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 Black 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 5 October 1950 |
Other names | Emanuelle Moira Chen |
Citizenship | Dutch Italian |
Occupation | Actress, model, costume designer |
Years active | 1974–1993 |
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 a number of further Black Emanuelle films in the 1970s.[2][3]
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. Gemser continued to make films, at times working with her actor husband, Gabriele Tinti. In the 1990s, she retired from films to work on costume designing for film.
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 | N/A | Yes | Jeannie | Credited as Emanuelle in the film. | [5] | ||
Black Emanuelle | N/A | Yes | Emanuelle | [6] | |||
Black Emanuelle 2 | N/A | Yes | Emanuelle | [7] | |||
Emanuelle in Bangkok | N/A | Yes | Emanuelle | [8] | |||
Voyage of the Damned | 1976 | Yes | Estredes Geliebte | [9] | |||
Black Cobra Woman | N/A | Yes | Eva | [10] | |||
Smooth Velvet, Raw Silk | N/A | Yes | Emanuelle | [11] | |||
Emanuelle in America | N/A | Yes | Emanuelle | [12] | |||
La spiaggia del desiderio | N/A | Yes | Haidé | [13] | |||
Voto di castità | N/A | Yes | Iliana | [14] | |||
Crime Busters | N/A | Yes | Susy Li | [15] | |||
Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals | 1977 | Yes | Emanuelle | [16] | |||
Emanuelle Around the World | 1977 | Yes | Emanuelle | [17][18] | |||
Le notti porno nel mondo | N/A | Yes | Herself | [19] | |||
Suor Emanuelle | N/A | Yes | suor Emanuelle | [20] | |||
Emanuelle e le pornonotti | N/A | Yes | N/A | [21] | |||
Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade | N/A | Yes | Emanuelle | [22] | |||
Voglia di donna | N/A | Yes | principessa africana | [23] | |||
La mujer de la tierra caliente | N/A | Yes | N/A | [24] | |||
Erotic Nights of the Living Dead | N/A | Yes | indigena | [25] | |||
Porno Esotic Love | N/A | Yes | N/A | [26] | |||
Murder Obsession | 1981 | Yes | Betty | [27] | |||
Die Todesgöttin des Liebescamps | 1981 | Yes | Die Göttliche | [28] | |||
Melani Queen of Sados | N/A | Yes | N/A | [29] | |||
Ator, the Fighting Eagle | 1982 | Yes | Indunn | [30] | |||
Violence in a Women's Prison | 1982 | Yes | Emanuelle Larson | [31][32] | |||
La belva dalla calda pelle | N/A | Yes | Sheila | [33] | |||
Caligula, the Untold Story | N/A | Yes | Myriam | [34] | |||
Invaders of the Lost Gold | N/A | Yes | N/A | [35] | |||
Women's Prison Massacre | N/A | Yes | Emmanuelle | [36] | |||
Love Is Forever | 1983 | Yes | Keo Sirisomphone | [37] | |||
Endgame | N/A | Yes | Lilith | Credited as Moira Chen | [38] | ||
L'Alcova | N/A | Yes | Zerbal, la schiava | [39] | |||
The Pleasure | N/A | Yes | Haunani | [40] | |||
Voglia di guardare | N/A | Yes | N/A | [41] | |||
Riflessi di luce | N/A | Yes | N/A | [42] | |||
Top Model | N/A | Yes | Dorothy | [43] | |||
Hot Steps | N/A | Yes | [44] | ||||
Quest for the Mighty Sword | 1990 | Yes | Grimilde | [45][46] | |||
Troll 2 | 1990 | Yes | [47] | ||||
Passion's Flowers | N/A | Yes | Yes | Scene designer | [48] | ||
Woman's Secret - Il segreto di una donna | N/A | Yes | [49] | ||||
References
Footnotes
- "Laura Gemser". The New York Times.
- Article on Laura Gemser in Leeuwarder Courant, 5 February 1977
- Gordiano Lupi, Laura Gemser e le altre. Edizioni Profondo Rosso, 2011. pp. 18–19.
- Paul, Louis (2013). Italian Horror Film Directors. McFarland. p. 184. ISBN 0786487496. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
- "Amore libero (1974)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Emanuelle nera (1975)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Emanuelle nera n. 2 (1976)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Emanuelle nera - Orient Reportage (1976)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Voyage of the Damned". Filmportal.de (in German). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Eva nera". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Velluto nero (1976)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Emanuelle in America (1976)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "La spiaggia del desiderio (1976)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Voto di castità (1976)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "I due superpiedi quasi piatti". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Emanuelle e gli ultimi cannibali". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Emanuelle - Perché violenza alle donne? (1977)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- Shipka 2011, p. 159.
- "Le notti porno nel mondo (1977)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "suor Emanuelle". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Emanuelle e le pornonotti (1978)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "La via della prostituzione (1978)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Voglia di donna (1978)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "La mujer de la tierra caliente [La donna della calda terra] (1978)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Le notti erotiche (1980)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Porno Esotic Love (1980)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- Curti 2017, p. 328.
- "Die Todesgöttin des Liebescamps". Filmportal.de. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "* * Melani Queen of Sados [Sexy Moon] (1980". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- Kinnard & Crnkovich 2017, p. 198.
- "Release". BFI Film & Television Database. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
- "Violenza in un carcere femminile (1982)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "La belva dalla calda pelle". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Caligola... la storia mai raccontata (1982)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "* * Invaders of the Lost Gold [Horror Safari] (1982)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Blade Violent (1983)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Love Is Forever" (in German). Filmportal.de. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Endgame - Bronx lotta finale (1983)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "L'alcova (1985)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Il piacere (1985)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Voglia di guardare (1986)". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Riflessi di luce". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Top Model". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Hot Steps". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- Kinnard & Crnkovich 2017, p. 202.
- Kinnard & Crnkovich 2017, p. 203.
- "Troll 2". American Film Institute. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Passion's Flowers". Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Kinnard, Roy; Crnkovich, Tony (2017). Italian Sword and Sandal Films, 1908-1990. McFarland. ISBN 1476662916.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Shipka, Danny (2011). Perverse Titillation: The Exploitation Cinema of Italy, Spain and France, 1960–1980. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-4888-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)