Laura Gemser

Laurette Marcia "Laura" Gemser (born 5 October 1950, Surabaya) is a retired Indonesian-Dutch actress, model and costume designer.[1] She is primarily known for her work in Italian erotic cinema, most notably the Emanuelle series. Many of her films were collaborations with directors Joe D'Amato and Bruno Mattei.[1]

Laura Gemser
Gemser in Black Emanuelle (1975)
Born
Laurette Marcia Gemser

(1950-10-05) 5 October 1950
Surabaya, Indonesia
Other namesEmanuelle
Moira Chen
Laurette Gemser
CitizenshipDutch
Italian
OccupationActress, model, costume designer
Years active1974–1993
Spouse(s)Gabriele Tinti (1976–1991; his death)

Gemser has also been credited as Moira Chen, most notably in Love Is Forever (1983).

Early life

Gemser left Indonesia in 1955, at the age of four, and moved with her parents to the Netherlands.[2] She grew up in the Dutch city of Utrecht, where she attended the MULO Regentesseschool high school. After that, she attended the Artibus Art School in Utrecht, where she specialised in fashion design.[2]

Career

After modelling in various magazines in the Netherlands and Belgium, in 1974 she moved to Italy to star in the erotic film Amore libero - Free Love.[3] The film was a box office success and launched Gemser's career. She played one of the masseuses in the 1975 film Emmanuelle 2 (aka Emmanuelle, The Joys of a Woman), and later that year took the starring role in Bitto Albertini's Black Emanuelle.[4] She starred in 5 Black Emanuelle films in less than three years.[5][2][3] The pornographic content of the 1977 movie Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals was very raw and graphic.[6]

She starred as Laotian actress Keo Sirisomphone in Michael Landon's 1983 American television film, Love is Forever, in which she was credited as Moira Chen. During the 1970s and 1980s, she made many movies with Joe D'Amato. Gemser continued to make films, at times working with her actor husband, Gabriele Tinti (m. 1976-1991). In the 1990s, she retired from films to work on costume designing for film, and completely vanished from the public life.[7] In 1990, she had made the costumes for what is considered one of the worst movies ever made, Troll 2.[8]

Partial filmography
Note: The films listed as N/A are not necessarily chronological.
Title Year Credited as Role Notes Refs.
Actor Costume designer Other
Amore libero - Free Love 1974 Yes Jeannie Credited as Emanuelle in the film. [9]
Black Emanuelle 1975 Yes Emanuelle [10]
Emanuelle in Bangkok N/A Yes Emanuelle [11]
Voyage of the Damned 1976 Yes Estredes Geliebte [12]
Black Cobra Woman N/A Yes Eva [13]
Smooth Velvet, Raw Silk N/A Yes Emanuelle [14]
Emanuelle in America N/A Yes Emanuelle [15]
La spiaggia del desiderio N/A Yes Haidé [16]
Voto di castità N/A Yes Iliana [17]
Crime Busters N/A Yes Susy Li [18]
Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals 1977 Yes Emanuelle [19]
Emanuelle Around the World 1977 Yes Emanuelle [20][21]
Le notti porno nel mondo N/A Yes Herself [22]
Suor Emanuelle N/A Yes suor Emanuelle [23]
Emanuelle e le pornonotti N/A Yes N/A [24]
Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade N/A Yes Emanuelle [25]
Voglia di donna N/A Yes principessa africana [26]
La mujer de la tierra caliente N/A Yes N/A [27]
Erotic Nights of the Living Dead N/A Yes indigena [28]
Porno Esotic Love N/A Yes N/A [29]
Murder Obsession 1981 Yes Betty [30]
Die Todesgöttin des Liebescamps 1981 Yes Die Göttliche [31]
Melani Queen of Sados N/A Yes N/A [32]
Ator, the Fighting Eagle 1982 Yes Indunn [33]
Violence in a Women's Prison 1982 Yes Emanuelle Larson [34][35]
La belva dalla calda pelle N/A Yes Sheila [36]
Caligula, the Untold Story N/A Yes Myriam [37]
Invaders of the Lost Gold N/A Yes N/A [38]
Women's Prison Massacre N/A Yes Emmanuelle [39]
Love Is Forever 1983 Yes Keo Sirisomphone [40]
Endgame N/A Yes Lilith Credited as Moira Chen [41]
L'Alcova N/A Yes Zerbal, la schiava [42]
The Pleasure N/A Yes Haunani [43]
Voglia di guardare N/A Yes N/A [44]
Riflessi di luce N/A Yes N/A [45]
Top Model N/A Yes Dorothy [46]
Hot Steps N/A Yes [47]
Quest for the Mighty Sword 1990 Yes Grimilde [48][49]
Troll 2 1990 Yes [50]
Passion's Flowers N/A Yes Yes Scene designer [51]
Woman's Secret - Il segreto di una donna N/A Yes [52]

