Carmen Russo
Encyclopedia
Carmen Russo is an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 dancer, actress, television personality and singer.

Russo started her career as a model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....

 in the mid 1970s participating in several beauty contests in Italy. She first came to the public's attention for her roles in the commedia erotica all'italiana, (sex comedy
Sex comedy
Sex comedy is a term for comedy movies with sexual content usually referring to those made in the United Kingdom in the mid 1970s. They may range from comic pornographic films like the Confessions series to relatively innocent comedies that include jokes about sex and other sexual related humour,...

) genre, like in the movies Mia moglie torna a scuola, Giovani, belle... probabilmente ricche and Paulo Roberto Cotechiño, centravanti di sfondamento.

She subsequently established herself as a television star in the 1980s with the variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...

s Drive In, Risatissima and Grand Hotel. In 2003 and 2006 she also participated in the Italian and Spanish version of the reality show
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...

 Celebrity Survivor
Celebrity Survivor
Celebrity Survivor, also known promotionally as Celebrity Survivor: Vanuatu and Australia's Celebrity Survivor, was an Australian television series that screened on the Seven Network in 2006, based on the popular reality television show, Survivor...

. She won in the Spanish version Supervivientes. During her career she released also three unsuccessful studio albums, Stars on Donna, Le canzoni di "Drive in..." and Una notte italiana and she was also chosen many times as a model for Playmen
Playmen
Playmen was an Italian adult entertainment magazine. It was founded in 1967 by a mother of three, Adelina Tattilo, reaching fame as Italy's Playboy magazine....

 magazine during the 1980s.

Early life

Russo was born in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....

, on October 3, 1959. Her father Giovanni Russo was a policeman, and her mother Giuseppina Gherardini, worked as a cashier at the cinema "Olimpia". After, her parents move to Pavullo nel Frignano
Pavullo nel Frignano
Pavullo nel Frignano is a town and comune in the province of Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, in the Modenese Apeninnes. It is home to the medieval Castle of Montecuccolo, birthplace of the 17th century condottiero Raimondo Montecuccoli, and of the pieve of San Giovanni Battista di Renno .Economy is...

, a town in the province of Modena
Province of Modena
The Province of Modena is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Modena.It has an area of 2,689 km², and a total population of 659,925 . There are 48 comuni in the province, see Comuni of the Province of Modena.At May 31, 2005, the main comuni by population...

, Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna
Emilia–Romagna is an administrative region of Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna. The capital is Bologna; it has an area of and about 4.4 million inhabitants....

 and in 1969 her family return in Genoa, where she join in a dance academy. In 1973, she end the middle school, and her parents subscribe she at the Istituto Tecnico per il Turismo, in Genoa, preventing that she give full time to the dance. With sacrifices she follows the dance lesson of Wanda Nardi, the most important dance school of the time in Genoa and she also begins the work of mannequin, for the department store Coin
Coin (department store)
Coin is an Italian upmarket department store chain dedicated to the worlds of apparel, home decorations, accessories and beauty. Its headquarters are located in Venezia Mestre.-History:...

 she do a poster advertising.

1974 - 1975: Beauty contests and night shows

In 1974, at the age of thirteen years old, Russo won her first important beauty contests "Miss Liguria". The previous year Russo also won the title of "Miss Emilia" held in Pavullo nel Frignano, but it was a qualification that had no value for the national contest. By winning the victory of "Miss Liguria" Russo had the opportunity to participate in the election of "Miss Italia
Miss Italia
Miss Italia is the name of a beauty pageant awarding prizes every year to young, female contestants from Italy. Since the first edition of the contest in 1939 many of the contestants have gone on to notable careers in television and film.-History:...

" but she was disqualified because was too young.

1975 - 1979: Rome, film appearances and TV

Russo with Mention decided in 1975 to move in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, home of the major Italian film studios. The couple arrived in Rome and placed immediately in a tiny apartment very close to Cinecittà
Cinecittà
Cinecittà is a large film studio in Rome that is considered the hub of Italian cinema.-History:The studios were founded in 1937 by Benito Mussolini and his head of cinema Luigi Freddi for propaganda purposes, under the slogan "Il cinema è l'arma più forte"...

