Letícia Román
Italian actress (1941–2025)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Letícia Román (née Novarese; August 12, 1941 – June 26, 2025) was an Italian-born film actress.
August 12, 1941
Letícia Román | |
|---|---|
Román in 1961 | |
| Born | Letizia Novarese August 12, 1941 Rome, Italy |
| Died | June 26, 2025 (aged 83) Fort Myers, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1960–1966 |
| Spouse |
Peter Anthony Gelles
(m. 1970) |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Vittorio Nino Novarese Giuliana Gianni |
Early life
Román was born Letizia Novarese in Rome on August 12, 1941.[1] She was the daughter of stage actress Giuliana Gianni and screenwriter/costume designer Nino Novarese.[2]
Taught by tutors, Roman received the equivalent of an American high school education. She was fluent in five languages.[3]
Roman said that her parents did not want her to be an actress, but after arriving in Hollywood, she began studying acting under Sandy Meisner.[4] She studied with Gladys Vogeler to diminish her accent.[5]
Career
Román started her film career with a small part in the Elvis Presley film G.I. Blues, where she plays Tina.[6][7] Román had her first leading role in the film The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963), where she plays Nora Davis, a mystery obsessed woman who believes she has witnessed a murder.[8] After completing the film, Román went to Germany, where she made several films, including Russ Meyer's Fanny Hill.[9]
Later life and death
Román retired from acting after getting married in 1966 to Peter Anthony Gelles, by whom she had one child.[10] According to actor John Saxon, Román later worked in the real estate business in Los Angeles briefly.[10]
Román died in Fort Myers, Florida on June 26, 2025, at the age of 83.[11]
Selected filmography
- G.I. Blues (1960)
- Pirates of Tortuga (1961)
- Gold of the Seven Saints (1961)
- Charge of the Black Lancers (1962)
- Pontius Pilate (1962)
- The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963)
- Fanny Hill (1964)
- Marry Me, Cherie (1964)
- The Swedish Girl (1965)
- The Gentlemen (1965)
- Who Wants to Sleep? (1965)
- When the Grapevines Bloom on the Danube (1965)
- Old Surehand (1965)
- High Season for Spies (1966)
- F Troop: La Dolce Courage (1966)
- The Spy in the Green Hat (1967)
- Mannix: Make It Like It Never Happened – TV episode (1967)
- I Spy: Casanova from Canarsie – TV episode (1967)
- The Big Valley (1967)
