Ave Ninchi Movies
Much-loved in her native Italy, supporting actress
Ave Ninchi played character roles on stage, television, and in over 98 feature films that included
Tomorrow Is Too Late (1949) and
Louis Malle's
Lacombe Lucien (1974). Ninchi has worked beside some of Italy's brightest stars, including
Paolo Toppa,
Alida Valli,
Sophia Loren,
Marcello Mastroianni, and
Gina Lollobrigida, but she was most favorably teamed with comedian
Antonio "Toto" de Curtis. Ninchi came from a theatrical family and both her brothers
Carlo Ninchi and
Annibale Ninchi were actors. She started out on-stage at age 18, appearing in a wide variety of productions. Ninchi made her film debut in
Circo Equestre Za-Bum (
The Za-bum Circus) (1943). She and
Toto teamed up for the first time in
Toto Seeks a Wife (1950). Her television career was at its peak during the '60s and '70s when she was appearing in some of her country's top-rated series. Ninchi was 83 when she died on November 10, 1997, after a longtime fight with diabetes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide