Marisa Berenson

Vittoria Marisa Schiaparelli Berenson is an American model and actress. A granddaughter of designer Elsa Schiaparelli, she rose to international prominence in the late 1960s and 1970s. Berenson was a model, appearing on the covers of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. Known as the "Queen of the Scene," she became a style icon known for her eclectic and bohemian-chic aesthetic.

Berenson transitioned to film with notable roles including Death in Venice (1971) and achieved critical acclaim as Natalia Landauer in Cabaret (1972), for which she won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress and received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations. Her other film appearances include Barry Lyndon (1975), S.O.B. (1981), and I Am Love (2009). In 2001, she made her Broadway debut in the revival of Design for Living.

Early life Childhood Berenson was born in New York City, the elder of two daughters. Her father, Robert Lawrence Berenson, was an American career diplomat turned shipping executive. He was of Russian Jewish and Polish Jewish descent; the family's original paternal surname was Valvrojenski. Her mother was Maria-Luisa Yvonne "Gogo" Radha de Wendt Schiaparelli, a socialite of Italian, Swiss and French descent.

Family Berenson's maternal grandmother was the fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli,

Her younger sister, Berinthia, became a model, actress, and photographer, and was known as Berry Berenson. She was married to actor Anthony Perkins. Berry Berenson died on September 11, 2001 in New York City, as a passenger on American Airlines Flight 11.

Berenson and her sister are also great-grandnieces of Giovanni Schiaparelli, an Italian astronomer who was the first to describe the canals of Mars. They are second cousins, once removed, of art expert Bernard Berenson and his sister Senda Berenson, an athlete and educator who was one of the first two women elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Career

Discovered as a teenager by Vogue editor Diana Vreeland, Berenson rose to prominence in the 1960s. Frequently seen at nightclubs and social gatherings, she became known as "the Queen of the Scene," while designer Yves Saint Laurent famously dubbed her "the girl of the Seventies." She recalled her experience working under Kubrick's direction: I liked him very much. He had a lot of dry humour. Contrary to what people think — they have this image of Stanley as this difficult ogre — he wasn't at all. He was a perfectionist, but every great director I've worked with has been a perfectionist. You have to be to make extraordinary films.

Berenson's other performances included Casanova & Co. (1977), Killer Fish (1979), the Blake Edwards comedy S.O.B. (1981), The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud (1984), and Clint Eastwood's White Hunter Black Heart (1990), as well as in made-for-TV movies in the United States, such as the Holocaust-themed drama Playing for Time (1980). She guest-starred in an episode of The Muppet Show during its third season in 1978. She made her Broadway debut in the 2001 revival of Design for Living, which also starred Jennifer Ehle, Alan Cumming, and Dominic West. In 2009, she appeared in the film I Am Love.

In August 2016, she appeared in a production of Romeo and Juliet at the Garrick Theatre in London, as Lady Capulet.

Berenson is chairman of the board of Culture Project, an organization that sponsors the theater.

Personal life On September 11, 2001, her younger sister and sole sibling, Berry Perkins, widow of actor Anthony Perkins, was killed in the first flight to hit the World Trade Center. Marisa was also in an airplane during the terrorist attacks, flying from Paris to New York. In an interview with CBS, she told of the experience and how hours later she landed in Newfoundland (flights were diverted to Canada), and was told of her sister's death by a phone call with her daughter.

Of her practice of Transcendental Meditation

In the 1970s, Berenson was a vegetarian and believer in reincarnation. She later abandoned vegetarianism and returned to eating meat.

Berenson lives in a villa on the outskirts of Marrakesh. and French.

Relationships Berenson became engaged to French banking heir David René de Rothschild in 1972; the couple separated the following year. Reportedly, his family disapproved of their relationship because of Berenson's nude modeling photographs and revealing style of dress.

Her first husband was James Randall, a rivet manufacturer. Berenson's sister was the maid of honor, and George Hamilton was the best man. Guests included Andy Warhol, Halston, Valentino, and Giorgio di Sant'Angelo.

Her second husband was Aaron Richard Golub (born 1942, Worcester, Massachusetts), a lawyer, whom she married in 1982 and divorced in 1987. During the divorce proceedings, the judge ruled "the increased value of Ms. Berenson's acting and modeling career during the marriage were marital property" and therefore subject to consideration in any settlement agreements.

