of Austria" was a failure though she was generally well received as with her portrayal of Giuliana in 1977's "The Mad Dog Killer". While her schedule gradually slowed Marisa continued to work until her final illness. Last seen as Selina in the 1991 "I Love Vienna", she died of throat cancer. Several of her movies are preserved on DVD.
Actress. With a large number of film and television features to her credit she is probably best remembered for her starring turns in several low budget Italian movies of the late 1960s. Born Marlies Theres Moitzi she was raised in Graz, Austria, and after graduation from high school studied acting in Vienna and was briefly married to director Henri Tucci. Marisa made her silver screen bow with a cameo in the 1954 "Das Licht der Liebe" then in the early 1960s began to earn increasingly substantial roles; she saw her career derailed by severe injuries in a 1963 motor vehicle accident but after extensive facial plastic surgery started earning high billing in British features. Following her appearances in the 1964 "French Dressing" and 1965's "Masquerade" Marisa went to Italy where she made a number of now cult-classics; she was Thelma of the 1965 comedy "Casanova 70" and Charity Farrell in 1966's thriller "Secret Agent Super Dragon" before landing what is possibly her best known role, that of Eva Kant in the 1968 action comedy "Danger: Diabolik". Marisa's 1967 attempt to play on Broadway as the title lead of "Mata Hari" did not go well as the production turned out to be a monumental flop and was withdrawn during its Washington, DC, run. Returning to the big screen she received better marks as Susan in the 1969 mystery "One On Top of the Other", but as time went on the sex symbol roles dried up. Her appearance in the 1972 "Elisabeth Empress of Austria" was a failure though she was generally well received as with her portrayal of Giuliana in 1977's "The Mad Dog Killer". While her schedule gradually slowed Marisa continued to work until her final illness. Last seen as Selina in the 1991 "I Love Vienna", she died of throat cancer. Several of her movies are preserved on DVD.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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