Nieves Navarro

Nieves Navarro
Navarro in Death Walks on High Heels (1971)
Born
Nieves Navarro García

(1938-11-11) 11 November 1938 (age 86)
Other namesSusan Scott
Suzanne Scott
Occupation(s)Actress
Model
Years active1964–1989
SpouseLuciano Ercoli (1972–2015; his death)

Nieves Navarro García (born 11 November 1938) is a retired Spanish[1] actress and fashion model. She worked extensively in Italian cinema appearing alongside actors such as Totò and Lino Banfi in the 1960's and 1970's. She later adopted the Anglicized stage name Susan Scott (or Suzanne Scott) for many of her productions after 1969.

Navarro was also one of the first female stars of the Spaghetti Western genre making her feature film debut in A Pistol for Ringo and its sequel The Return of Ringo along with later appearances in The Big Gundown (1966), Long Days of Vengeance (1967), Light the Fuse... Sartana Is Coming (1970) and Adiós, Sabata (1971). In 1972, she married the Italian director and producer Luciano Ercoli, starring in many of his productions up until the early-1980s, and was familiar with her erotically themed roles in giallo and sex comedies.

She went into semi-retirement after 1983, making two last films in 1989. In recent years, she returned to live in her native Spain with her husband.

Early life

Navarro was born in Almería, to an Andalusian father and a Catalan mother. Her family moved to Barcelona when she was twelve years old.[1]

Her career began as advertising and fashion model. The introduction of television in Spain in 1956 led to further appearances in commercials and other work in the industry during the next few years.

Acting career

She began her career as a film actress in Italy alongside Totò in the Lawrence of Arabia parody Toto of Arabia (1965),[2][3] a Spanish-Italian co-production, in which she played Doris, a beautiful spy in the service of the British SIS, who charms the Sheik of Kuwait El Ali el Buzur (Fernando Sancho) and allows Totò to use her to drive the one hundred wives of the Sheik jealous.

Navarro in All the Colors of the Dark (1972)

Her early work in films took place in the Spaghetti Westerns that were shot regularly in her hometown of Almeria. In 1965, she appeared in A Pistol for Ringo, starring Giuliano Gemma, as the girlfriend of the Mexican bandit Sancho (Fernando Sancho). Navarro also appeared in the sequel The Return of Ringo,[4] and supporting roles in The Big Gundown (1966),[5][6][7] Long Days of Vengeance (1967), Light the Fuse... Sartana Is Coming (1970)[8] and Adiós, Sabata (1971).[5] Nieves also had leading roles in a number of action[2] and horror films during this period[9][10] and was among the protagonists of the film Death Walks At Midnight (1972), directed by Luciano Ercoli, who eventually became her husband.

She subsequently moved to Italy with Ercoli where she spent the rest of her career, starring in many of her husband's projects, which ended veering towards Italian erotica and "giallo" cinema. It was in the latter genre that highlighted her as a major star especially her appearances in the Emannuelle series, Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals (1977) and Emanuelle e Lolita (1978), directed by Joe D'Amato[9] and Henri Sala respectively.

