Jump to content

Mimi Aguglia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mimi Aguglia
Mimi Aguglia, standing
Born
Girolama Aguglia

21 December 1884
Palermo, Sicily, Italy
Died31 July 1970
Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
Other namesMimi Aguglia-Ferraú
OccupationActress
Children3, including Argentina Brunetti

Mimi Aguglia (21 December 1884 – 31 July 1970), born Girolama Aguglia, was an Italian actress who found success in Hollywood as a character actress, often playing immigrant matriarchs. She also worked in Italian-language radio in the United States.

Early life

[edit]

Aguglia was born in the wings of the St. Cecile Theatre in Palermo on 21 December 1884,[1] while her mother, actress Giuseppina Di Lorenzo Aguglia, was playing Desdemona in Othello.[2] Her father was actor Ignazio Aguglia.[3] "I have never studied for the stage at all," she told The New York Times in 1908. "I am the daughter of artists and was born an artist."[4]

Career

[edit]

Aguglia became a noted actress in her own right, touring in Europe, North Africa, and South America from a young age. Edmondo de Amicis described her as "a hundred demons in a little body with an angel face."[5] She appeared in London in a Sicilian drama, La zolfara, and in Cavalleria rusticana and Morte civile, all in 1908.[6][7] Her American stage debut came later in 1908, starring in Malia, a Sicilian tragedy.[3][4] She returned to New York in 1913, performing Salome and Electra in Italian with her own company.[8] Djuna Barnes said of Aguglia in 1913 that she "entered into America as spice and pepper into a good pot roast."[9]

Aguglia studied English to broaden her opportunities on the American stage.[10] From the 1930s until her death Aguglia was a working character actress in Hollywood. She also had one Broadway credit, in The Whirlwind (1919–1920). She recorded two songs in Italian for the Columbia label in 1926.[11] She played in The Goldbergs on CBS radio in the early 1940s. She also worked at radio station WOV, broadcasting in Italian.[1]

Mimi Aguglia

Personal life

[edit]

Aguglia married director Vincenzo Ferraú in 1906, and had three children, two of whom worked in radio.[1] Her daughter Argentina Brunetti (1907–2005), born in Buenos Aires, was also an actress.[12][13] Her husband died in 1942, and Aguglia died in 1970, at the age of 85, in Woodland Hills, California.[14]

Selected filmography

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Tuesday's Highlights" (PDF). Radio and Television Mirror. 14 (3): 46. July 1940. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  2. ^ Estavan, Lawrence; Burgess, Mary A.; Burgess, Mary Wickizer (1991). The Italian Theatre in San Francisco: Being a History of the Italian-language Operatic, Dramatic, and Comedic Productions Presented in the San Francisco Bay Area Through the Depression Era, with Reminiscences of the Leading Players and Impresarios of the Times. Wildside Press LLC. ISBN 978-0-89370-464-3.
  3. ^ a b Aleandri, Emelise (1999). The Italian-American Immigrant Theatre of New York City. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 62–64. ISBN 978-0-7385-0097-3.
  4. ^ a b "Mimi Aguglia Here to Act in Tragedy; Sicilian Actress and Her Company to Produce "Malia" Under Charles Frohman". The New York Times. 22 November 1908. p. 11. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  5. ^ Muscio, Giuliana (2018). Napoli/New York/Hollywood: Film between Italy and the United States. Fordham University Press. pp. 43–45. ISBN 978-0-8232-7940-1.
  6. ^ Wearing, J. P. (2013). The London Stage 1900-1909: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Scarecrow Press. pp. 393–395. ISBN 978-0-8108-9294-1.
  7. ^ "Heard in the Green Room". The Sketch. 61: 310. March 18, 1908.
  8. ^ "Mimi Aguglia Arrives; Italian Actress and Her Company Will Play in Tragedy Here". The New York Times. 22 December 1913. p. 9. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  9. ^ Warren, Diane (2017). Djuna Barnes' Consuming Fictions. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-15966-1.
  10. ^ Reed, John (1917-08-26). "Sicilian Star Plays on New York Bowery and Learns English". Star Tribune. p. 35. Retrieved 2025-04-04 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Mimi Aguglia". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  12. ^ Vallance, Tom (2 January 2006). "Argentina Brunetti; Actress cast in mother roles". The Independent Online. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  13. ^ "Italian Actress to Play Indian". The Morning Call. 1965-12-28. p. 30. Retrieved 2025-04-04 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Aguglia, Mimi (death notice)". The Los Angeles Times. 1970-08-03. p. 28. Retrieved 2025-04-04 – via Newspapers.com.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mimi Aguglia.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mimi_Aguglia&oldid=1283861206"