Carolyn De Fonseca

Carolyn De Fonseca (25 May 1929 - May 2009[1]) was an American actress and voice dubbing artist based in Rome. She worked extensively as a voice actress for the English-language dubbing of several hundred foreign (mostly Italian) films from the early 1960s and onwards. She was also the wife of actor/voice dubber Ted Rusoff, with whom she frequently worked.[2] She died in 2009.[2]

Career

De Fonseca first came to Rome in the early 1960s and tried to make a career for herself as an actress. She played a small role in the acclaimed A Difficult Life (1961), directed by Dino Risi, and had a supporting role as Chloe, the love potion maker, in the sword and sandal film Damon and Pythias (1962). She also had bit part roles in some big productions that did shooting in Italy, such as Barabbas (1961) and The Pink Panther (1963). She never really found much success as an actress but she quickly became a prolific and successful voice dubbing artist.

Some of her earliest dubbing work were in the peplum films Mole Men Against the Son of Hercules (1961) and Ursus in the Valley of the Lions (1961), in which she provided the voice of actress Moira Orfei in the English dubbed versions of the film. Subsequently, De Fonseca dubbed a series of further peplum film and she was also given the chance to dub the voice of American actress Jayne Mansfield in two of her European films which were post-synchronized without Mansfield's involvement: Primitive Love (1964) and Dog Eat Dog (1964). She also provided Mansfield's voice in the infamous quasi-documentary The Wild, Wild World of Jayne Mansfield (1968). Released after Mansfield's death, this mondo-style cult documentary consists of footage of Mansfield visiting various night clubs and beaches while narrating her experiences. Since Mansfield died before the film's completion, De Fonseca performs the task of voicing Mansfield's thoughts and narration.

In the 1960s, De Fonseca dubbed many leading ladies into English, but eventually became more prolific in dubbing villainesses in various sword and sandal and horror films. After a supporting role in the caper film Midas Run (1969) with Fred Astaire and Richard Crenna, she would give up her acting career and focus solely on dubbing films into English. She specialized in voicing femme fatale characters such as the evil queen (played by Jany Clair) in Hercules vs. the Moon Men (1964), a bitchy tourist (played by Silvia Solar) in Eyeball (1975) and the deranged inmate Albina in Women's Prison Massacre (1983). She would also typically dub exotic figures or upper-class nymphomaniacs, such as a sex-hungry asylum patient (played by Rosalba Neri) in Slaughter Hotel (1971), and a sassy, black nightclub performer (played by Carla Brait) in The Case of the Bloody Iris (1972). De Fonseca would also sometimes deliver very over the top performances; dubbing the voices of sobbing and hysterical figures such as a paranoid asylum patient (played by Rossella Falk) in Seven Blood-Stained Orchids (1972), a sexually frustrated housewife (played by Carroll Baker) in My Father's Wife (1976), and a drug-addicted nun (played by Anita Ekberg) in The Killer Nun (1978).

As the Italian film industry was slowing down somewhat in the 1980s, De Fonseca resumed her career as a film actress in various American films that were shot in Rome, while still continuing to work with dubbing. On screen she played Christopher Reeve's secretary in Monsignor (1982), had a supporting role in the Pia Zadora film The Lonely Lady (1983), played a comedic role as an American tourist in Detective School Dropouts (1986) and finally appeared in Bernardo Bertolucci's The Sheltering Sky (1990). On television, she appeared in the highly acclaimed mini series The Winds of War (1983). She also appeared alongside her real-life husband Ted Rusoff in the mini series Mussolini and I (1985), in which they play the parents of Mussolini's mistress, Claretta Petacci, and played a supporting part in the TV movie thriller The Fifth Missile (1986).

