Anita Pallenberg is an Italian-born actress, model, and fashion designer. She was the romantic partner of
Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
multi-instrumentalist and guitarist
Brian JonesLewis Brian Hopkins Jones , known as Brian Jones, was an English musician and a founding member of the Rolling Stones....
and later the partner of the guitarist of the same band
Keith RichardsKeith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
, from 1967 to 1979, by whom she has two surviving children.
Early life
Pallenberg was born on 25 January 1944 in German-occupied Rome, the daughter of Arnaldo Pallenberg, an Italian artist and Paula Wiederhold, a German secretary. Anita became fluent in four languages at an early age and studied medicine, picture restoration and graphic design. Before settling in London, she lived in Germany, her native Rome, as well as New York City, where she was involved with the Living Theater, starring in the play
Paradise Now, which featured on-stage nudity, and
Andy WarholAndrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
's
FactoryThe Factory was Andy Warhol's original New York City studio from 1962 to 1968, although his later studios were known as The Factory as well. The Factory was located on the fifth floor at 231 East 47th Street, in Midtown Manhattan. The rent was "only about one hundred dollars a year"...
.
Romantic involvements
Pallenberg is known for her romantic involvement with Rolling Stones band members Brian Jones, whom she met in 1965 in Munich, where she was working on a modelling assignment, and
Keith RichardsKeith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
, for whom she left Jones in 1967 while on holiday in Morocco. She remained in a relationship with Richards until 1980 although they never married. There were rumours that she also had a brief affair with
Mick JaggerSir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
during the filming of
PerformancePerformance is a 1968 British crime drama film; the film was produced in 1968 but not released until 1970. Directed by Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg, Performance stars James Fox and Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones in his film acting debut.-Plot:...
, and Keith Richards states in his autobiography
LifeLife is a memoir by The Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, written with the assistance of journalist James Fox. Published in October 2010, in hardback, audio and e-book formats, the book chronicles Richards' love of music, charting influences from his mother and maternal grandfather, through...
that it happened. However, Pallenberg denied the affair in March 2007 when
Performance was released on DVD.
Children
Pallenberg and Richards together had three children: son Marlon (born 10 August 1969), daughter Angela (her middle name, which she chose to go by after initially being named and called Dandelion by her parents), born 17 April 1972), and a second son, Tara (26 March – 6 June 1976), who died in his cot 10 weeks after birth.
Influence on the Rolling Stones
Author
A. E. HotchnerAaron Edward Hotchner, is an American editor, novelist, playwright and biographer.-Biography:He was born in St. Louis and attended Soldan High School...
mentions Pallenberg's influence on the development and presentation of the Rolling Stones from the late 1960s and through the 1970s. She played an unusual role in the male-dominated world of
rock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
in the late 1960s, acting as much more than just a
groupieA groupie is a person who seeks emotional and sexual intimacy with a musician or other celebrity. "Groupie" is derived from group in reference to a musical group, but the word is also used in a more general sense, especially in casual conversation....
or partner of a band member. Jagger respected her opinion enough that tracks on
Beggars Banquet- Personnel :The Rolling Stones* Mick Jagger – lead and backing vocals, harmonica on "Parachute Woman"* Keith Richards – acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar on "Sympathy for the Devil" and "Street Fighting Man", backing vocals, lead vocals on opening of "Salt of the Earth"* Brian...
were remixed when Pallenberg criticised them. In the 2002 compilation release of
Forty LicksForty Licks is a double compilation album by The Rolling Stones. A 40-year career-spanning retrospective, Forty Licks is notable for being the first retrospective to combine the band's formative Decca/London era of the 1960s, now licensed by ABKCO Records , with their self-owned post-1970 material,...
, Pallenberg is credited as singing background vocals on "
Sympathy for the Devil"Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by The Rolling Stones which first appeared as the opening track on the band's 1968 album Beggars Banquet. It was written by Mick Jagger credited to Jagger/Richards...
".
Tony Sanchez's account of his time as Richards's bodyguard and drug dealer mentions Pallenberg's strange spiritual practices: "She was obsessed with black magic and began to carry a string of garlic with her everywhere — even to bed — to ward off vampires. She also had a strange mysterious old shaker for holy water which she used for some of her rituals. Her ceremonies became increasingly secret, and she warned me never to interrupt her when she was working on a spell."Sanchez goes on to describe Anita as having been "like a life-force, a woman so powerful, so full of strength and determination that men came to lean on her".
Richards says she shared his addiction to heroin;she was charged first in the 1977 Toronto heroin arrest that led to Richards being arrested on charges that could have led to a lengthy prison sentence. A warrant for Pallenberg's arrest was the reason police came to search the pair's hotel rooms; she pleaded guilty to
marijuanaCannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
possession and was fined, several weeks after Richards's arrest.
In 1981, after Richards and Pallenberg had split up, Richards stated that he still loved Pallenberg and saw her as much as he ever did, although he had already met his future wife
Patti HansenPatricia "Patti" Elvina Hansen is an American model and actress.-Early life and career:Hansen, who is of Norwegian ancestry, was born and raised in the Tottenville section of Staten Island, New York. The youngest of six children, Hansen was discovered by photographer Peter Gert at age 14...
