Francesca Bertini

Francesca Bertini (born Elena Seracini Vitiello; 5 January 1892[1] – 13 October 1985) was an Italian silent film actress.

Born Elena Seracini Vitiello in Prato, her mother was the unmarried Adelina di Venanzio Fratiglioni, who may have been an actress.

Gradually she developed her beauty and elegance, plus a strong, intense, and charming personality, which would be the key of her success as a silent movie actress.

In 1920,[3] Fox Film Corporation in Hollywood offered to sign a contract with her, but she refused: she was married to the wealthy Swiss banker Paul Cartier and wanted to move with him to Switzerland.

In 1976 Bernardo Bertolucci was able to convince her to emerge from her stubborn silence, accepting a role of a nun in his movie Novecento.

Francesca Bertini, from a 1917 publication