Stunning leading actress Delia Boccardo was an eye-catching beauty who graced Italian and international films for over four decades. Born in Genoa, Italy on January 29, 1948, but raised in a small fishing village called Nerv,i she studied at colleges in both Switzerland and London before returning to Italy and enrolling at a film school in Rome.
Briefly appearing on the stage, Delia made her debut at age 18 with a prime role in the "spaghetti western" Drei Pistolen gegen Cesare (1967) (Death Walks in Laredo). She then co-starred with French actor Philippe Leroy in the action adventure drama Das wilde Auge (1967) (The Wild Eye) before making her third film, and first English-speaking appearance, as the leading lady to Alan Arkin in the misguided comedy Inspektor Clouseau (1968) with Arkin an unsuccessful Peter Sellers replacement as the klutzy title French detective.
The lovely actress would go on to become a seductive foil and/or love interest in numerous late 60's and 70's films. Additional European-filmed appearances by Boccardo had her co-starring opposite some of Europe's most handsome and virile actors: Franco Nero in the crime dramas Die Klette (1969); and Tote Zeugen singen nicht (1973); Bekim Fehmiu in the US-produced epic Die Abenteurer (1970); suave Giancarlo Giannini in Una macchia rosa (1969); Pierre Clémenti in I cannibali (1969); actor/director/co-writer Nino Manfredi in the comedy Der schielende Heilige (1971); U.S. import Scott Holden in the Italian western Bratpfanne Kaliber 38 (1972); and Luc Merenda in the action thrillers Shoot First, Die Later (1974) and Die Polizei klagt an - Der Geheimdienst tötet (1975). She even found herself a co-star to good-looking famed skier Jean-Claude Killy in Bankraub am Monte Rosa (1972). She was also among the English-speaking star ensemble of Der Polyp - Die Bestie mit den Todesarmen (1977), with John Huston, Shelley Winters Henry Fonda and Bo Hopkins.
Continuing into the early 1980s, Delia proved an entrancing Athena in the Italian-made Herkules (1983), starring Lou Ferrigno; portrayed Mary Magdalene in the TV-movie The Day Christ Died (1980); graced the mini-series Martin Eden (1979); was part of the multi-star cast of the WWII historical drama Die Untergrundbewegung von Assisi (1985) starring James Mason, Irene Papas and Maximilian Schell.
Delia has remained primarily in Italian films since then including Aphrodite - Im Wendekreis der Begierde (1982) starring Horst Buchholz; Sposi (1988); Casanovas Rückkehr (1992) starring Alain Delon; Dichiarazioni d'amore (1994) (Declarations of Love); Questo è il giardino (1999) and Sole negli occhi (2001). She finished her career on TV as the star of the Italian romantic drama series Incantesimo (1998).