. With the tenacity and ambition that have always characterized Russo, every morning she did long queues to submit auditions for a part in a movie. Russo was immediately hired for a little part in the comedy movie Di che segno sei?
Di che segno sei?
Di che segno sei? is a 1975 Italian comedy film directed by Sergio Corbucci.-Cast:*Mafalda Berri*Ugo Bologna ... Commendatore Bravetti*Gil Cagne ... Ballerino*Giuliana Calandra ... Maria Bompazzi*Lilli Carati...

 with Adriano Celentano
Adriano Celentano
Adriano Celentano is an Italian singer, songwriter, comedian, actor, film director and TV host.-Biography:Celentano was born in Milan at 14 Via Gluck, about which he later wrote the famous song "Il ragazzo della via Gluck"...

 and Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi, also known as Albertone, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian actor. He was also a film director and the dubbing voice of Oliver Hardy in the Italian version of the Laurel & Hardy films....

. With this film Russo leaves for a while the stage of night clubs of the province.

In 1977 she was hired by Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...

 for the film La città delle donne with Marcello Mastroianni
Marcello Mastroianni
Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni, Knight Grand Cross was an Italian film actor. His honours included British Film Academy Awards, Best Actor awards at the Cannes Film Festival and two Golden Globe Awards.- Personal life :...

. In the movie she shows her breasts and will not be credited. After Russo starring in the crime movie Genova a mano armata as the cashier at the bar and did an appearance in Die linkshändige Frau (The Left-Handed Woman). The movie was a hit, especially in Germany and was entered into the 1978 Cannes Film Festival
1978 Cannes Film Festival
The 31st Cannes Film Festival was held on May 16-30. This festival saw the introduction of a new non-competitive section, 'Un Certain Regard', which replaces 'Les Yeux Fertiles' , 'L'Air du temps' and 'Le Passé composé'.- Jury :*Alan J...

.

Although Russo began her career as an actress, she continued to work as a showgirl in nightclubs and in 1978 Russo host with Ettore Andenna in the TV show "La bustarella" aired on Antenna 3 Lombardia. In the same year she also participated in "Portobello" with Enzo Tortora
Enzo Tortora
Enzo Tortora , was a popular TV host and anchorman on national RAI television, who was falsely accused of being a member of the Camorra and drug trafficking...

 aired in Raiuno. Later Russo appeared in many others film and debuted in the theater supporting Walter Chiari
Walter Chiari
Walter Chiari, stage name of Walter Annichiarico , was a hugely successful Italian stage and screen actor, mostly in comedy roles....

 in "Hai mai provato con l'acqua calda?". With this play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...

, Russo won the Premio De Curtis. Due to the expansion of her career, she decided to settle permanently in Rome where there was also the home of the agency "Gymnasium".

1980 - 1983: Major roles, Playmen and music

During the summer of 1979 Russo appears for the first time in the Italian magazine for men Playmen
Playmen
Playmen was an Italian adult entertainment magazine. It was founded in 1967 by a mother of three, Adelina Tattilo, reaching fame as Italy's Playboy magazine....

, at the age of nineteen. After she appeared again in the magazine in late 1980, in 1981 and two times in 1982 and 1984. She became also one of the most highest paid nude model in Italy.

In 1980 she participates in the making of two films: Patrick vive ancora with Gianni Dei and La settimana bianca. During the making of, La settimana bianca in the summer of 1980 she knows Gianfranco D'Angelo that helps Russo for enter in the world of television. In this year Russo also shot Le porno killers, her first role as a protagonist. In the film Russo played a bisexual killer. In the movie she was credited as Carmen Bizet.
The 1981 is the year of artistic breakthrough for Russo. She left Mention and ended the work of show girl in nightclubs. Russo's next films were all sex comedy as a starring role in La maestra di sci and Mia moglie torna a scuola.

In the end of 1981 Russo signed with Fontana Records
Fontana Records
Fontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....

 for the release of one single-only. Her first single, "Notte senza luna" was promoted in the Italian radios. On December 1981 Russo perform the B-side of the song "Stiamo insieme stasera" during the Italian TV show Blitz aired on Raiuno. The performance was shot in the Italian destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

 Ardito (D 550). Russo also performs "Stuntman", and unreleased song.

The biennium 1982-1983 for Russo was very successful. During this year she starred in four films. Russo begins with Quella peste di Pierina with Marina Marfoglia and Oreste Lionello
Oreste Lionello
Oreste Lionello was an Italian actor and voice dubbing artist. He was well known as Italy's film 'voice' for Woody Allen.-Biography:...

. A few months after turning Buona come il pane. Is subsequently was chosen by Pierfrancesco Pingitore for the movie Il tifoso, l'arbitro e il calciatore with Pippo Franco, Alvaro Vitali
Alvaro Vitali
Alvaro Vitali is an Italian actor.He was an electrician until he got discovered by Federico Fellini to play a small part in Satyricon , it led to other roles, notably in the movie Amarcord ....

