Liana Orfei (San Giovanni in Persiceto, June 6, 1937). Belonging to the famous Orfei circus dynasty, Liana is a multifaceted figure in Italian entertainment, capable of successfully ranging between circus, cinema, theater, and television. Active on the big screen primarily between the 1950s and 70s, she acted in approximately forty films, working with masters of the caliber of Federico Fellini (in the documentary The Clowns), Orson Welles, Mario Monicelli, and Dino Risi. Her versatility led her to perform in highly diverse genres, from commedia all'italiana to Westerns, and even horror and science fiction. In television, her participation in the musical television drama Scaramouche (1965) is well-remembered. She made her debut in the ring at just two years old as a clown (under the name Lacrima). In 1960, together with her brothers Nando and Rinaldo, she founded her own circus characterized by colossal and innovative productions, such as "Circorama" and the "Circus of the Thousand and One Nights"—the latter born from an idea by Fellini with costumes by Oscar winner Danilo Donati. In 1984, to respond to the industry's crisis, she founded the Golden Circus, an international festival that remains a reference point for circus arts today. In the theatrical field, she collaborated with distinguished names such as Eduardo De Filippo and Emma Gramatica, returning to the stage even in more recent years (in 2005 with the musical Se il tempo fosse un gambero). She was also a singer and entrepreneur: in the 1980s, she founded the theme park Divertimondo in Rimini, inspired by the emerging major amusement parks.

Filmography

• 2025Turned To Stone — Herself, Thanks
• 2019Les femmes de pierre
• 1970Fortunata y Jacinta — Jacinta
• 1970The Clowns — Circus Performer
• 1969How, When, and with Whom — Seamstress
• 1968The Prophet — Albertina
• 1968¡Cómo sois las mujeres! — Julia
• 1967Django Kills Softly — Linda
• 1966Diamonds Are a Man's Best Friend — Veronica Turner
• 1966Les Combinards — Liliana
• 1966M.M.M. 83
• 1966Our Husbands — Attilia
• 1966The Devil in Love — Olimpia
• 1965Casanova '70 — Lion Tamer
• Scaramouche — Irina Papandrei
• 1964Extraconiugale — Carla (segment "La doccia")
• 1963Adventure at the Motel
• 1963Hercules, Samson & Ulysses — Dalila - Philistine Queen
• 1963Le motorizzate — Cacace's Defence Counsel (segment "Il Vigile Ignoto")
• 1962Damon and Pythias — Adriana
• 1962Duel of Fire — Maruzza
• 1962The Avenger — Camilla, Queen of the Vulga
• 1961Hercules in the Valley of Woe — Dejanira
• 1961Nefertiti, Queen of the Nile — Merith
• 1961Rage of the Buccaneers — Luana
• 1961The Giant of Metropolis — Queen Taxen
• 1961The Tartars — Helga
• 1960Gentlemen Are Born
• 1960Knight of 100 Faces — Zuela
• 1960La Dolce Vita — (uncredited)
• 1960Le signore — Patrizia Viotti
• 1960Mill of the Stone Women — Annelore
• 1960Pirates of the Coast — Anna del Peru
• 1960Terror of the Red Mask — Jolanda
• 1959Attack of the Moors
• 1959Beach Types — Magalì
• 1959Guardatele ma non toccatele — Allison

Appearances as themselves (2)

• 2024Mario Verdone: Il critico viaggiatore — Self
• 1977Kolossal - The Magnificent Macisti — Self - Camilla - Queen of the Volsci (archive footage)