| Lena Farugia | |
| Birth Date: | 1 June 1951 |
| Birth Name: | Lena Farugia |
| Birth Place: | New York, USA |
| Death Place: | South Africa |
| Nationality: | American and South African citizenship - dual citizenship |
| Alma Mater: | Fordham University Columbia University |
| Education: | Thomas Moore College |
| Height: | 1.64 m |
| Years Active: | 1971–2019 |
| Spouse: | Robert Davies (1977-1995) |
| Father: | Giuseppe Farruggia |
| Mother: | Grazia Grassi |
| Occupation: | Actress, Screenwriter, Director, Producer |
Nicolina Elizabeth Farruggia (1 June 1951 – 18 January 2019), popularly as Lena Farugia, was an American-born South African actress, screenwriter, director and producer.[1] She is best known for the roles in the films The Gods Must Be Crazy II and The Sandgrass People.[2] [3]
Farugia was born on 1 June 1951 and grew up in Westchester County, New York, United States. Her father, Giuseppe Farruggia, was a supervisor for the Penn Central railroad company. Her mother, Grazia "Grace" Grassi, was a designer with a fashion house. She studied at Thomas Moore College, and dance from Fordham University.[4] She later completed her MA in history from Columbia University.[5]
In 1977, she married South African filmmaker, Robert Davies, but later divorced and then remarried him on 28 August 1996.
Farugia died on 18 January 2019 in South Africa at the age of 67. The cause of death is unknown.
After joining with some theatre works, she followed courses in film editing at The New School in Greenwich Village. In the meantime, she acted in Broadway and dinner theatre productions. After the marriage, she moved to South Africa with her then husband and started acting again. In 1976, she starred in a French television series Les Diamants du Président. Then in 1977, she moved to South Africa and acted in the film Mister Deathman. Along with her then husband, she formed the production company "Davnic Productions". In 1987, they produced the drama Saturday Night at the Palace directed by Davies. In 1981 and 1982, she joined the first two seasons of the television series Westgate, both directed by Edgar Bold.[6]
In 1989, she played the female lead role as "Dr. Ann Taylor" in the blockbuster movie The Gods Must Be Crazy II directed by Jamie Uys. After that success, she played another lead role as "Elizabeth Carter" in the film The Sandgrass People directed by Koos Roets. In 2005, she scripted, directed and edited the documentary film An African in Paris. Other than cinema and television, she performed in many stage plays such as: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1982), Agnes of God (1983) and Extremities (1984). In 1989, she wrote and acted in the play We and Them.[7]
| Year | Film | Role | Genre | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Les diamants du président | Maggie | TV mini series | ||
| 1977 | Mister Deathman | Pamela | Film | ||
| 1979 | Land of the Thirst King | Writer, Editor | TV series documentary | ||
| 1981 | Westgate | Bonny Thornton | TV series | ||
| 1982 | Westgate II | Bonny Thornton | TV series | ||
| 1987 | The Fiddler | Jennie Mars | TV mini series | ||
| 1987 | Saturday Night at the Palace | Associate producer, Supervising editor | Film | ||
| 1989 | The Gods Must Be Crazy II | Dr. Ann Taylor | Film | ||
| 1990 | The Sandgrass People | Elizabeth Carter | Film | ||
| 1993 | Tropical Heat | Alicia | TV series | ||
| 1995 | Tales of Mystery and Imagination | Woman from Paris | TV series | ||
| 1996 | Tarzan: The Epic Adventures | Queen Talia | TV series | ||
| 1998 | Double Shift | Producer | TV series | ||
| 2000 | Jika Jika | Writer | TV series | ||
| 2009 | Diamonds | Helen Danielson | Film |