Laura D'Oriano

Laura D'Oriano (27 September 1911 – 16 January 1943) was an Italian spy for the Allies powers and the French Resistance from 1940 until she was caught in 1942 by Italian counterintelligence. Following a show trial, D'Oriano was executed by firing squad in 1943.

Early life and family D'Oriano was born on 27 September 1911 in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (present-day Istanbul, Turkey) to the Italian musicians, Policarpo D'Oriano and Aida Caruana. The eldest of five siblings, the family moved around Europe until 1924 when they settled in Marseille. Her mother ensured that the children learned Italian, and D'Oriano eventually learned to speak five languages. D'Oriano moved to Paris when she was seventeen to become a singer, but she was unsuccessful and returned to live with her family. D'Oriano has been compared to the spy Mata Hari.