Kally Sambucini (1892-1969) was an Italian silent film actress. She was the companion of the well-known actor-director Emilio Ghione, and appeared as Za-La-Vie in his film series on the dark anti-hero Za-La-Mort. Her favourite film was Lo scaldino (Augusto Genina, 1920) based on a novel by Luigi Pirandello.
Italian postcard by G. Vettori, Bologna, no. 5. Emilio Ghione as Za la mort and Kally Sambucini as Za la vie in Za-la-Mort (Emilio Ghione, 1915).
Italian postcard by Ed. G.B. Falci, Milano. Kally Sambucini's first name is misspelt here as Ely. There was no actress Ely Sambucini.
Italian postcard by G.B. Falci Editore, Milano, no. 364. Photo: La Fotominio / A.P. Film. Emilio Ghione and Kally Sambucini in La via del peccato / The Way of Sin (Amleto Palermi, 1925). Sambucini's first name is misspelt on the card.
Kally Sambucini was the pseudonym of Calliope Sambucini, born in Rome in 1892.
Known as Kally Sam and Kelly Sambucini, she was the companion of the well-known Emilio Ghione. The couple had a son, Emilio Ghione Jr., who was also an actor.
From 1915, Sambucini and her husband also appeared together on screen. They starred in the film series featuring the dark anti-hero Za-La-Mort, which Ghione directed himself.
Their films include Za-la-Mort (1915), L’imboscata / The Ambush (1916),Il numero 121 / Number 121 (1917) with Diana D'Amore, I topi grigi / The Gray Mice (1918), Dollari e fracks / Dollars and Fracks (1919), Il castello di bronzo / The Bronze Castle (1920), Quale dei due? / Which One? (1922), Un frak e un apache / A Frack and an Apache (1923) with Rita D'Harcourt, and Ultimissime della note / News of the Night (1924).
They also made a Za-la-Mort film in Germany: Za-la-mort / Die Traum der Za-la-Vie (1924), co-starring Fern Andra. Sambucini's role in these films was the antithesis of Ghione’s character, his fragile wife Za-la-Vie.
Italian postcard by Ed. G.B. Falci, Milano, no. 398. Photo: La Fotominio / A.P. Film. Emilio Ghione, Kally Sambucini, Rina De Liguoro and Lido Manetti in La via del peccato / The Way of Sin (Amleto Palermi, 1925).
Emilio Ghione. Italian postcard.
Emilio Ghione as Za-la-Mort. Italian postcard by Vettori, Bologna, no. 2011.
Kally Sambucini also acted in other Ghione-directed films, such as Anime buie / Dark Souls (Emilio Ghione, 1915) with Hesperia. She played the female lead opposite Ghione in Senza padre / Fatherless (Emilio Ghione, shot in 1924, but released in 1927), also with Maria Carmi. Their last film together was La casa errante / The Wandering House (Emilio Ghione, 1925).
She also acted in a few films directed by others besides her husband. When asked in the 1950s about her favourite film performance, Sambucini debunked her Za-la-Vie films. Instead, she mentioned Lo scaldino / The Warmer (1920) by Augusto Genina, based on a novel by Luigi Pirandello. She co-starred in it with Franz Sala.
In Lo scaldino, a shabby resale of cigars and newspapers is run every night by old Papa-Re (King Daddy), played by Alfonso Cassini. His kiosk is heated by an old clay warmer that falls to pieces one day. That night the old man finds a singer (Sambucini) from the café-concert next door with a baby. The woman goes to shoot her lover, who dumped her. She takes revenge, flees and leaves her baby with the old man. The old man and the baby warm each other.
Earlier, Emilio Ghione mentioned that the collaboration between director Augusto Genina and Sambucini was very difficult because of Genina's cold, rational behaviour. Denis Lotti writes in his biography of Ghione that professional jealousy might have played a part in Ghione's statement. Luigi Pirandello was glad with Sambucini's performance in Lo scaldino. The film press also raved about this realist tragedy and its true emotions.
After Ghione died in 1930, Sambucini acted only in one sound film, Notte di fiamme / Night of Flames (Ladislao Kish, 1942). In 1947, Emilio Ghione Junior tried to bring to the fore the characters who had brought his parents their biggest success. He starred in La fumeria d’oppio / The Opium Den (Raffaello Matarazzo, 1947), but the film did not have the desired success. Kally Sambucini died in Rome in 1969. She was 77.
