Michela Belmonte

Michela Belmonte (1925-1978) was an Italian actress and the younger sister of actress Maria Denis. She was discovered by Roberto Rossellini and appeared as a leading lady in a few films during the Fascist era. After the overthrow of Mussolini's regime, she left the film business.


Italian postcard by ASER (A. Scarmiglia Ediuzioni Roma), no. 154.


Italian postcard by Rizzoli & C., Milano, 1942. Photo: Venturini.

A brief film career

Michela Belmonte was born Michela Beomonte in Padoa, Italy, in 1925. She was the younger sister of actress Maria Denis. After attending secondary school, Belmonte moved to Rome to try to get into film. 

She was noticed by Roberto Rossellini who hired her for a small part opposite male lead Massimo Girotti in Un pilota ritorna/A Pilot Returns (1942). The film, based on a story by il Duce's son, Vittorio Mussolini, avoids any overt reference to or exaltation of the regime, from a screenplay co-written with Michelangelo Antonioni, among others. The film forms a part of Rossellini's 'Fascist trilogy' along with La nave bianca/The White Ship (1941) and L'uomo dalla croce/The Man with a Cross (1943). It was made with the cooperation of the Italian Air Force

Belmonte's small part in Un pilota ritorna/A Pilot Returns was impressive enough for Mario Mattoli to let her play one of the protagonists of the film I 3 acquelotti/The 3 Eagles (1942), next to a fresh-faced Alberto Sordi, Carlo Minello, and Leonardo Cortese. She played the woman between the friends Marco, Mario, and Filippo who have a great passion in common, flying. They attend the Air Force Academy of Caserta to become pilots, with the ongoing war and the risk of being called into action.

Alexander Caughey at IMDb: "This semi-propaganda work can best be understood as a willingness of the producers to put a brave face on a worsening situation for Italy, by revealing the human being behind the uniform. Definitely not jingoistic, nor to be considered a fascist picture, rather, a salute to the men of the Aeronautica Italiana, who shortly after the release of this film were to be fighting for the Allied cause."

In 1943 she made her third and final film, Il nostro prossimo/Our neighbour (Gherardo Gherardi, Giuseppe Aldo Rossi, 1943), with Belmonte starring alongside Antonio Gandusio, Maurizio D'Ancora, Rina Morelli and Paolo Stoppa. Following the overthrow of Benito Mussolini's regime in 1943, Michela Belmonte retired from acting. She left the world of cinema to focus on archaeology. Belmonte passed away in 1978 in Alicante, Spain. She was only 52.


Italian postcard by ASER (A. Scarmiglia Edizioni Roma), no. 112. Photo: Dinami e Malandrino.


Italian postcard by ASER (A. Scarmiglia Edizoni, Roma), no. 213. Photo: Ciolfi. Michela Belmonte and Leonardo Cortese in I tre aquilotti/The 3 Eagles (Mario Mattoli, 1942).


Italian postcard by B.F.F. Edit. (Casa Editr. Ballerini & Fratini, Firenze), no. 2006. Photo: Venturini, Roma.

Sources: Alexander Caughey (IMDb), Wikipedia (Italian and English), and IMDb.

This post was last updated on 19 July 2023.