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Italian actress, Francesca Bertini, born Elena Seracini Vitiello, was an internationally known star of silent films, particularly Assunta Spina (1915) and was known as Italy's first major female star. Bertini, the daughter of a theatrical actress, began performing on stage while she was still a teenager. She made her film debut in 1904, but did not become well known until 1909 with Il Trovatore. At the height of her popularity, Bertini was among the most admired and imitated women in her country. She married a Swiss count in 1921 and left the cinema. Later in her life she occasionally appeared in French, Spanish, and Italian films.