. In a 1985
Rolling Stone interview,
Mick JaggerSir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
claimed that Pallenberg "nearly killed me", when he was asked whether the Rolling Stones had any responsibility for the personal drug addictions of people close to the band.
Singer
Marianne FaithfullMarianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
, Jagger's girlfriend in the late 1960s, remained a friend of Pallenberg's. They appeared together in the fourth series (2001) of the BBC-TV/Comedy Central/
Saunders and French production of
Absolutely FabulousAbsolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character. It also stars Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, along with June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks...
in episode four, "Donkey", with Faithfull playing "God" and Pallenberg "The Devil" in a dream sequence experienced by
Jennifer SaundersJennifer Jane Saunders is an English comedienne, screenwriter, singer and actress. She has won two BAFTAs, an International Emmy Award, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival Award, two Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards, and a Peoples Choice Award.She first came into...
' character
Edina MonsoonEdina Monsoon is the main character in the BBC programme Absolutely Fabulous, played by Jennifer Saunders, who is also the creator of the show. The character is known for her extravagance and various attempts to follow new crazes and trends....
.
Cleared of manslaughter
In 1979, a 17-year-old boy, Scott Cantrell, shot himself in the head with a gun owned by Keith Richards, while in Pallenberg's bed, at the
South Salem, New YorkSouth Salem is a hamlet in Lewisboro, Westchester County, New York. The county ranks second for wealthiest counties in New York State and the seventh wealthiest county nationally. In the town center is a post office, the town hall, a library and a recycling center.Notable residents have included...
house shared by Richards and Pallenberg. The youth had been employed as a part-time groundskeeper at the estate and was involved in a sexual relationship with Pallenberg. Richards was in Paris recording with the Rolling Stones but his son was at the house when the teen killed himself. Pallenberg was arrested; however, the death was ruled a suicide in 1980, despite rumours that Pallenberg and Cantrell had been playing a game of
Russian rouletteRussian roulette is a potentially lethal game of chance in which participants place a single round in a revolver, spin the cylinder, place the muzzle against their head and pull the trigger...
. The police investigation stated that Pallenberg was not in the room or on the same floor of the house at the time the fatal shot was fired.
Film and fashion
Pallenberg has appeared in more than a dozen films over a forty year span. Most notably, she appeared as The Great Tyrant in
Roger VadimRoger Vadim was a French screenwriter, director, and producer as well as a journalist, author and actor, who launched Brigitte Bardot's career in the film And God Created Woman.-Early life:...
's cult-classic sci-fi film
BarbarellaBarbarella is a 1968 Franco-Italian science fiction film based on Jean-Claude Forrest's French Barbarella comics. The film was directed by Roger Vadim and stars Jane Fonda, who was Vadim's wife at the time.-Plot:...
, the sleeper wife of
Michel Piccoli in the film
Dillinger Is DeadDillinger Is Dead is a 1969 Italian art house film directed by Marco Ferreri. It stars Michel Piccoli, Anita Pallenberg and Annie Girardot. The story is a darkly satiric blend of fantasy and reality. It follows a bored, alienated man over the course of one night in his home...
, directed by
Marco Ferreri. She had a small part in
Volker SchlöndorffVolker Schlöndorff is a Berlin-based German filmmaker who has worked in Germany, France and the United States...
's
Michael Kohlhaas - der Rebell which was filmed in Slovakia in 1969 and the 1970 avant-garde
PerformancePerformance is a 1968 British crime drama film; the film was produced in 1968 but not released until 1970. Directed by Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg, Performance stars James Fox and Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones in his film acting debut.-Plot:...
in which she played the role of Pherber (actually filmed in 1968 but not released for two years). She appeared in a 1968 documentary about the Rolling Stones,
Sympathy for the Devil, directed by French filmmaker
Jean-Luc GodardJean-Luc Godard is a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film critic. He is often identified with the 1960s French film movement, French Nouvelle Vague, or "New Wave"....
. In a March 2007 interview Anita related her encounters in Rome in 1960, while
La Dolce VitaLa Dolce Vita is a 1960 comedy-drama film written and directed by the critically acclaimed director Federico Fellini. The film is a story of a passive journalist's week in Rome, and his search for both happiness and love that will never come...
was happening, with Italian filmmakers such as
Federico FelliniFederico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...
,
Alberto MoraviaAlberto Moravia, born Alberto Pincherle was an Italian novelist and journalist. His novels explored matters of modern sexuality, social alienation, and existentialism....
,
Luchino ViscontiLuchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo was an Italian theatre, opera and cinema director, as well as a screenwriter. He is best known for his films The Leopard and Death in Venice .-Life:...
and
Pier Paolo PasoliniPier Paolo Pasolini was an Italian film director, poet, writer, and intellectual. Pasolini distinguished himself as a poet, journalist, philosopher, linguist, novelist, playwright, filmmaker, newspaper and magazine columnist, actor, painter and political figure...
