Italy for me From Italy with love
The life and creative work of Claudia Mori are closely intertwined with her husband, Adriano Celentano, ever since they met. A fortunate coincidence led to the formation of the strongest union in the Italian film industry, which has lasted until their golden wedding anniversary.
Claudia Mori became a guardian angel, image-maker, and director of the family’s record studio for her husband. By giving up her own career, she continues to love her husband and protect him to this day.
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Biography of Claudia Mori
The real name of the actress is Claudia Moroni (sometimes pronounced as Claudia Moreno). She was born on February 12, 1944, in Rome. Her creative career includes both acting in films and producing (since 1987). Claudia Mori is also known as a singer.
In her youth, Claudia Mori began her creative career as a performer in music halls. Her performance at Sanremo in 1970 brought victory to Claudia and Adriano Celentano with their composition “Chi non lavora non fa l’amore” (Who Doesn’t Work Doesn’t Make Love). In 1975, Mori was recognized as the most successful female performer in Italy.
Meeting
Adriano Celentano and Claudia Mori first met in person during the filming of the movie “Some Strange Type” in 1963. Prior to that, the actress had already worked in films such as “Cerasella” (1959), “Rocco and His Brothers” (Claudia Mori appeared with A. Delon, 1960), directed by L. Visconti, and “Sodom and Gomorrah,” directed by R. Aldrich (1962). She was exceptionally beautiful, intelligent, talented, and selective in her choice of men. The singer regularly held concerts in Rome and organized tours in France.
Surrounded constantly by a crowd of numerous fans, the actress initially paid no attention to Adriano, having heard about his reputation as a troublemaker and flamboyant ladies’ man.
Her partner’s appearance reminded her of a monkey, and his unstoppable energy made the young woman keep her distance. The on-screen lover, Celentano, made numerous attempts to invite his uncooperative co-star on a date, complimenting her and persistently showing his interest. At that time, Celentano had a girlfriend, Milena Cantù, who had no idea that she would soon be abandoned by her passionate fiancé for a new love interest.
Recognition
One incident turned everything upside down. During the filming of one of the final scenes of the movie “Mori,” the actress playing the baby’s mother became so carried away on the set that she accidentally spilled water on the wires. This caused an electrical short circuit, leading to a lamp explosion. Celentano got injured by glass fragments, receiving scratches on his forehead and cheek. Mori, feeling embarrassed by what happened, quickly wiped the blood off her partner’s face and apologized. Not losing his composure, the young man took advantage of the moment and immediately invited Mori for a cup of coffee at a nearby café. Feeling guilty about the unfortunate accident, the well-mannered girl couldn’t refuse.
The first dates didn’t last long, ending with a couple of kisses. After the premiere of their joint film, Celentano and Mori stopped seeing each other. He began his concert tours, and she didn’t feel invested enough in the relationship to continue.
However, once ignited, the passion for the young beauty kept haunting Adriano. One day, he sent Claudia an invitation to his performance. Mori, without second thoughts, accepted it and came as a guest. The performance of the famous artist was a great success, and at the end of the concert, he sang an incredibly beautiful composition about love and confessed his tender feelings to the invited Mori from the stage.
Wedding
The popularity of the performer, his crowd of fans, and the public confession directed at the girl had an effect. The temporarily halted romance flared up with renewed strength.
On July 14, 1964, the couple secretly tied the knot. Avoiding public attention and the intrusion of paparazzi into their personal lives, they chose to have the ceremony at 3 a.m. in the San Francesco Church in Grosseto.
Only their closest friends were invited to the wedding. Witnesses almost fell asleep during the ceremony, Adriano complained of a headache, and Claudia found the groom’s tie unsuitable for the wedding, resulting in their first argument.
After the ceremony, the engagement rings of the groom and bride were removed. They saw it as an old tradition of “bourgeois ties” and never wore their rings again.
Later, in 1987, during Celentano and Mori’s visit to Moscow, the husband gave an interview about the actors he loved in his youth. He admitted that he was very fond of Ava Gardner, and Claudia was particularly similar to her but better and more beautiful. That’s why he chose Mori as his wife.
Setting Priorities
After getting married, Adriano Celentano’s wife, Claudia Mori, knowing her husband’s restless and lively character and seeing hordes of adoring fans, made a desperate decision – sacrificing her own creative career for the sake of their family happiness. Celentano’s fans wouldn’t give their idol a break; they would stop his car, call him at night, and confess their love. Fully supporting her spouse in all his endeavors, Claudia became his image-maker, support system, advocate, and manager.