List of dubbing roles (incomplete)

Year Film Role Actress
1961 Mole Men Against the Son of Hercules Queen Halis Mosab Moira Orfei
1961 Ursus in the Valley of the Lions Diar Moira Orfei
1963 Thor and the Amazon Women Black Queen Janine Hendy
1963 The Whip and the Body Nevenka Menliff Daliah Lavi
1964 Dog Eat Dog Darlene Jayne Mansfield
1964 Hercules vs. the Moon Men Queen Samara Jany Clair
1964 The Last Man on Earth Ruth Collins Franca Bettoia
1964 The Long Hair of Death Mary Karnstein/Helen Karnstein Barbara Steele
1964 Primitive Love Dr. Jane Jayne Mansfield
1965 Bloody Pit of Horror Kinojo Moa Tahi
1965 Red Dragon Carol Rosanna Schiaffino
1965 Terror-Creatures from the Grave Cleo Hauff Barbara Steele
1966 Killers Are Challenged Sheena Coleman Wandisa Guida
1966 Secret Agent Super Dragon Charity Farrel Marisa Mell
1966 The Murder Clinic Gisèle de Brantome Françoise Prévost
1967 Mission Stardust Dr. Sheridan Ann Smyrner
1968 The Great Silence Regina Marisa Merlini
1968 Run, Man, Run Penny Bannington Linda Veras
1969 The Sisters Diana Nathalie Delon
1969 Venus in Furs Olga Margaret Lee
1969 A Woman on Fire Clarissa Renos Françoise Prévost
1970 Queens of Evil Bibiana Ida Galli
1970 Shadow of Illusion Gail Bland Daniela Giordano
1971 Blackie the Pirate Isabel Silvia Monti
1971 The Feast of Satan Andrea Teresa Gimpera
1971 Slaughter Hotel Anne Palmieri Rosalba Neri
1971 The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh Carol Cristina Airoldi
1972 The Case of the Bloody Iris Mizar Harrington Carla Brait
1972 Don't Torture a Duckling Maciara Florinda Bolkan
1972 Manhunt Trini Francesca Romana Coluzzi
1972 The Red Queen Kills Seven Times Lulu Palm Sybil Danning
1972 Seven Blood-Stained Orchids Elena Marchi Rossella Falk
1972 Shadows Unseen Simona Marilù Tolo
1972 Smile Before Death Gianna Rosalba Neri
1972 So Sweet, So Dead Rossella Jessica Dublin
1973 Amarcord Mathematics Teacher Dina Adorni
1973 Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eyes Suzanne Doris Kunstmann
1973 Torso Prostitute Rosaria Della Femmina
1973 War Goddess Oreitheia Sabine Sun
1974 The Arena Cornelia Rosalba Neri
1974 The Eerie Midnight Horror Show Luisa Lucretia Love
1974 The Last Desperate Hours Laura Monachesi Silvia Monti
1974 Spasmo Clorinda Monica Monet
1974 White Fang to the Rescue Katie Gisela Hahn
1974 What Have They Done to Your Daughters? Mrs. Talenti Clara Zovianoff
1975 Blonde in Black Leather Miele Monica Vitti
1975 Deep Red Gianna Brezzi Daria Nicolodi
1975 Emanuelle's Revenge Emanuelle Rosemarie Lindt
1975 Eyeball Gail Alvarado Silvia Solar
1975 The Killer Must Kill Again Norma Mainardi Teresa Velázquez
1975 Season for Assassins Rossana Magali Noël
1975 Silent Action Mrs. Martinetti Loredana Nusciak
1975 Strip Nude for Your Killer Gisella Montani Giuliana Cecchini
1975 Syndicate Sadists Flora Femi Benussi
1976 The Big Racket Anna Rossetti Anna Zinnemann
1976 Black Emanuelle 2 Susan Dagmar Lassander
1976 Emanuelle in America Diana Smith Maria Piera Regoli
1976 Gestapo's Last Orgy Alma Maristella Greco
1976 My Father's Wife Laura Carroll Baker
1976 SS Camp 5 - Women's Hell Kapo Greta Patrizia Melega
1976 SS Experiment Love Camp Dr. Renke Patrizia Melega
1976 Violent Naples Gervasi's wife Maria Grazia Spina
1977 Achtung! The Desert Tigers Dr. Lessing Lea Lander