, Marisa Merlini
Marisa Merlini
Marisa Merlini was an Italian character actress active in Italy's post-World War II cinema. Merlini appreared in over fifty films during her career, which spanned from World War II to 2005...

 and Daniela Poggi and then for Giovani, belle... probabilmente ricche with Gianfranco D'Angelo, Nadia Cassini and Edwige Fenech
Edwige Fenech
Edwige Fenech is a French-born Italian actress and film producer.- Biography :Fenech was born in Bône , in French Algeria to a Maltese father and Sicilian mother. From the late 1960s to early 1980s, Fenech starred in many types of European movies...

.
In early 1983, Russo also released her first full-length studio album Stars on Donna, released as Carmen. The album cointains cover version of songs by Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...

 and Giorgio Moroder
Giorgio Moroder
Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...

.

1983 - 1986: Mediaset success and latest movies

Brando Giordani and Emilio Ravel, journalists and authors, call Russo to participate in the program Colosseum, aired on Raidue. Later in 1983 Russo participate in the TV show "Drive In", where she played a sexy cashier. Russo was a primadonna in the show, where she sings dances and recites.

The theme of the show was originally sung by Cristina Moffa ("Zucchero, Zucchero"), and was later changed to the cover of Patty Pravo
Patty Pravo
Patty Pravo is an Italian pop singer whose career has spanned more than four decades. Her first single "Ragazzo triste", released in 1966, was the first pop song aired on Vatican Radio...

 1968 hit "La Bambola" singing by Russo. Also the music of end titles was sung by Russo, "Chiammame Ambresso" written by Cristiano Malgioglio. During the show Russo promoted her albums Stars on Donna and Le canzoni di "Drive In...". Le canzoni di "Drive In"... contains selected track of songs performed by Russo in the show. From the album was also released one single "Mi scusi signorina". In 1984 Russo also took part for the commercial of the candy
Candy
Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...

s "Morositas".

In the same year at the height of popularity, she doesn't neglect the cinema and take part in "Ti spacco il muso, bimba" with Oreste Lionello
Oreste Lionello
Oreste Lionello was an Italian actor and voice dubbing artist. He was well known as Italy's film 'voice' for Woody Allen.-Biography:...

 and Sergio Vasta, "Paulo Roberto Cotechiño centravanti di sfondamento" with Franca Valeri
Franca Valeri
Franca Valeri is an Italian actress.Valeri was born in Milan as Alma Franca Maria Norsa. She adopted her surname in the 1950s as an homage to the French critic and poet, Paul Valéry....

, and finally run "Cuando calienta el sol... vamos alla playa" a sixties musical-comedy film set with Claudia Vegliante and Edoardo Vianello.

In 1985 Russo returned in TV with "Risatissima" and then in "Grand Hotel" on Canale 5
Canale 5
Canale 5 is an Italian private television network of Mediaset, the media branch of Fininvest. Canale 5 was the first private television network to have a national coverage in Italy in 1980, based on a local channel, TeleMilano 58, founded in 1978....

. She also recorded the theme "Sì" who had a moderate success. In 1986 Russo host "Un fantastico tragico venerdì" with Lino Banfi
Lino Banfi
Lino Banfi is an Italian film actor and presenter. He has appeared in over 100 films since 1960.-Biography:...

 and Massimo Boldi
Massimo Boldi
Massimo Antonio Boldi is an Italian stand-up comedian and actor.- Biography :Been very soon orphan of father, Boldi began to work as a window-dresser from a young age before taking a job selling confectionery. On 29 September 1973 Boldi married Marisa Selo...

, who will devote to Carmen as a star of classical ballet. Also for this show she recorded the theme "Camomillati Venerdì".

1987 - 1993 : Marriage, return in Rai and Spanish TV

On June 26, 1987 Russo married the choreographer and dancer Vincenzo Paolo Turchi in a small church in Cassano delle Murge
Cassano delle Murge
Cassano delle Murge is a town and comune in the province of Bari, Puglia, Italy.-References:...

. After a television shows pause in 1988, turning her last film to date "Rimini, Rimini - Un anno dopo " with Andrea Ronco and Eva Grimaldi. With this film Russo turned twenty-six films including six with a main role.

After, Turchi suggested to leave the private channels of Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...

 and return to RAI. Russo so participated in the TV musical "Io Jane, tu Tarzan" directed by Enzo Trapani. The show didn't achieved success despite the ballets Russo, that were always elaborate. Due to the failure of her last program in 1990 Russo do only some appearance as a guest in many programs: "Buonasera con Tino Scotti", "Blitz", "Black- out", "Mixer", "Stasera niente di nuovo", "Playboy di mezzanotte", "Pop Corn", "A botta calda" and "Domenica in" which was a permanent guest in the 1990-1991 season.

