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Biography

Lydia Alfonsi, born Lidia (Parma, 27 April 1928 - Parma, 21 September 2022), was an Italian actress. An actress of great expressiveness, her name is linked above all to the golden age of television dramas in the 1960s, with works such as La Pisana; Mastro Don Gesualdo; Luisa Sanfelice and Il segreto di Luca. In 1970, she received the French critics' award for best Italian television actress. Though acclaimed for her roles on the classical stage (including as Medea, Phaedra and Electra) she is probably best known abroad as a protagonist of films like Hercules (1958), Morgan the Pirate (1960) and The Trojan Horse (1961) (all starring Steve Reeves). Alfonsi also co-starred alongside Boris Karloff in Mario Bava 's atmospheric psycho- thriller Black Sabbath (1963). Alfonsi was named a Grand Officer of the Italian Republic by then-president of Italy Alessandro Pertini. She retired from screen acting in 1997.