1977 Beast With a Gun Giuliana Caroli Marisa Mell
1977 Blood and Diamonds Maria Olga Karlatos
1977 The Cynic, the Rat, the Fist Maria Balzano Gabriella Giorgelli
1977 Messalina, Messalina Agrippina Lory Wagner
1977 Return of the 38 Gang Rosy Dagmar Lassander
1977 Suspiria Olga Barbara Magnolfi
1977 The Pajama Girl Case Quint's Neighbor Vanessa Vitale
1977 Watch Me When I Kill Esmeralda Messori Bianca Toccafondi
1978 Blazing Flowers Nadina Anna Maria Rizzoli
1978 The Bloodstained Shadow Signora Nardi Juliette Mayniel
1978 The Killer Nun Sister Gertrude Anita Ekberg
1978 Satan's Blood Mary Sandra Alberti
1978 The War of the Robots Lois Malisa Longo
1979 Beyond the Darkness Iris Franca Stoppi
1979 Escape From Hell Katie Cintia Lodetti
1979 Hotel Paradise Muriel Ajita Wilson
1979 Tigers in Lipstick Maria Monica Vitti
1980 Anthropophagus Julie Tisa Farrow
1980 The Day of the Cobra Lola Lecinia Lentini
1980 Erotic Nights of the Living Dead Fiona Dirce Funari
1980 Hell of the Living Dead Josie Esther Mesina
1980 Inferno Carol Alida Valli
1980 Macabre Jane Baker Bernice Stegers
1981 Absurd Mrs. Bennett Hanja Kochansky
1981 Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror Evelyn Mariangela Giordano
1981 The House by the Cemetery Laura Gittleson Dagmar Lassander
1981 Murder Obsession Glenda Anita Strindberg
1981 Piranha II: The Spawning Jai Carole Davis
1982 Ator, the Fighting Eagle Indun Laura Gemser
1982 Nathalie Della Jackson Grazia De Giorgi
1982 The New York Ripper Scellenda's landlady Rita Silva
1982 Pieces Grace Hilda Fuchs
1982 The Scorpion with Two Tails Heather Hull Wandisa Guida
1982 Sweet Body of Bianca Jill Grazia De Giorgi
1982 The Sword of the Barbarians Aki Yvonne Fraschetti
1982 Violence in a Women's Prison Hertha Françoise Perrot
1983 The Final Executioner Edra Marina Costa
1983 Hell Behind Bars The Warden Rita Silva
1983 Hell Penitentiary Warden Landers Rita Silva
1983 The Seven Magnificent Gladiators Lucilla Mandy Rice-Davies
1983 Throne of Fire Princess Valkari Sabrina Siani
1983 Women's Prison Massacre Albina Ursula Flores
1984 Monster Dog Sandra Victoria Vera
1984 The Violent Breed Madame Fra Danika La Loggia
1985 Jungle Raiders Maria Janez Marina Costa
1985 Miami Golem Joanna Fitzgerald Laura Trotter
1985 Phenomena Frau Brückner Daria Nicolodi
1986 Bridge to Hell Vanja Francesca Ferrè
1986 The Devil's Honey Carol Simpson Corinne Clery
1986 The Kiss of the Cobra Maria Milly D'Abbraccio
1987 Iron Warrior Deeva Iris Peynado
1988 The Murder Secret Nora Hamilton Adriana Russo
1988 Ratman Terry Janet Agren
1988 The Red Monks Ramona Curtis Lara Wendel
1989 Alien From the Deep Jane Marina Giulia Cavalli
1989 The Bronx Executioner Margie Margit Evelyn Newton
1989 The House of Lost Souls Daria Licia Colò
1989 The House of Witchcraft Sharon Mason Marina Giulia Cavalli
1991 Millions Margherita Florinda Bolkan
1991 Voices From Beyond Hilda Mainardi Frances Nacman
1995 The Strange Story of Olga O. Sheila Altman Florinda Bolkan

References

  1. "Carolyn De Fonseca". bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  2. 1 2 "R.I.P. Ted Rusoff (1939-2013)". Fangoria. November 7, 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2015.

External links

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