After in 1991 Russo decided to leave Italy and go in Spain to conduct in the network Telecinco "Vip Noche" for sixty episodes. The show had an unexpected success, with 41% of share every time. Also in Telecinco Russo has work for two editions of the Sunday program "Batallia de las estrellas". After for the TVE Russo for two years co-host with José Luis Moreno in the show aired in prime time on Saturday.

Filmography

  • 1975 Di che segno sei?
    Di che segno sei?
    Di che segno sei? is a 1975 Italian comedy film directed by Sergio Corbucci.-Cast:*Mafalda Berri*Ugo Bologna ... Commendatore Bravetti*Gil Cagne ... Ballerino*Giuliana Calandra ... Maria Bompazzi*Lilli Carati...

  • 1976 Genova a mano armata
  • 1977 Die linkshändige Frau
  • 1979 Riavanti... Marsch!
  • 1979 Liquirizia
  • 1979 Un'ombra nell'ombra
  • 1979 I viaggiatori della sera
  • 1979 L'infermiera nella corsia dei militari
  • 1980 Patrick vive ancora
  • 1980 La città delle donne
  • 1980 La settimana bianca
  • 1980 Le porno killers
  • 1981 La maestra di sci
  • 1981 Ciao nemico
  • 1981 Mia moglie torna a scuola
  • 1982 Quella peste di Pierina
  • 1982 Buona come il pane
  • 1982 Il tifoso, l'arbitro e il calciatore
  • 1982 Giovani, belle... probabilmente ricche
  • 1983 Ti spacco il muso, bimba
  • 1983 Paulo Roberto Cotechiño centravanti di sfondamento
  • 1983 Cuando calienta el sol... vamos alla playa
  • 1988 Rimini, Rimini - Un anno dopo

TV Works

  • 1978 La bustarella on Antenna 3 Lombardia
  • 1978 Portobello on Raiuno
  • 1979 Sam et Sally, episode "Bedelia"
  • 1983 Colosseum on Raidue
  • 1983 Drive In on Italia 1
    Italia 1
    Italia 1 is an Italian commercial television channel on the Mediaset network. It is oriented especially at young people.Italia 1 was launched in January 1982 and, originally, was owned by Rusconi; after a few months, however, due to the aggressive dumping practices of Silvio Berlusconi's rival...

  • 1985 Risatissima on Canale 5
    Canale 5
    Canale 5 is an Italian private television network of Mediaset, the media branch of Fininvest. Canale 5 was the first private television network to have a national coverage in Italy in 1980, based on a local channel, TeleMilano 58, founded in 1978....

  • 1986 Un fantastico tragico venerdì on Rete 4
    Rete 4
    Rete 4 is an Italian television station belonging to the Mediaset network. It is an Italian private commercial TV channel. Rete 4's main news programme is TG4, whose editor-in-chief is Emilio Fede since 1992.-TV Series:...

  • 1986 Grand Hotel on Canale 5
  • 1989 Io Jane, tu Tarzan on Raiuno
  • 1990 Domenica in on Raiuno
  • 1991 Vip Noche on Telecinco
    Telecinco
    Telecinco is a Spanish commercial television channel operated by Mediaset España. Launched in 1990 as Tele 5, it was the fifth of the national terrestrial television channels. In 1997, Tele 5 was rebranded as Telecinco, dropping the flower logo seen in other Mediaset channel...

  • 1993 La batalla de las estrellas on Telecinco
  • 1994 Notte italiana on Italia 7
  • 2003 L'isola dei famosi on Raidue
  • 2006 Supervivientes on Telecinco
  • 2007 Buona domenica on Canale 5

Albums

  • 1983: Stars on Donna part one / Stars on Donna part two (Monkey Music Records Mr 31032)
  • 1983: Stars on Donna (Monkey Music Records Mr 31721)
  • 1984: Le canzoni di "Drive in..." (F1 Team 33318)
  • 1992: Una notte italiana (Canaveral QR 1000)
  • 1996: Macho Mambo EP/Mini album (Canaveral)

Singles

  • 1981: "Notte senza luna"
  • 1984: "Mi scusi, signorina"
  • 1985: "Sì"
  • 1985: "Mai, Mai, Mai"
  • 1986: "Camomillati Venerdì"
  • 1987: "Bravi, Settepiù"
  • 1989: "Io Jane tu Tarzan"
  • 1993: "Ciù Ciù Dance" EP (Real Sound RS5410)

External links

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