Filmography Film Year Title RoleNotes 1971 Death in Venice Frau von Aschenbach 1972 Cabaret Natalia Landauer NBR Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated – Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress - Motion PictureNominated – Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer - FemaleNominated – BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actress 1973 Un modo di essere donna Sibilla Ferrandi 1975 Barry Lyndon Lady Honoria Lyndon 1977 Some Like It Cool The Caliph's Wife 1979 Killer Fish Ann 1981 S.O.B. Mavis 1984 Led by the Nose Vera 1984 The Syringe L'Arbalète' 1984 The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud Emma Herrmann 1986 Flagrant désir Jeanne Barnac 1987 Via Montenapoleone Francesca 1990 White Hunter Black Heart Kay Gibson 1990 Night of the Cyclone Françoise 1992 Il giardino dei ciliegi Charlotte 1994 Venti dal Sud Anne de Bois 1995 Le grand blanc de Lambaréné Helene Schweitzer 1997 Tonka Mme Pflaum 1997 Elles Chloé 1998 Riches, belles, etc. Alizéa 1999 Retour à la vie Stéphanie 2000 The Photographer Julie Morris 2000 Primetime Murder Martha Werther 2001 Lisa Princess Maruschka 2001 Lonesome Verena 2004 People Daniella 2004 Le plus beau jour de ma vie Barbara 2005 Colour Me Kubrick Alex Witchell 2007 24 Bars La mère 2008 Vote and Die: Liszt for President Dr. Elizabeth Dyson 2009 I Am Love Allegra Rori Recchi 2009 Cinéman Lady Lyndon 2010 The Disciple Maria 2010 Weddings and Other Disasters Lucrezia 2010 Hitler in Hollywood Herself 2011 Gigola Solange 2013 Marquise Casati 2013 The Love Punch Clothilde 2016 Branagh Theatre Live: Romeo and Juliet Lady Capulet 2019 Halston Herself 2023 DogMan Aristocrat Woman 2024 My darling family The singer 2025Melpomene Martha’s grandmother

Television Year Title RoleNotes 1967 Coronet Blue Mary Barclay Episode: "Faces" 1978 The Muppet Show Herself Episode: Marisa Berenson 1980 Tourist Marian TV movie 1980 Playing for Time Elzvieta TV movie 1983 Bel ami Clotilde de Marelle Limited series 1985 The Equalizer Andrea Browne Episode: "Back Home" 1986 Sins Luba Tcherina Recurring role (3 episodes) 1986 Who's The Boss? Genevieve Pescher Episode: "Not with My Client You Don't" 1986 ABC Afterschool Specials Liz Childs Episode: "Getting Even: A Wimp's Revenge" 1987 Lo scialo Nina Recurring role (3 episodes) 1988 Hemingway Pauline Pfeiffer Main role (4 episodes) 1989 Spy Wars Isabella De Ambrosis Main role (3 episodes) 1989 Ocean Muneca Chavez Main role (6 episodes) 1990 Have A Nice Night Barbara Jenkins TV movie 1990 Blaues Blut Ann Ryder Episode: "Schatten der Vergangenheit" 1990 Chillers Professor Rebecca Vernay Episode: "The Thrill Seeker" 1991 L'enfant des loups Radegonde TV movie 1991 Hollywood Detective Dorothy Parker Episode: "Romanoff a Clef" 1991 Ti ho adottato per simpatia Unknown TV movie 1992 Murder, She Wrote Claudia Cameron Episode: "Danse Diabolique" 1992 Notorious Katarina Sebastian TV movie 1995 Maigret Mme Crosby Episode: "Maigret et la tête d'un homme" 1995 Het verdriet van België Madame Laura Recurring role (2 episodes) 1998 Maintenant et pour toujours Marianne TV movie 2001 Ama il tuo nemico 2 Unknown TV movie 2004 Commissaire Valence Mme Irène Episode: "Machination" 2004 Julie, chevalier de Maupin Madame de Maintenon TV movie 2005 Venus and Apollo Albina de Braise Episode: "Soin défraîchi" 2005 Le juge est une femme Julie de Berg Episode: "La petite marchande de fleurs" 2006–2007 Mafiosa Caterina Paoli Recurring role (6 episodes) 2007 Lost Signs Irène de Lestrade Recurring role (12 episodes) 2010 Il peccato e la vergogna Elena Fontamara Recurring role (2 episodes) 2010 Caldo criminale Lucrezia TV movie 2011 Le sang de la vigne Shirley Episode: "Le dernier coup de Jarnac" 2014 La collection: Ecrire pour... la trentaine vue par des écrivains Marianne Episode: "Rose Mystica" 2018 Velvet Colección Sandra Petribello Recurring role (2 episodes)

Theatre Year Title Role Venue Ref. 1980 Holiday Julia Seton Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles 2001 Design For Living Grace Torrence Broadway, Roundabout Revival 2016 Romeo and Juliet Lady Capulet West End, Kenneth Branagh Revival 2018-2019Berlin KabarettKirstenThéâtre de Poche-Montparnasse, Paris