Farewell to Maria Rosaria Omaggio, the film and theater actress who died of an illness at 67

ROME. Maria Rosaria Omaggio died of illness. The actress, born in Naples but resident in Rome for years, was 67 years old. Behind him 50 theater pieces, 29 films, 18 television dramas. His debut on the big screen was in 1976 with ”Roma a mano armata” by Umberto Lenzi and “Squadra antiscippo”, alongside Maurizio Merli and Tomas Milian. Among the films he starred in was “Culo e calcio” by Pasquale Festa Campanile with Renato Pozzetto, “Gambling” by Cinzia TH Torrini, “The adventures of the incredible Hercules” by Luigi Cozzi, “It was a dark and stormy night…” by Alessandro Benvenuti, “Guido who challenged the Red Brigades” by Giuseppe Ferrara, “Guardando le stelle” by Stefano Calvagna, “L’ave maria” by Ninì Grassia, “It was a dark and stormy night” by and with Alessandro Benvenuti, “Rimini Rimini the year after”, “The General of Luigi Magni”. He filmed “Advewnture of Hercules” in English, with Lou Ferrigno and “Nightmare on the City”. Jean Claude Lubyansky, Peter Brook’s assistant, directs her in French in “The Four-Sided Triangle”.

In the film ”Walesa – The Man of Hope” by Andrzej Wajda, presented at the 70th Venice Film Festival, took on the role of Oriana Fallaciwho interviewed the leader of Solidarity in 1981. Thanks to the journalist’s performance, he won the Francesco Pasinetti Award at the 70th Venice Film Festival in 2013.the 2014 Oriana Fallaci award and the Golden Arechi at the Salerno International Film Festival. Also featured in Woody Allen’s 2012 film “To Rome with Love”.

*Above the photo comparison between Oriana Fallaci – Lech Wałęsa and Maria Rosaria Omaggio and the Polish actor Robert Więckiewicz

At just 17 years old the general public met her on Rai with Canzonissima of 1973-1974 conducted by Pippo Baudo. There he met Salvatore Vanacore, impresario of show, who was 35 years old. The couple got married and the marriage lasted 14 years. He took part in many Italian television dramas, including “Fantastic Tales”, “Dear Maestro 2”, “Women of the Mafia”, “The Squad” and “Don Matteo 5”.

She posed on the covers of Playboy Italia in May 1976, in July 1980 and in November 1982, while in February 1985 she appeared on that of Playmen.

Writer, Goodwill Ambassador for Children of the United Nations, federal instructor CSI- Centro Sportivo Italiano of taiji quan, a Chinese martial art. After her marriage to Vanacore she had three important companions, but no children..

The announcement took place on his Instagram account: «Dear Maria Rosaria. You left us. You have begun your new journey towards the spirituality you loved so much. You were an affectionate, enlightening, present friend. Beautiful and cultured woman. My little dogs will also miss you so much, to whom you said, give a kiss to Aunt Marò.”

Maria Rosaria Omaggio has given voice on the radio and in audiobooks “The Anger and the Pride”, “If You Are Born a Woman” and “Pasolini, an Inconvenient Man”. In the theatre he created and performed “Le parole di Oriana in concerto”, a show broadcast on Rai5 and RaiPlay and on stage at the end of January 2020 also in New York. The Rai1 film “Saturday, Sunday and Monday”, from the comedy by De Filippo, directed by Edoardo De Angelis with Sergio Castellittoin which she plays aunt Memè, won the 2022 Nastro d’argento for best TV movie.

Among his latest shows, “Casa Pianeta Terra”: a journey through words, images and music from the West and the East, to communicate that Planet Earth is our home and above all that we are an integral part of it. In May 2023 in the Ara Pacis auditorium in Romeon the occasion of the Night of Museums, brought back on stage with the singer Grazia Di Michele “chiamalavita” from works and songs by Italo Calvinodedicated to child victims of war and to the hundredth anniversary of the birth of the great writer.

«With the passing of Maria Rosaria Omaggio we bid farewell to a great Italian actress of cinema and theatre, a style icon who has worked with the greatest actors and directors. I like to remember her in the guise of Oriana Fallaci, a character who loved her very much, and as Cristina of Sweden, an interpretation that I had the pleasure of sharing with her as President of the Roman Carnival with Alessandro Benvenuti. We will always remember his irony, his sensitivity, his elegance. We are honored to have known her and to have received confidence. Life is a stage where you were the queen. Now you have boarded your carriage to other stages and other characters. Have a good trip Maria Rosaria”, said the President of the Culture Commission of the Chamber Federico Mollicone.

As for her works as a writer, her latest publication is “The language of jewels, hidden and rediscovered meaning of the eternal art of ornament from A to Z”for which she was awarded the Alfredo Cattabiani Prize. She published “Viaggio nell’incredibile”, an essay with which she won, among others, the Fregene Literary Prize, “L’energia Trasparente, curarsi con cristalli, pietre preziosi e metalli”, translated into English, Spanish, Portuguese and German and with a XVII reprint. The stories of “C’era una volta, c’è sempre e ci sarà ancora” with which she won the 1999 Chiantino Prize.

Among other awards, in addition to three Silver Masks, a Gromo alle Grolle plaque, Taormina Golden Ticket, he received the “Salvo Randone 2000” and “Donna e cultura” awards for his performance in Shakespeare’s horror show, directed by Claudio Boccaccini ” in Campidoglio in 2007, in addition to L’Aquila d’oro 2009, for the interpretation of Love Diatribe against a Seated Man by Gabriel García Márquez (2007). For the staging and direction of “Golda’s balcony” you won the “On stage Ombra della sera – Volterra Teatro 2012” award.