As a devoted fan of classic cinema, I am deeply saddened by the news of Yvonne Furneaux‘s passing. Her captivating performances in Michelangelo Antonioni’s “Le Amiche,” Federico Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita,” and Roman Polanski’s “Repulsion” left an indelible mark on the film industry, and her legacy as a versatile actress continues to inspire us.
The elegant actress Yvonne Furneaux, who gave striking performances in Michelangelo Antonioni’s “Le Amiche,” Federico Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita,” and Roman Polanski’s “Repulsion,” has passed away at the age of 98.
According to her son, Nicholas Natteau, Furneaux passed away on July 5 at her residence in North Hampton, New Hampshire, due to complications resulting from a stroke.
She also was the female lead in the Hammer horror film The Mummy (1959), starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Though she considered the project less than ideal, she said she ultimately learned from those actors that “if you don’t take a film like The Mummy seriously and put your heart and soul into it, then you can bring it down,” she explained in Mark A. Miller’s 2010 book, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing and Horror Cinema.
She starred in Italian, French, German and Spanish films during her career.
In the film “Le Amiche” (1955), which was a major success at the Venice Film Festival and marked Antonioni’s first significant achievement, Anna Maria Schiavoni portrayed a vengeful high society lady. Moreover, she appeared as Emma, the deeply smitten betrothed of Marcello Mastroianni’s gossip journalist character, in Federico Fellini’s renowned work “La Dolce Vita” (1960).
In the 1965 psychological thriller “Repulsion” directed by Polanski, she played the role of the older sister to Catherine Deneuve’s character, Carol Ledoux, who was disturbed.
Born on May 11, 1926, in Roubaix, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France, Elisabeth Yvonne Scatcherd came into this world to British parents. Later in life, they relocated to England where she pursued her education at St. Hilda’s College and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, eventually earning her degree in 1951.
In her acting career, Furneaux (her maiden name) made her debut onstage in “Macbeth” and “The Taming of the Shrew,” and was first seen on film in “Meet Me Tonight” and “Affair in Monte Carlo,” both released in 1952.
In the following year, she appeared in “The Beggar’s Opera,” which was helmed by Peter Brook and featured Laurence Olivier and Michael Anderson. She also took on the role of Errol Flynn’s mistress in “The Master of Ballantrae.” (Additionally, she worked alongside Flynn in “Crossed Swords” from 1954 and “The Warriors” from 1955.)
I can proudly list among my past projects the films “Lisbon” (1956), directed by Lisbon, “Le meurtrier” (1963) by Claude Autant-Lara, “The Death Ray of Dr. Mabuse” (1964), and “The Champagne Murders” (1967) by Claude Chabrol. Additionally, I had the pleasure of appearing in a 1965 episode of the acclaimed British TV series “Danger Man,” featuring the talented Patrick McGoohan.
From 1962 to 2007, she was married to Jacques Natteau, a French cinematographer whom she met while working on the 1961 film “The Story of The Count of Monte Cristo.” In addition to her, survivors include her daughter-in-law Leiva.
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2024-07-18 22:25