. In 1985 for the video of "
Wild Boys"The Wild Boys" is the twelfth single by Duran Duran, released in October 1984.The song was the only studio track on the live album Arena, and was produced by Nile Rodgers, who had previously remixed the single "The Reflex"...
"
Duran DuranDuran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
used the clip of Pallenberg from
BarbarellaBarbarella is a 1968 Franco-Italian science fiction film based on Jean-Claude Forrest's French Barbarella comics. The film was directed by Roger Vadim and stars Jane Fonda, who was Vadim's wife at the time.-Plot:...
.
Pallenberg has been portrayed in popular film and television.
Monet MazurMonet Happy Mazur is an American actress, model and musician.-Personal life:Mazur was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Ruby Mazur, an illustrator who has worked in the record industry and at one time was the manager of Billy Joel. Mazur has four siblings: Nicholas, Cézanne, Matisse...
played a young Pallenberg in the 2005 film
Stoned, a biographical film about the last year of Brian Jones' life. In 2006 the
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television show
Studio 60 on the Sunset StripStudio 60 on the Sunset Strip was an American dramedy television series created and written by Aaron Sorkin. It ran for 22 episodes.The series takes place behind the scenes of a live sketch comedy show on the fictional television network NBS , whose format is similar to that of NBC's...
included a
story arcA story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
in which the character
Harriet HayesHannah Harriet Hayes is a fictional character on the US television series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, played by Sarah Paulson. The character is loosely based on actress Kristin Chenoweth ;; there is an opinion that she is also at least partially based on former Saturday...
was hired to play Pallenberg in a film.
Pallenberg became a fashion designer during the 1990s, after four years at London's
St. Martins School of Art and DesignCentral Saint Martins College of Art and Design is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. The school has an outstanding international reputation, and is considered one of the world's leading art and design institutions...
. She now divides her time between New York City and Europe, and sporadically appears in public as a party DJ.
Filmography
- Mord und Totschlag
A Degree of Murder is a 1967 West German film, starring Anita Pallenberg and directed by Volker Schlöndorff. The film is widely recognised because of the soundtrack composed, produced, arranged, and played by Brian Jones , Pallenberg's boyfriend at the time...
(A Degree of Murder, 1967)
- Candy
Candy is a 1968 sex farce film directed by Christian Marquand based on the 1958 novel by Terry Southern and Mason Hoffenberg, from a screenplay by Buck Henry. The film satirizes pornographic stories through the adventures of its naive heroine, Candy, played by Ewa Aulin...
(1968)
- Barbarella
Barbarella is a 1968 Franco-Italian science fiction film based on Jean-Claude Forrest's French Barbarella comics. The film was directed by Roger Vadim and stars Jane Fonda, who was Vadim's wife at the time.-Plot:...
(1968)
- Dillinger Is Dead
Dillinger Is Dead is a 1969 Italian art house film directed by Marco Ferreri. It stars Michel Piccoli, Anita Pallenberg and Annie Girardot. The story is a darkly satiric blend of fantasy and reality. It follows a bored, alienated man over the course of one night in his home...
(Dillinger è morto, 1969)
- Michael Kohlhaas - Der Rebell
Man on Horseback is a 1969 German drama film directed by Volker Schlöndorff based on a novel by Heinrich Von Kleist. It was entered into the 1969 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* David Warner - Michael Kohlhaas* Anna Karina - Elisabeth Kohlhaas...
(1969)
- Performance
Performance is a 1968 British crime drama film; the film was produced in 1968 but not released until 1970. Directed by Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg, Performance stars James Fox and Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones in his film acting debut.-Plot:...
(1970)
- Umano non umano (1972)
- Berceau de cristal (1976)
- Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon
Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon is a 1998 film made for television by the British Broadcasting Corporation . It was written and directed by John Maybury and stars Derek Jacobi, Daniel Craig, and Tilda Swinton....
(1998)
- Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character. It also stars Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, along with June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks...
IV - Episode IV "Donkey" (2001)
- Hideous Man (2002)
- Mister Lonely
Mister Lonely is a 2007 comedy-drama film directed by Harmony Korine, and co-written with his brother Avi Korine.-Plot:A young American man living in Paris scratches out a living as a Michael Jackson look-alike, dancing on the streets, public parks, tourist spots and trade shows. During a show in...
(2007)
- Go Go Tales
Go Go Tales is an independent 2007 film by Abel Ferrara. It was screened out of competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.It stars Willem Dafoe as a strip club owner and co-stars Bob Hoskins...
(2007)
- Cheri
Chéri is a 2009 drama film directed by Stephen Frears. Starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Friend, it is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by French author Colette...
(2009)
- Stones in Exile
Stones in Exile is a 2010 documentary film about the recording of the 1972 The Rolling Stones album Exile on Main St. Directed by Stephen Kijak, it premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. It had its worldwide premiere on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon...
(2010)
External links