Paola Pezzaglia

Paola Pezzaglia or Paolina Pezzaglia or Paolina Pezzaglia Greco (Milan, September 13, 1889 - Florence, December 17, 1925) was an Italian theatre and film actress. Her family name was Pezzaglia, although the variant spelling Pazzaglia is also found in some documents and sources.

Pezzaglia was the only daughter of the VIP hair-stylist Gerolamo Pezzaglia. Her uncle was the actor and "capocomico" Angelo Pezzaglia, who induced her as a small child to start acting on stage. At the age of 4 she already enchanted her public in theatre, and she grew up as a popular actress, with the interpretation of more than 120 theatrical pieces in Italy, Swiss, Tunis and Egypt.

She was first star in the famous Ermete Zacconi's "Compagnia", which was highly successful.

In 1908 she married the actor Antonio Greco, and they had a son, Ruggero. Antonio died in 1913, at 28.

In 1914 Pezzaglia played the character of Sofia in the film Il fornaretto di Venezia, directed by Luigi Maggi. In 1918 she was Biribì in the four-film serial movie Il mistero dei Montfleury. In 1918 she performed also in La capanna dello zio Tom, directed by Riccardo Tolentino, and Le peripezie dell'emulo di Fortunello e compagni, directed by Cesare Zocchi de Collani, playing the character of Madama Girasole.

She was a nonconformist artist, playing also male or grotesque characters. Great in the drama as in the comedy, she was an actress and a woman really forward-looking.

In 1920 she had a daughter, Anna, with the actor-producer Luigi (Luis) Mottura, 12 years younger, never getting married with him. In 1921 she was in the cast of La vendetta dello scemo, directed by Umberto Mucci.

Pezzaglia continued acting on stage till the end of her short life, when, during a successful theatrical season, she died of pneumonia in Florence, at the age of 36. She is resting in the Trespiano Cemetery, Florence, Italy.

The story of her life is told in the website "Archivio Pezzaglia-Greco" ("Pezzaglia-Greco Archive") by her grandson Gianni Greco, an italian writer and radio-TV anchorman, with a lot of unpublished documents and photos.