Assia Noris

Specializing in playing romantic, naïve, and honest young women, frequently opposite Vittorio De Sica, Assia Noris was one of Italy's most popular stars during the 1930s. Due to the then ruling fascist government's restraints, her work was not seen outside Italy. When neorealism came into vogue, Noris could not change her screen persona to adapt and so faded from view. She was born Anastasia von Gerzfeld, the daughter of a German officer and an allegedly aristocratic Ukrainian mother. The exact circumstances of her upbringing remained mysterious, but it is known that she and her parents fled to Paris during the Russian Revolution. They emigrated to Italy in 1929 and that year she married Gastone Assia, the name she would use on-stage even though he was only the first of five husbands. In 1932, Noris made her feature film bow opposite brothers Eduardo and Peppino De Fillippo in Tre Uomini in frac (1932). She appeared in more films, but did not become a bona fide star until she teamed up with director Mario Camerini, to whom she would be briefly married. Together, they made a string of popular romantic comedies, including Daro un Millone (1935) and I Grandi Magazzini (1939) -- films which also significantly boosted De Sica's career. Other notable Noris films include Between Two Worlds (1937) and Un Colpo di Pistola (1942). When Italian cinema turned towards neorealism, Noris attempted a stage career in the mid-'40s. After appearing in the undistinguished La Peccatrice Bianca (1949), Noris would only appear in one more film, La Celestina (1964). With her fifth husband Antoine Habib, she lived for many years in Egypt. Noris died in San Remo, Italy, on January 27, 1998, following a brief illness.

~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide