Dirce Funari (Profile)

Biography

Dirce Funari, sometimes using the alias Patrizia Funari (or vice versa?), was born in July 1956 (some sources mention 1957) in Rome, Italy and appeared in quite a few D’Amato films. She was discovered by D’Amato in 1977 and first played a minor role in one of his films called L’Ginecologo della mutua (Ladies’ Doctor).

She is notorious for her role in Cavallone’s Blue Movie (1978) in which she smeared herself with feces in a scene inspired by a chocolate bathing scene in Sweet Movie. Quite a WTF moment indeed. Even more curious is that despite this scene she was given a photo spread as The Girl of October in the October issue of Playmen of the same year to celebrate her beauty.

During the eighties Funari appeared exclusively in D’Amato movies with larger roles in obscure horror-sex mashups like Erotic Nights of the Living Dead and Porno Holocaust. She later also appeared in Porno Esotic Love and Hard Sensations. In 1982 she had a very small role in Rosso Sangue (Absurd). Her last role was in Cesare Canevari’s sleazefest Delitto Carnale (1982) together with Moana Pozzi and Marc Porel. After her career in sexploitation cinema she moved on to work as a hair dresser for italian TV network RAI. (Source: Cinema Nocturna.com)

Dirce Funari starred in over 17 films, including Emanuelle’s Perverse Outbursts, Porno Holocaust, Erotic Nights of the Living Dead, Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals and Sister Emanuelle, in which she stars as the lesbian stepmother of Mónica Zanchi.

clip of Dirce Funari in Blue Movie

Filmography

1. Le déchaînement pervers de Manuela (1983) (uncredited) …. Tanya
… aka Emanuelle’s Perverse Outburst (Europe: English title)
… aka Manuela (Italy: video title)
… aka Unleashed Perversions of Emanuelle (USA: informal English title)
2. Delitto carnale (1983)
… aka Killing of the Flesh (USA)
… aka Sensual Murder (USA)
3. Porno holocaust (1981) …. Simone
… aka Porno Holocaust (USA)
4. Le notti erotiche dei morti viventi (1980) …. Fiona
… aka Erotic Nights of the Living Dead
… aka La notte degli zombies (Italy)
… aka Le notti erotiche (Italy: video box title)
… aka Nite of the Zombies (USA: promotional title)
… aka Queen of the Zombies (USA: video title)
… aka Sexy Nights of the Living Dead (USA)
5. Porno Esotic Love (1980)
… aka Porno Exotic Love (USA)
… aka Sexy Erotic Love (Italy)
6. Hard Sensation (1980) …. Corinne Jacquard

7. “Joséphine ou la comédie des ambitions” (1979) TV mini-series …. Elisa Bonaparte
8. Midnight Blue (1979) …. Silvia
9. Quello strano desiderio (1979)
10. Un ombra nell’ombra (1979)
… aka Ring of Darkness
11. Starcrash (1978) (uncredited) …. Amazon woman
… aka Female Space Invaders
… aka Scontri stellari oltre la terza dimensione (Italy)
… aka Star Battle Encounters (Philippines: English title)
… aka Star Crash (USA: poster title)
… aka Starcrash (International: English title)
… aka Stella Star
… aka The Adventures of Stella Star (USA)
12. Le evase -- Storie di sesso e di violenze (1978) (as Patrizia Funari) …. Claudine
… aka Escape from Women’s Prison (USA: video title)
… aka Jailbirds (UK)
… aka Sexual Freedom (International: English title)
… aka Women Against Women, a Tale of Sex and Violence (Canada: English title: video title)
13. Blue Movie (1978) …. Silvia
14. Emanuelle e gli ultimi cannibali (1977) …. Mental Institution Cannibal Girl
… aka Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals
… aka Emanuelle’s Amazon Adventure
… aka Trap Them and Kill Them
15. Suor Emanuelle (1977) …. Monica’s stepmother
… aka Sister Emanuelle
16. Il ginecologo della mutua (1977)
… aka Ladies’ Doctor
17. Inhibition (1976) (uncredited) …. Ragazza nel flashback
… aka Carine
… aka Inhibitions (USA)