Zeudi Araya, Icon of 1970s Italian Erotic Cinema and Later Producer, Dies at 75

Zeudi Araya, the Eritrean-born actress who became an iconic sex symbol of 1970s Italian cinema before reinventing herself as a producer, died at her home in Rome on Sunday, May 24, at the age of 75. Her son, Michelangelo Spano, announced the news on May 30, stating that she passed away after a long illness and that funeral services would be held privately in the coming days.

She passed away on Sunday, May 24, in her own home following a long illness. In this moment of great sadness, the family wishes to express its gratitude to those who have been close to her with affection and discretion. The funeral will take place in the coming days in a strictly private form.

From Miss Eritrea to Italian Cinema

Born on February 10, 1951, in Decamerè, Eritrea, Araya was the daughter of a politician and the niece of an Ethiopian ambassador to Rome. Her name, in the Tigrinya language, means "imperial crown." After completing her studies, she was elected Miss Eritrea in 1969 at the age of 18. A trip to Italy to film a coffee commercial for Caffè Tazza d'Oro in 1972 changed her life when director Luigi Scattini noticed her and cast her in the lead role of his film "La ragazza dalla pelle di luna" (The Girl with the Moon Skin).

The Rise of a Sex Symbol

That film launched her as a star of the popular erotic cinema of the 1970s. She went on to star in other films directed by Scattini, including "La ragazza fuoristrada" (1973) and "Il corpo" (1974), cementing her status as a national sex symbol. Her career broadened with roles in popular comedies, most notably playing "Friday" opposite Paolo Villaggio in Sergio Corbucci's 1976 hit "Il signor Robinson, mostruosa storia d'amore e d'avventure." She also appeared alongside Marcello Mastroianni in "Giallo napoletano" and with Johnny Dorelli, Sandra Milo, and Renato Pozzetto in "Tesoromio."

A Second Act as Producer

In 1983, she married legendary producer Franco Cristaldi, with Monica Vitti and Francesco Rosi as witnesses. After Cristaldi's sudden death from a heart attack in 1992, Araya took the reins of his production company, Cristaldifilm, becoming one of the few prominent female producers in Italian cinema. She dedicated herself to preserving and relaunching the company's historic catalog, which included Oscar-winning films like "Amarcord," "Divorzio all'italiana," and "Nuovo Cinema Paradiso." In 2018, she presented the restored 4K version of "Divorzio all'italiana" alongside Giuseppe Tornatore.

We lose an actress who represented a season of popular Italian cinema. Zeudi Araya contributed to the success of works belonging to the erotic genre, which represented one of the cinematic phenomena of the Seventies. A diva capable of reinventing herself as a producer and custodian of a precious memory, she crossed decades of our screen history leaving a mark that goes well beyond the legend of the 'sex symbol'.

A Private Life

Always known for her discretion, Araya rarely appeared in public after stepping back from acting. She gave only a handful of television interviews, including one on "Satyricon" with Daniele Luttazzi and another in 2015 on "La vita in diretta" with Cristina Parodi. From 1994, she was linked to director Massimo Spano, with whom she had her son Michelangelo, born in 1996.