Edy Vessel

Biography

Vesselovsky was born in Trieste in 1940. In her youth, she worked as a model in the local boutiques while attending school. She landed a part as a chorus girl in a Wanda Osiris revue, where she was discovered by Mario Mattoli, who cast her in her debut film role in the 1959 film Guardatele ma non toccatele [Look, But Don't Touch Them].

This was followed by a dozen films, culminating with a role in Fellini's 8½. After this film, Vessel abandoned her film career.

Personal life

In 1965 Vessel started a relationship with Italian businessman Camillo Crociani; once he obtained the annulment of his first marriage from the Roman Rota, the couple married in 1970; they had two daughters. Heavily implicated in a bribery scandal involving Lockheed Corporation's alleged bribery of government officials to induce the purchase of Lockheed planes, Crociani moved the whole family to Mexico. Upon Crociani's death in 1980, Vessel remarried to Count Pierluigi Vitalini and assumed control of Crociani's company Ciset (later to become Vitrociset), resulting in a court battle with Crociani's children from his first marriage.

Vessel purchased Les canots amarrés by Vincent van Gogh at Sotheby's from Scottish collector Royan Middleton in 1991.

Filmography

Guardatele ma non toccatele (Mario Mattoli, 1959) - Maggie

Il raccomandato di ferro (Marcello Baldi, 1959)

Tipi da spiaggia (Mario Mattoli, 1959) - Lucy

Un dollaro di fifa (Giorgio Simonelli, 1960)

The Passionate Thief (Mario Monicelli, 1960) - La ragazza

The Thief of Baghdad (Arthur Lubin and Bruno Vailati, 1961) - Kadeejah

Sword of the Conqueror (Carlo Campogalliani, 1961) - Matilda

The Trojan Horse (Giorgio Ferroni, 1961) - Helen

Psycosissimo (Steno, 1962) - Annalisa Michelotti

Seven Seas to Calais (Primo Zeglio, 1962) - Arabella Ducleau

8½ (Federico Fellini, 1963) - L'indossatrice

Rocambole (Bernard Borderie, 1963) - Cléo Santelli (singer) (final film role)