Silvia Monti, the glamorous Italian actress who retired from the screen at the height of her fame in 1974, has died at the age of 80 following an illness. Amongst those confirming the news and paying tribute was the designer Diane Von Furstenberg, who took to Instagram to remember the star.
Sharing an image of Silvia in her younger days, she penned: "Rest in Peace beautiful Silvia Monti. All my condolences to your children and family …. Your beauty, your smile, your laughter will continue to resonate into eternity. So many souvenirs I have with you … rest in peace."
Career Highlights
Her screen career began in 1969 with a small part in Alberto Lattuada's Fräulein Doktor. That same year, she starred in Giuseppe Patroni Griffi's Metti, una sera a cena, and Maurizio Liverani's "Do You Know What Stalin Did to Women?" Also in 1969, she came to international attention when she starred opposite Hollywood icon David Niven in Gérard Oury's The Brain.
In the movie, she performs in a famous sequence where she descends from a high balcony using a rope while Caterina Caselli's Italian pop song "Cento Giorni" plays in the background.
Retirement and Later Life
She would make another 15 films over the next five years before retiring from screen. Her final film was Alberto Sordi's 1974 movie, While There's War There's Hope.
For 25 years she was married to the Venetian Count Luigi Donà dalle Rose, with whom she had two children, Leonardo and Una. The couple separated in 1994.
On July 10, 1997, she married her second husband, entrepreneur Carlo De Benedetti. The ceremony took place in Turin's City Hall, in the presence of then-mayor Valentino Castellani. They moved to Lugano, Switzerland. They remained married for almost 30 years until her death.
Tributes
Tributes flooded in as the news became known publicly. On Instagram one fan wrote: "RIP beautiful Silvia, full of joy of living that spreads around you."
Another added: "RIP. May God give you eternal rest and comfort your family and friends."
A third chimed in: "RIP Silvia Monti, Italian Actress The Brain w/ David Niven, Queens of Evil, A Lizard in a Woman's Skin, Blackie the Pirate, The Fifth Cord, Lady Caroline Lamb, The Sicilian Connection, While There's War There's Hope, The Bloody Hands of the Law."
