Heather Parisi
{{Short description|American-Italian dancer, singer, and TV host (born 1960)}}
{{use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Heather Parisi
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_name = Heather Elizabeth Parisi
| birth_date ={{Birth date and age|1960|1|27}}
| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| nationality=Italian
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = {{Flatlist|
- Dancer
- showgirl
- television personality
- singer
- film director
}}
| spouse = Giorgio Manenti ({{abbr|m.|married}} 1993; {{abbr|div.|divorced}} 1999)
Umberto Maria Anzolin
({{abbr|m.|married}} 2013)
| children = 4
}}
Heather Elizabeth Parisi (born January 27, 1960) is an American-born Italian dancer, singer and television personality. She was one of the most popular personalities on Italian television from the late 1970s to the 1990s. As of 2011, she and her family mainly live in Hong Kong.{{cite web|access-date=29 April 2021|date=2 May 2020|language=it|title=Heather Parisi: chi è, età, carriera, curiosità e vita privata|url=https://www.ilcorrieredellacitta.com/news/spettacolo/heather-parisi-chi-e-eta-carriera-curiosita-e-vita-privata-dellospite-a-live-non-e-la-durso.html|website=Il Corriere della Città}}
Life and career
Born in Los Angeles, Parisi worked for the San Francisco Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre in New York City. During a vacation in Italy, she was noticed by choreographer Franco Miseria, who had her audition for RAI. In 1979, Parisi debuted on the show Luna Park, hosted by Pippo Baudo.Aldo Grasso, Massimo Scaglioni, Enciclopedia della Televisione, Garzanti, Milano, 1996 – 2003. {{ISBN|881150466X}}.
Her rise as a television star took place in the fall of the same year in the first edition of the Saturday night show Fantastico, which had high ratings (average of 23.6 million viewers). In each episode, Parisi performed a ballet and interpreted the opening song "Disco Bambina." The song became a hit, peaking several weeks at No. 1 on the Italian hit parade.{{cite book|last=Dario Salvatori|title=Storia dell'Hit Parade|date=August 5, 1989 |publisher=Gramese, 1989|isbn=8876054391}}
Parisi was cast in four more editions of Fantastico and in other successful variety shows, and had other musical hits including "Cicale," which ranked first on the hit parade for four weeks between 1981 and 1982. She slowed down her activities in the mid-'90s.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Parisi chose to remain unvaccinated.{{cite web |title=WSM Article |url=https://www.worldstockmarket.net/no-to-the-vaccine-burioni-replies-to-heather-parisi-if-he-gets-sick-he-sticks-to-the-tram/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220317125425/https://www.worldstockmarket.net/no-to-the-vaccine-burioni-replies-to-heather-parisi-if-he-gets-sick-he-sticks-to-the-tram/ |archive-date=17 March 2022 |url-status=dead}} On her website in December 2021, Parisi logged an entry entitled "Damned for Eternity" {{cite web |title=Parisi website/ blog |url=https://www.heatherparisi.com/en/14-free_mind/961-damned_for_eternity.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220317123337/https://www.heatherparisi.com/en/14-free_mind/961-damned_for_eternity.html |archive-date=17 March 2022 |url-status=dead}} in which she told women that they "should be ashamed" of having children vaccinated against COVID-19 and that it was "criminal".{{cite web |title=Parisi website/ blog (direct link) |url=https://www.heatherparisi.com/en/14-free_mind/961-damned_for_eternity.html}} In a different post, Parisi said, "For me, being socially responsible is one of the most overestimated virtues."{{cite web |title=Parisi posting |url=https://www.heatherparisi.com/en/14-free_mind/965-the_most_overestimated_virtue.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220317124741/https://www.heatherparisi.com/en/14-free_mind/965-the_most_overestimated_virtue.html |archive-date=17 March 2022 |url-status=dead}}
