Laura Efrikian, the “little sweetheart of Italy” who made a killing of hearts in the 1960s, was an actress but at the height of her career she decided to leave the profession. All for the fateful meeting with Gianni Morandi, with whom he experienced an intense love story which ended at the end of the 70s. In an interview with TV Smiles and Songs Efrikian returned to talk about it, telling how her life changed after her wedding with the singer and above all about her commitment and projects in Africa, which she finances through her works.
Laura Efrikian, from love at first sight to her wedding with Morandi
Galeotto was the set for a “musicarello”, as musical films that kept many viewers glued to the small screen were called in the 1960s. Among the undisputed protagonists was a very young Gianni Morandi, star of the moment with titles such as Kneeling by you. It is precisely by shooting that film that Laura Efrikian she met the man who would become her husbandwith whom he experienced an intense love story from which his children Marco and Marianna were born.
“It was love at first sight. After the last scene we ran away together. And to think that I didn’t want to make that film”, said the former “Miss Good Evening” and actress in an interview with TV Smiles and Songs. It wasn’t all roses, however, by his own admission. The singer’s family in particular did not agree with the choice to get married: “He was having extraordinary success, he was starting to earn money: the Morandis didn’t do very well before. In their eyes this actress was the lost woman who would take Gianni away from the family. I’ve always understood certain reasons. The one I understood least was the record label RCA, terrified that Morandi would lose fans. He, however, said: ‘I will marry Laura, whether you like it or not’”.
Because Morandi and Efrikian divorced
For her Gianni, Efrikian decided to put your career aside. An important choice that inevitably changed his life: “I was too busy, I couldn’t continue working: I had to dedicate myself only to him. And then in Rai they told me that whatever role I played, people would always see Morandi’s wife in me.”
Nevertheless in 1979 the couple decided to divorce, a breakup which was also affected by her husband’s professional crisis: “We lived it differently. For me, singing wasn’t a real job, but a transitory thing, a profession when I was young. He said he would like to become a talent scout and I was happy. We could finally go on some trips and not be in places just because there is an evening. His life was absolutely absorbed by workso important that it left no room for anything else.”
Laura Efrikian’s new life away from the world of entertainment
After the end of her marriage to Gianni Morandi, Laura Efrikian did not start acting again and a second life away from the world of entertainment began for her. Today she lives on the outskirts of Rome: “I write, for my pleasure, and I paint. With my decorated plates, sold for the hyperbolic sum of 25 euros, I finance my projects. I have been dealing with Africa for almost thirty years now,” she explained in the interview.
Africa holds a special place in his heart and there are many projects she has dealt with and continues to deal with: “I have helped build kindergartens, orphanages and now we build wells (…). They tell me I’m crazy, but I’ve reached the age of almost 84 very healthy. Doing good is good.”