Italian postcard, no. 1066. Kally Sambucini. The I is a mistake. Sambucini is with one c.
Emilio Ghione. Italian postcard by Fotocelere.
Sources: Denis Lotti (Emilio Ghione, l'ultimo apache - Italian), IMDb and Wikipedia (English and Italian).
This post was last updated on 24 October 2026.
Italian postcard by G. Vettori, Bologna, no. 5. Emilio Ghione as Za la mort and Kally Sambucini as Za la vie in Za-la-Mort (Emilio Ghione, 1915).
Italian postcard by Ed. G.B. Falci, Milano. Kally Sambucini's first name is misspelt here as Ely. There was no actress Ely Sambucini.
Italian postcard by G.B. Falci Editore, Milano, no. 364. Photo: La Fotominio / A.P. Film. Emilio Ghione and Kally Sambucini in La via del peccato / The Way of Sin (Amleto Palermi, 1925). Sambucini's first name is misspelt on the card.
Dark anti-hero
Kally Sambucini was the pseudonym of Calliope Sambucini, born in Rome in 1892.
Known as Kally Sam and Kelly Sambucini, she was the companion of the well-known Emilio Ghione. The couple had a son, Emilio Ghione Jr., who was also an actor.
From 1915, Sambucini and her husband also appeared together on screen. They starred in the film series featuring the dark anti-hero Za-La-Mort, which Ghione directed himself.
Their films include Za-la-Mort (1915), L’imboscata / The Ambush (1916),
They also made a Za-la-Mort film in Germany: Za-la-mort / Die Traum der Za-la-Vie (1924), co-starring Fern Andra. Sambucini's role in these films was the antithesis of Ghione’s character, his fragile wife Za-la-Vie.
Italian postcard by Ed. G.B. Falci, Milano, no. 398. Photo: La Fotominio / A.P. Film. Emilio Ghione, Kally Sambucini, Rina De Liguoro and Lido Manetti in La via del peccato / The Way of Sin (Amleto Palermi, 1925).
Emilio Ghione. Italian postcard.
Emilio Ghione as Za-la-Mort. Italian postcard by Vettori, Bologna, no. 2011.
Taking revenge
Kally Sambucini also acted in other Ghione-directed films, such as Anime buie / Dark Souls (Emilio Ghione, 1915) with Hesperia. She played the female lead opposite Ghione in Senza padre / Fatherless (Emilio Ghione, shot in 1924, but released in 1927), also with Maria Carmi. Their last film together was La casa errante / The Wandering House (Emilio Ghione, 1925).
She also acted in a few films directed by others besides her husband. When asked in the 1950s about her favourite film performance, Sambucini debunked her Za-la-Vie films. Instead, she mentioned Lo scaldino / The Warmer (1920) by Augusto Genina, based on a novel by Luigi Pirandello. She co-starred in it with Franz Sala.
In Lo scaldino, a shabby resale of cigars and newspapers is run every night by old Papa-Re (King Daddy), played by Alfonso Cassini. His kiosk is heated by an old clay warmer that falls to pieces one day. That night the old man finds a singer (Sambucini) from the café-concert next door with a baby. The woman goes to shoot her lover, who dumped her. She takes revenge, flees and leaves her baby with the old man. The old man and the baby warm each other.
Earlier, Emilio Ghione mentioned that the collaboration between director Augusto Genina and Sambucini was very difficult because of Genina's cold, rational behaviour. Denis Lotti writes in his biography of Ghione that professional jealousy might have played a part in Ghione's statement. Luigi Pirandello was glad with Sambucini's performance in Lo scaldino. The film press also raved about this realist tragedy and its true emotions.
After Ghione died in 1930, Sambucini acted only in one sound film, Notte di fiamme / Night of Flames (Ladislao Kish, 1942). In 1947, Emilio Ghione Junior tried to bring to the fore the characters who had brought his parents their biggest success. He starred in La fumeria d’oppio / The Opium Den (Raffaello Matarazzo, 1947), but the film did not have the desired success. Kally Sambucini died in Rome in 1969. She was 77.
Italian postcard, no. 1066. Kally Sambucini. The I is a mistake. Sambucini is with one c.
Emilio Ghione. Italian postcard by Fotocelere.
Sources: Denis Lotti (Emilio Ghione, l'ultimo apache - Italian), IMDb and Wikipedia (English and Italian).
This post was last updated on 24 October 2026.
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