Moira Orfei

Moira Orfei
Born	Miranda Orfei 21 December 1931 (1931-12-21) (age 79) Codroipo, Italy
Other names	Miranda Orfei Moira degli elefanti
Spouse	Walter Nones
Children	Stefano Orfei Lara Orfei
Parents	Riccardo Orfei Violetta Arata
Website
http://www.moiraorfei.it

Moira Orfei, (aka Miranda Orfei), (b. 21 December 1931 Codroipo)^[1] a popular Italian actress and television personality. Moira is considered the queen of the Italian circus.

Biography

Raised in a family who owned the circus company Circus Orfei, Moira became the symbol of circus in Italy and attained international fame. The Circus Moira Orfei itself was founded in 1960. Moira has been photographed in various scenes as a rider, trapeze artist, acrobat, dominatrice of elephants and trainer of doves.

Moira's excessively garish image mirrors her eccentric and exuberant personality. It was Dino De Laurentiis who suggested that she change her name from Miranda to Moira.^[2] From then on, Moira's face became an effigy of unchanging characteristics: heavy make-up with eyes coated with eyeliner, bright lipstick, an accentuated mole above the lip, hair tied in a turban. Promotional billboards where carpeted with this picture in every city that the circus stopped. As a result, Moira has become one of the most recognized faces in Italy.

Almost by chance, Moira also became a film actress, acting in over forty films, from comedies to Sword and sandal films (among which many Italian crime films). It has been said that if Moira had studied drama she could have been good as Sophia Loren.

Moira's parents were Riccardo Orfei and Violetta Arata. She married Walter Nones and they had two children Stefano Orfei and Lara Orfei.

On 4 August 2006 Moira Orfei had an Ischemic stroke during a show in Gioiosa Ionica. The artist is still under medical care.

Films

• Gli amori di Ercole 1960
• Sotto dieci bandiere 1960
• Ursus (film)|Ursus 1960
• Maciste l'uomo più forte del mondo 1961
• Rocco e le sorelle 1961
• Il figlio dello sceicco 1962
• I tromboni di Fra' Diavolo 1962
• Ursus nella valle dei leoni 1962
• I due mafiosi 1963
• Totò contro i quattro 1963
• Totò e Cleopatra 1963
• Zorro contro Maciste 1963
• Divorzio alla siciliana 1963
• Il monaco di Monza 1963
• I due gladiatori 1963
• La rivolta dei pretoriani 1964
• Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus, gli invincibili 1964
• Il trionfo di Ercole 1964
• Casanova 70 1965
• Come inguaiammo l'esercito 1965
• I due sergenti del generale Custer 1965
• L'incendio di Roma 1965
• Due mafiosi contro al Capone 1966
• Signore e signori 1966
• Straziami ma di baci saziami 1968
• Paolo il freddo 1974
• Profumo di donna 1974
• Il cav. Costante Nicosia demoniaco ovvero: Dracula in Brianza 1975
• Arrivano i bersaglieri 1980
• Vacanze di Natale '90 1990
• Natale in India 2003

References

1. ^ Moira Orfei at the Internet Movie Database
2. ^ Una biografia online

External links

• (Italian)Official site: Moira's Circus with photos
• (Italian)Moira Orfei's family story

Persondata
Name	Orfei
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	21 December 1931
Place of birth	Codroipo, Italy
Date of death
Place of death