References

Footnotes
  1. "Laura Gemser". The New York Times.
  2. Article on Laura Gemser in Leeuwarder Courant, 5 February 1977
  3. Gordiano Lupi, Laura Gemser e le altre. Edizioni Profondo Rosso, 2011. pp. 18–19.
  4. Paul, Louis (2013). Italian Horror Film Directors. McFarland. p. 184. ISBN 0786487496. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  5. www.critic.de. "Emanuelle Around the World | Kritik". critic.de (in German). Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  6. Lépine, Cédric. "Exotisme érotico-gore de la saga alternative Emanuelle". Club de Mediapart (in French). Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  7. Gabriele (November 2, 2020). "Ricordate Laura Gemser? Che fine ha fatto Emanuelle Nera - FOTO". Ck12 Giornale. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  8. O'Brien, Jon (October 11, 2020). "Why Troll 2 really is the best worst movie ever made". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  9. "Amore libero (1974)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  10. "Emanuelle nera n. 2 (1976)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  11. "Emanuelle nera - Orient Reportage (1976)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  12. "Voyage of the Damned". Filmportal.de (in German). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  13. "Eva nera". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  14. "Velluto nero (1976)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  15. "Emanuelle in America (1976)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  16. "La spiaggia del desiderio (1976)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  17. "Voto di castità (1976)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  18. "I due superpiedi quasi piatti". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  19. "Emanuelle e gli ultimi cannibali". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  20. "Emanuelle - Perché violenza alle donne? (1977)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  21. Shipka 2011, p. 159.
  22. "Le notti porno nel mondo (1977)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  23. "suor Emanuelle". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  24. "Emanuelle e le pornonotti (1978)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  25. "La via della prostituzione (1978)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  26. "Voglia di donna (1978)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  27. "La mujer de la tierra caliente [La donna della calda terra] (1978)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  28. "Le notti erotiche (1980)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  29. "Porno Esotic Love (1980)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  30. Curti 2017, p. 328.
  31. "Die Todesgöttin des Liebescamps". Filmportal.de. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  32. "* * Melani Queen of Sados [Sexy Moon] (1980". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  33. Kinnard & Crnkovich 2017, p. 198.
  34. "Release". BFI Film & Television Database. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  35. "Violenza in un carcere femminile (1982)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  36. "La belva dalla calda pelle". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  37. "Caligola... la storia mai raccontata (1982)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  38. "* * Invaders of the Lost Gold [Horror Safari] (1982)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  39. "Blade Violent (1983)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  40. "Love Is Forever" (in German). Filmportal.de. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  41. "Endgame - Bronx lotta finale (1983)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  42. "L'alcova (1985)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  43. "Il piacere (1985)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  44. "Voglia di guardare (1986)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  45. "Riflessi di luce". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  46. "Top Model". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  47. "Hot Steps". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  48. Kinnard & Crnkovich 2017, p. 202.
  49. Kinnard & Crnkovich 2017, p. 203.
  50. "Troll 2". American Film Institute. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  51. "Passion's Flowers". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  52. "Woman's Secret - Il segreto di una donna (1992)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.

Sources
  • Curti, Roberto (2017). Riccardo Freda: The Life and Works of a Born Filmmaker. McFarland. ISBN 1476628386.
  • Kinnard, Roy; Crnkovich, Tony (2017). Italian Sword and Sandal Films, 1908-1990. McFarland. ISBN 1476662916.
  • Shipka, Danny (2011). Perverse Titillation: The Exploitation Cinema of Italy, Spain and France, 1960–1980. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-4888-3.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.