The late Hungarian blonde Ahna Capri began modeling as a child, which led to TV commercials and then bits in TV and movies. Warner Bros. signed her to a contract in 1959 and promptly re-christened her Anna Capri after the Isle. After appearing in a number of Warner Bros. produced television series (including Cheyenne, Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip, Bronco, etc.) Capri landed the role of Mary Rose, the sixteen year old adoptive daughter of Andrew Duggan and Peggy McCay in the short-lived situation comedy Room for One More in 1962. She was voted a Hollywood Deb Star that same year, but this baby-faced ingenue (she resembled a more alluring and sexy Sandra Dee) yearned to be the femme fatale. After playing the precocious good girl in Kisses for My President (1964) and then a vain sexpot in The Girls on the Beach (1965), Anna Capri got her wish when she was cast as the bad girl in “The Bridge of Lions Affair” on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. This two-part episode was also edited into the feature One of Our Spies Is Missing (1966) and rushed into theaters. For the rest of the decade, Capri concentrated on television making guest star turns playing various parts on such popular series as I Spy, The Wild Wild West, Run for Your Life, The Invaders, The Name of the Game, etc.
In the early seventies, Capri returned to the big screen and was billed as Ahna Capri. She remarked to The Hollywood Reporter in 1969, “Too many people pronounce ‘Anna’ with a flat ‘a’ and it comes out an ugly Aaaana. I want my name more musical sounding, with a broad ‘a,’ like Ahna, so I’m spelling it that way.” Using her new moniker, Capri co-starred with Strother Martin in the creepy horror film Brotherhood of Satan (1971). In the Bruce Lee classic Enter the Dragon (1973), a sort of combination spy, blaxpoitation and kung fu movie, Capri as the insatiable Tania physically stood out as she was the only Caucasian actress in the cast. The exploitation cult classic The Specialist (1975) gave Capri a starring role as an enticing assassin, however she retired from acting shortly thereafter. She tragically died in an auto accident in 2010. You can read more about Ahna Capri in my and Louis Paul’s book Film Fatales: Women in Espionage Films & Television, 1962-1973 soon to be out in soft cover.
Wow, you’ve really been doing a lot of blogging here of late. Keep it going.
I was never a fan of Anna/Ahna, but I vaguely think that she appeared as a groupie in the little-known but well regarded country music drama PAYDAY. If I’m incorrect about that, I’m sure you’ll correct me. I also seem to recall seeing her in an episode or two of THE MANY LOVES OF DOBIE GILLIS.
Chris Noel is a longtime favorite of mine. I hope these ladies see your birthday tributes to them.
Yes, Ahna was in the feature Payday. She did do a lot of TV so no surprise if she turned up on Dobie Gillis. Glad you are enjoying the birthday blogs. I aim to continue.