Marisa Mell

Marisa Mell (24 February 1939 – 16 May 1992) was an Austrian actress who became a cult figure of 1960s Italian B-movies.

She was born as Marlies Theresa Moitzi in Graz, Austria.

Spouses

Henri Tucci (divorced)
Stephen Boyd (1971, gypsy wedding, not recognized as legal)
Alain Delon partner

Life and career

In 1963, she was involved in a violent automobile accident in France. For six hours, she lay unconscious, unaware that she nearly lost her right eye. The disfigurement extended to her lip as well. She spent the next two years undergoing plastic surgery, and no damage remained in her face, except for a distinctive curl of her upper lip.

She turned down a seven-year Hollywood contract, saying that while the payment would have been great, "the contract was a whole book. I think that even to go to the toilet I would have needed a permission."

In 1967, she performed the title role in the "utterly calamitous" musical Mata Hari alongside Pernell Roberts. After a preview performance in Washington, D.C. that became infamous for its numerous technical problems, producer David Merrick decided to close the production before its scheduled Broadway run.

She is best known for the role of Eva Kant in Danger: Diabolik (1968). In the late 1990s, the television show MST3K brought the actress to a new generation of B-movie viewers when the film was featured on the final episode of the series. The show also spoofed another of her starring roles in the film Secret Agent Super Dragon.

Mell died in Vienna from throat cancer in 1992, aged 53.

Selected filmography

• Am Galgen hängt die Liebe (1960)
• Ruf der Wildgänse (de) (1961)
• The Puzzle of the Red Orchid (1962)
• [(Dr )] (1962) as Klara Dr (1962)
• Venusberg (1963)
• Ein Mann im schönsten Alter (de) (1964)
• The Last Ride to Santa Cruz (1964)
• French Dressing (1964)
• Masquerade (1965)
• Casanova 70 (1965)
• Diamond Walkers (1965)
• Train d'enfer (1965)
• Secret Agent Super Dragon (1966)
• Danger: Diabolik (1968)
• Una sull'altra (1969)
• Marta (1971)
• The Great Swindle (1971)
• Alta tensión (1972)
• Gang War in Milan (1973)
• Death Will Have Your Eyes (1974)
• Mahogany (1975)
• Casanova & Co. (1977)
• Es muss nicht immer Kaviar sein (1977) (TV miniseries)
• Beast with a Gun (1977)
• Ring of Darkness (it) (1979)
• Sensazioni D’amore (1990)
• I Love Vienna (1991)

Marisa Mell and Alain Delon were never known to be long-term romantic partners, but they were involved for a short period in the 1960s. Marisa Mell, an Austrian actress famous for her sultry beauty and work in European cinema, and Alain Delon, a French actor and international star, reportedly had a brief affair.

This brief relationship took place during a time when Delon was already a major star, known for his work in films like Le Samouraï (1967), and Mell was rising to fame, especially after her appearance in films like Danger: Diabolik (1968). Their involvement was part of Delon's reputation for being linked to many famous women during that period. However, it didn't develop into anything long-term or as high-profile as some of Delon's other relationships, such as with Romy Schneider or Nathalie Delon. 

While their romance was short-lived, it reflected the glamorous, often intersecting lives of European stars in the 1960s.