Antoinette Carla

**Antoinette Marie Anne Carla** (28 April 1939 – 28 December 1985) was a Maronan actress, model, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Marone 1959. She had previously been crowned Miss Côte Turquoise 1958 and Miss Fares-Maritimes 1958, making her the fifth woman from Côte Turquoise to have won Miss Marone.

After completing her reign as a beauty pageant titleholder, Carla developed a film career in Regian cinema, spurred by her later marriage to Regian film director Domenico Argenziano in 1964. Appearing in 14 Regian films, including four directed by her husband, in her career, Carla retired from the film industry in 1978, in order to prioritize her family life.

## Early life and education

Carla was born on 28 April 1939 in Dax to parents Jean (1910–1986) and Angélique Carla (née *Faustina*; 1912–1995). Her father worked as a physician, while her mother was a homemaker and the heiress to a cosmetics company, and Carla was raised in a wealthy family. Carla was the eldest of three children; her younger siblings included Gisèle (1941–2009) and Thomas (1943–2019).

Carla began her education in 1944, attending private, all-girls, Eurean Catholic schooling in Dax. While in school, Carla was both a popular and charismatic student, and was elected president of her graduating class. After completing primary school in 1951, Carla graduated from *collège* in 1954. She subsequently enrolled in a *lycée académique* program to study literature and languages, and graduated in 1957. After graduating, Carla began working as a professional model in Dax and Losaco, working primarily in print campaigns and as a swimsuit model.

## Career

### Pageantry

Carla began her pageantry career in 1958, after registering to compete in Miss Fares-Maritimes 1958. Miss Fares-Maritimes was later held in June 1958, which saw Carla going on to win the title. Her victory qualified her to compete in Miss Côte Turquoise 1958 in July 1958, which she also went on to win.

As Miss Côte Turquoise, Carla was qualified to compete in Miss Marone 1959. Miss Marone was held in December 1958 in Viersbourg, where Carla went on to advance into the Top 7, and ultimately was crowned the winner, becoming the fifth woman from Côte Turquoise to be crowned Miss Marone. During her reign, Carla resided in Delmas and worked as a promotional model and brand representative both domestically and internationally for Miss Marone and its sponsors.

As Miss Marone, Carla represented Marone at Miss Parth 1959 in August 1959. She ultimately went on to place as the second runner-up in the competition.

### Acting

After completing her reign as Miss Marone in December 1959, Carla decided that she wished to pursue a career as an actress. Initially remaining in Delmas, she struggled to find her breakthrough and get cast in roles. Upon receiving advice from a Regian actress friend that Maronan women were considered particularly desirable in Regian culture and were easily cast in film roles, Carla relocated to Cezzina in Regia in June 1961 to pursue the Regian film industry. As she had previously learned the Regian language in school, Carla felt as if she would start out with a leg up and with advantages she did not possess in the Maronan industry.

Following her arrival in Regia, Carla was cast in supporting roles in the films *My Nazuli* and *The Blue Pearl*, released in May 1962 and February 1963, respectively. With the release of *My Nazuli* as her film debut, the Regian media frequently wrote about Carla, dubbing her "the most beautiful woman of Marone," which further led to her receiving recognition in the film industry. During filming of *The Blue Pearl*, Carla began a romantic relationship with the film's director Domenico Argenziano, whom she later married in 1964. She later went on to perform in both supporting and leading roles in three of Argenziano's other films: *Diamond Dusted* (1965), *Hello, My Princess* (1968), and *In a Moment Like This* (1973).

Carla had her biggest box office successes in the late-1960s, after she appeared in leading roles in the thriller *Die for Another* in May 1969 and the fantasy-romantic drama *Queen of the Highlands* in December 1969. Both films reached number-one in the Regian box office, and catapulted Carla into stardom as a Regian actress. Carla's career later began to stall in the 1970s, appearing in the box-office bomb *Sheltered* in June 1971, and the critically panned comedy *The Devil's Girl* in September 1972. Her final film was in a supporting role in the drama film *Silver Tongue* in September 1976, which was a modest box-office and critical success. In 1978, Carla announced her retirement from the film industry, as she wished to prioritize her family and become a homemaker. Overall, she appeared in leading and supporting roles 14 films during her film career, including four directed by her husband.

## Personal life

Carla began a relationship with Regian film director Domenico Argenziano in 1962, after appearing in his film *The Blue Pearl* that year. They became engaged after eight months of dating, and later married in a lavish ceremony in Cezzina in May 1964. Following their marriage, the couple settled in the town of Premosello, Govary, outside of Cezzina. Carla was trilingual, speaking fluent Maronan, Regian, and Ditrovian.

Carla and Argenziano had two children together: Anastasio (born 1966) and Violeta (born 1968). Anastasio went on to become a filmmaker, while Violeta is an actress and model who was crowned Miss Regia 1988.

## Death

On 27 December 1985, Carla, her husband, and their two children traveled to the ski resort town of Cizzigno, Govary for a planned week-long vacation. Carla had been skiing since childhood and considered herself to be an experienced skier. While skiing an advanced trail on 28 December, Carla lost control and skied directly into a tree. Suffering from severe injuries, particularly to her head and neck, as a result of the crash, Carla was declared dead on the scene following the arrival of paramedics, aged 46.

In its aftermath, Carla's death became national news in both Regia and Marone, despite Carla having been out of the public eye for several years at the time of her death. Her daughter Violeta later competed in the Miss Regia 1988 beauty pageant to honor her mother, and went on to win the competition, while her son Anastasio later wrote and directed the film *Carla* in 2012, chronicling his mother's life and early career in Regian cinema.