The discreet diva has died at 91. Lea Massari had retired from cinema for over 30 years and little or nothing was known about her private life, so much so that the news came out today, after the funeral had already taken place.
She has made many famous films, from "A Difficult Life" (which won the David di Donatello) to "L'avventura", from "Segreti segreti" to "Christ Stopped at Eboli" (Nastro d'Argento), but for the Sardinians Lea Massari will always be dear to her for having made her debut in "Probito", the film directed by the great Mario Monicelli and based on the book "La madre" by Grazia Deledda.
The then twenty-one-year-old Lea Massari played Agnese Barras alongside a real Sardinian actor, Amedeo Nazzari, and another celebrity, Mel Ferrer. The film was shot almost entirely in the province of Sassari.