Supporting and Promoting Her Husband
Not many people know that Adriano Celentano’s stage persona was entirely invented by his wife. She transformed him into a vibrant hooligan dressed in provocative outfits and even painted his left eye with colors resembling a bruise. Resourceful Claudia scoured all the flea markets in Rome and Milan to find costumes for Adriano.
Claudia Mori and Adriano Celentano found themselves at the center of public attention in Sanremo. Concert guests noticed how devotedly Claudia gazed at her husband, held his hand, and sang along with him.
Victory at the “Chi non lavora non fa l’amore” song contest in 1970 brought unprecedented success to the sensational performer Adriano Celentano. His female fans were tearing not only his clothes, but one of them managed to sneak into their hotel room and hide in the bedroom! Claudia admitted that her husband’s obvious success with women worldwide flattered her as the chosen one of the star.
Once, Celentano ended up in the hospital and the next morning he saw a crowd of people gathering outside his hospital room window. When he asked the doctor what it all meant, he was told that a reporter had mistaken two patients, one of whom had died, and the other turned out to be Adriano himself. That’s why the fans had come to bid farewell to their beloved singer. After this incident, the resourceful wife of the star constantly devised ways to fuel the paparazzi’s interest in her own family.
Grateful for his wife’s ideas, Adriano always complied, turning their marriage into a mutually beneficial partnership.
Another invention by Claudia gathered all the reporters in town around Adriano one beautiful day. He dressed in indecently short shorts, took a pillow as a headrest, and lay down on the railway tracks near their home in Brianza, attempting to end his life. Claudia made sure to inform everyone about it. Many reporters, journalists, and onlookers flocked to witness the Italian’s stunt. Mori arrived last. When she was asked what was happening, she paid no attention to anyone and scolded her husband at the top of her lungs, asking him to get off the tracks. Celentano stood up just before the train arrived, and the reconciliation between the spouses was recorded by all the present news outlets.
Later, journalists managed to find out that it was all staged, and Celentano himself nearly died of fright when he heard the approaching train whistle. However, his next film premiere with the scandalous actor was a huge success.
Claudia constantly devised ways to boost her husband’s rating. She even turned the birth of their first daughter into a show. During the joyous event, the new father didn’t leave the phone for days as he was on tour in France. Upon his return to Italy, he showered his wife and the entire maternity ward with flowers. When the first photo of little Rosita was taken, Celentano, seemingly by chance, ended up on a television show, and not only her parents but also numerous channel viewers couldn’t get enough of the picture of the girl.
The family continued to grow. After Rosita, Adriano Celentano and Claudia Mori had two more children – a son named Giacomo and a daughter named Rosalinda. The father loved all three of them immensely but was completely against their showbiz careers, fearing that his talents would overshadow his children’s accomplishments.
Adriano is now 81 years old, and his wife Claudia is 75 years old, and they still love each other!
Top 10 Claudia’s Musical Compositions
The creative and active Claudia Mori started recording songs in 1964. She didn’t have a large body of work, as the choice of the married Italian leaned towards the family altar. However, we can highlight Claudia Mori’s 10 most famous hits:
- Non succederà piu
- Buenas noches doctor
- Preghero’
- Un albero di 30 piani
- Si E’ Spento Il Sole
- Non succeder piu
- Che Scherzo Mi Fai
- Io bella figlia (Tu meraviglia)
- Hei… hei… hei…
- Se Mi Ami…
In some of Claudia’s songs, her husband’s voice harmoniously complements her own voice. This beautiful couple in life has become a beautiful creative duo on stage.
Filmography
In addition to her musical talent and pure voice, nature endowed Mori with a wonderful acting talent. It’s a pity that there aren’t many films featuring her. Mostly, Claudia Mori chose to work in films where her beloved husband starred. She has appeared in 22 works across 22 films, produced 7 movies, and played herself in two films.
The best film featuring Claudia Mori is considered to be “Rocco and His Brothers” (1960), which has become a classic of world cinema. The plot revolves around a widow and her five sons who seek a better life. The actress portrays a dry cleaner worker, where Rocco (Alain Delon) worked.
Interesting Facts
- The film became the best work of Luchino Visconti.
- After the film’s shooting, one of the widow’s sons, Simone (Renato Salvatori), marries Nada (Annie Girardot), who played her friend in the film.
- The film adapted Giovanni Testori’s work “The Bridge Over the Adda” and received the “Silver Lion” at the Venice Film Festival.