Filmography
=As an actress=
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
!Title !Role !Notes |
|---|
| 1986
|Dolly |Film debut |
| 1999
|Nick's wife | |
=As a director and screenwriter=
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
!Title !Role !Notes |
|---|
| 2009
|Blind Maze |{{N/a|None}} |Debut as a director and screenwriter |
=Other appearances=
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
!Title !Role !Notes |
|---|
| 1979
|Luna Park |rowspan="3"|Herself/ Dancer |Television debut; variety show |
| 1979–1988
|Variety show (seasons 1–5, 8) |
| 1981
|Stasera niente di nuovo |Variety show |
| 1983
|Herself/ Co-host |Variety show (season 1) |
| 1987
|Pronto Topolino? |Herself/ Co-Host/ Dancer |Variety show |
| 1988
|Contigo Televisión Española |Herself/ Co-Host/ Dancer |Variery show |
| rowspan="2"|1989
|Herself/ Co-host |Annual ceremony |
| Un disco per l'estate 1989
|Herself/ Host |Annual music festival |
| 1989–1990
|Finalmente venerdì |rowspan="3"|Herself/ Co-host |Variety show |
| 1991
|Stasera mi butto |Talent show (season 2) |
| 1991–1992
|Ciao Weekend |Variety show |
| 1993
|VIP 93 Telecinco España |Herself/ Co-Host/ Dancer |Variety show |
| 1993
|Bellezze al bagno |Herself/ Host |Game show (season 5) |
| 1995
|Herself/ Co-host |Annual music festival |
| 1995–1996
|Arriba!!! Arriba!!! |rowspan="2"|Herself/ Host |Children's program |
| 2002–2003
|Talent show (seasons 45–46) |
| 2003–2004
|Herself/ Co-host |Talk show (season 28) |
| 2004
|rowspan="2"|Herself/ Judge |Annual beauty contest |
| 2005–2006
|Talent show (seasons 1–2) |
| 2016
|Nemicamatissima |Herself/ Host |Variety show |
| 2018
|Herself/ Judge |Talent show (season 17) |
Discography
;Album
- 1981 - Cicale & Company (CGD, CGD 20276)
- 1983 - Ginnastica fantastica (Polydor, 815 721 1)
- 1983 - Il fantastico mondo di Heather Parisi (reprint of Cicale & Company with three new songs)
- 1991 - HP (Mercury, 846 417-1)
- 1991 - Io, Pinocchio (Mercury, 510 738-2)
;Singles
- 1979 - Disco bambina/Blackout (CGD, CGD 10200)
- 1981 - Ti rockerò/Lucky girl (CGD, CGD 10302)
- 1981 - Cicale/Mr. pulce (CGD, CGD 10349)
- 1981 - Quando i grilli cantano (CGD, CGD YD 601) promo juke box
- 1983 - Radiostelle/Alle corde (CGD, CGD 10456)
- 1983 - Ceralacca/Raghjayda (Polydor, 815-750-7)
- 1984 - Crilù/No words (Polydor, 881-420-7)
- 1984 - Ciao ciao/Maschio (Polydor, 821697-7)
- 1985 - Crilù in Bangkok/Morning in Tokyo (Polydor, 881 924-1, 12") (as Angel Program)
- 1986 - Teleblù/Videolips (Polydor, 883-952-7)
- 1987 - Dolceamaro/All'ultimo respiro (Polydor, 887-180-7)
- 1987 - Baby come back/I'm hot (White Records, 109 428)
- 1989 - Faccia a faccia/Feelings come and go (Polydor, 871-572-7)
- 1989 - Livido/Livido (Instrumental Version) (Polydor, 873-192-7)
- 1991 - Pinocchio/Se te ne vai (Polydor, 866 194 7)
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|http://www.heatherparisi.it}}
- {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0002186531|label=Heather Parisi}}
- {{discogs artist|Heather Parisi}}
- {{IMDb name|0661718}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parisi, Heather}}
Category:Entertainers from Los Angeles
Category:Italian television personalities
Category:Italian women singers
Category:Italian expatriates in Hong Kong
Category:American emigrants to Italy
Category:American people of Italian descent
Category:People of Calabrian descent
Category:American expatriates in Italy