Later films and retirement

In 1983, Navarro attempted to return to Spanish cinema with films like Gianfranco Angelucci's drama Honey with Fernando Rey,[11] but with less than expected success. She made two last films in 1989, Fiori di zucca and Casa di piacere, before going into retirement.[12] In recent years, she has returned to Spain, settling in Barcelona with Ercoli.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1965 Toto of Arabia Doris
A Pistol for Ringo Dolores
The Return of Ringo Rosita
1966 Kiss Kiss...Bang Bang Alina Shakespeare
Rojo Consuelo
Che notte, ragazzi! Consuelo
The Big Gundown The Widow
1967 Long Days of Vengeance Dolly
1969 Le Paria Sylvia
A Wrong Way to Love Anna Lanfranchi
Amor a todo gas Laura Montes / Falsa Elena
Siete minutos para morir Karin Foster
Naked Violence Livia Ussaro
1970 Adiós, Sabata Kingsville Saloon Dancer
Le foto proibite di una signora per bene Dominique
Light the Fuse... Sartana Is Coming Belle Manassas
1971 Death Walks on High Heels Nicole Rochard
1972 All the Colors of the Dark Barbara Harrison
Kill the Poker Player Lilly / Kate
So Sweet, So Dead Lily
Death Walks at Midnight Valentina
1973 Death Carries a Cane Kitty
The Magnificent Dare Devil Nina
1974 Il giudice e la minorenne Laura
Chi ha rubato il tesoro dello scia?
1975 The Family Vice Ines, the Countess
Los hijos de Scaramouche Princesa
1976 There's a Spy in My Bed Madame
Smooth Velvet, Raw Silk Crystal
Mauricio, mon amour Uncredited
Noi siam come le lucciole
Il medico... la studentessa Luisa
1977 The Rip-Off Ornella
Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals Maggie McKenzie
1978 Cugine mie Aunt Gaia
Emanuelle e Lolita Emanuelle
1979 Candide Lolita Adrienne Larousse
The Nurse in the Military Madhouse Veronica La Russa
1980 Sex and Black Magic Helen
1981 La moglie in bianco... l'amante al pepe Anna-Maria Mancuso
Honey Governess
1983 El fascista, doña Pura y el follón de la escultura Pura
1989 Fiori di zucca Madre di Enzo
Casa di piacere (final film role)

References

  1. ^ a b Román, Manuel (2019-10-06). "Nieves Navarro, la "Emmanuelle" de Almería que pasó a llamarse Susan Scott". Chic (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  2. ^ a b Parish, James and Michael Pitts. The Great Spy Pictures II. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1986. (pp. 138, 375) ISBN 0-8108-1913-9
  3. ^ Giacovelli, Enrico. Poi dice che uno si butta a sinistra!. Rome: Gremese, 1994. (p. 304)
  4. ^ Giacovelli, Enrico. Un Secolo di Cinema Italiano, 1900–1999: Dalle origini agli anni Sessanta. Lindau: Torino, 2002. (p. 339)
  5. ^ a b Frayling, Christopher. Spaghetti Westerns: Cowboys and Europeans from Karl May to Sergio Leone. London: Routledge & Keagan Paul, 1981. (pp. 262–263) ISBN 0-7100-0503-2
  6. ^ Hughes, Howard. Once Upon a Time in the Italian West: The Filmgoers' Guide to Spaghetti Westerns. London and New York: I.B. Tauris, 2006. (pp. 31, 38, 151) ISBN 1-85043-896-X
  7. ^ Maltin, Leonard. Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide. New York: Penguin, 2008. (p. 124) ISBN 0-452-28978-5
  8. ^ Green, Paul. Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns: Supernatural and Science Fiction Elements in Novels, Pulps, Comics, Films, Television and Games. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2009. (pp. 151, 176) ISBN 0-7864-4390-1
  9. ^ a b Weisser, Thomas. Spaghetti Westerns: The Good, The Bad, and The Violent: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Filmography of 558 Eurowesterns and Their Personnel, 1961–1977. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1992. (pp. 9, 193) ISBN 0-89950-688-7
  10. ^ Stine, Scott Aaron. The Gorehound's Guide to Splatter Films of the 1960s and 1970s. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2001. (p. 234) ISBN 0-7864-0924-X
  11. ^ Maltin, Leonard. Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide 2004. New York: Signet, 2003. (p. 633) ISBN 0-451-20940-0
  12. ^ Castoldi, Gian Luca. Donne in Prigione: Nazisti, Horror e Fantascienza, Thriller, Decameroni e Film Esotici. Rome: Profondo Rosso, 2005. (p. 198)

Further reading

  • Baldi, Alfredo. Schermi Proibiti: La Censura in Italia 1947-1988. Venice: Marsilio, 2002.
  • Bruschini, Antonio and Antonio Tentori, ed. Western all'italiana: The Specialists. Firenze: Glittering lmages, 1998.
  • Giusti, Marco. Dizionario del Western all'Italiana. Italy: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, 2007.