Maria Rosaria Riuzzi

Maria Rosaria Riuzzi (known professionally as Mary Kristal and Mary Kristall) is an Italian actress. She was from Rome, where she launched her film career during the vibrant Italian genre cinema movement of the mid-1970s. Her screen debut came in Joe D'Amato's 1975 film "Emanuelle and Francoise", marking the beginning of a concentrated career in Italian exploitation and genre films. That same year, she appeared in notable poliziotteschi works including "Violent Rome" and "Season for Assassins", often cast in supporting roles that demonstrated her versatility across different genres. In 1976, she secured leading roles in films such as Alfredo Rizzo's "Sorbole... che romagnola", showcasing her ability to carry a film as its principal performer. That same year, she worked with renowned director Tinto Brass in "Salon Kitty", further establishing her presence in European art-cinema circles. Her final credited film appearance came in Joe D'Amato's "Images in a Convent" (1979), concluding a focused body of work that spanned the latter half of the 1970s. Her filmography encompasses thirteen credited performances across poliziotteschi, erotic comedies, and exploitation films that defined a distinctive era in Italian cinema. Riuzzi's documented contributions to 1970s Italian genre cinema continue to attract attention from film scholars and enthusiasts exploring that culturally significant period in European film history.