- The biblical legend of Joseph and his brothers was adapted in the film.
- In 1961, the film was released in the American market, but nearly half an hour of the most violent scenes was cut from it.
- It became the first film in the Soviet Union to be marked as “Not suitable for children under 16”.
The most unsuccessful film featuring Mori was the movie “Joan Lui” (1985). The film’s idea and direction belonged to Adriano Celentano, who also played the lead role of the new Christ. The underlying theme of the film from beginning to end was “life is love.” However, the film appeared too heavy for the audience, despite some successful musical and choreographic scenes.
To support her husband and his film, Mori flew with him to the Soviet Union, where Adriano gave two concerts at the “Olympic” Sports Complex.
Difficulties of Married Life
Adriano Celentano and his wife, throughout their long life, not only enjoyed the joys of married life but also faced challenges. Claudia, as a wise wife, forgave her eccentric husband many times and turned a blind eye to many things. However, once they had a serious argument, and Mori ran away to a village in the mountains, 500 miles away from Rome. Adriano, unable to stay long without the support of his beloved, hired a taxi and sent his wife a 32-page love letter. Unable to resist such a romantic gesture, his spouse returned home.
Throughout his life, despite having three children, Adriano Celentano was not completely faithful to his wife. He enjoyed the attention of women and frequently engaged in extramarital affairs.
Among the beauties of Italian cinema conquered by him were Ornella Muti, Federica Moro, Carole Bouquet, and others.
Claudia, composed and farsighted, never caused public scandals or insulted her husband in the press. She turned everything into a joke, showed patience, and emerged as the winner. Adriano always returned to his wife and even publicly apologized to her.
Claudia’s Children
Their son and two daughters always sought to resemble their father. Claudia, as a loving mother, always supported her children and helped them in any way she could. Although their father was against their acting careers, they worked hard to prove that they were worthy of carrying their parents’ name.
For example, their daughter Rosalinda played the complex and multi-faceted role of Satan in the renowned film “The Passion of Christ.” Recently, she announced her non-traditional orientation and her desire to marry her girlfriend. Giacomo, known in Italy as Giacomo Gabriele, is involved in acting, singing, and design. He is raising his son, Samuele. Rosita became an actress and television presenter.
Actress today
Today, Claudia Mori lives with her husband in a secluded villa away from the bustling city. Her main interests still revolve around the family business and her children’s affairs. In 2018, the couple celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary. Adriano Celentano and Claudia Mori dislike interference from reporters in their lives, so they celebrate all memorable dates at home with their closest friends and relatives.
Lately, Adriano has repeatedly confessed to journalists that throughout his life, despite rumors and gossip, his heart has belonged to only one person, Claudia. And Claudia has stated that she has never met any man in the world who would be more interesting than Celentano.
Today, Claudia continues to serve as the director of the family company, Clan Celentano and oversees Adriano’s business.
Interesting Facts about Claudia
- Claudia Mori, born on February 12, 1944, in Rome, Italy, is not only a talented actress but also a successful singer and film producer. Her multifaceted career has spanned several decades, leaving an indelible mark on Italian cinema.
- In 1962, at the age of 18, Claudia Mori made her film debut in the drama “Una domenica d’estate.” Her captivating on-screen presence and natural talent quickly gained recognition, leading to numerous roles in acclaimed films throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
- One of Mori’s most notable collaborations was with renowned Italian filmmaker Dino Risi. In 1967, they worked together on the romantic comedy “Il Tigre,” which became a box office success and established Mori as a leading actress in Italian cinema.
- Alongside her acting career, Claudia Mori pursued a successful singing career. In 1970, she released her debut album titled “Claudia Mori,” which showcased her versatile vocal abilities and garnered positive reviews from critics and fans alike.
- Mori’s talent extended beyond performing. In the 1980s, she ventured into film production and co-founded her own production company, Clan Celentano, with her husband Adriano Celentano, a renowned Italian singer and actor. Together, they produced several successful films, including the 1983 comedy “L’Indiano” and the 1992 comedy-drama “Segni particolari: Bellissimo.”
- Claudia Mori’s contributions to Italian cinema were recognized and celebrated. In 2013, she was awarded the prestigious Golden Graal for her outstanding career in the entertainment industry, honoring her exceptional talent and significant impact on Italian film.
- Despite her immense success, Claudia Mori has always maintained a down-to-earth persona and remained true to her roots. She is known for her humility and dedication to her craft, inspiring aspiring actors and singers with her remarkable journey from a young talent to an iconic figure in Italian cinema.