Lucretia Love(1941-2019)

Lucretia Love is an American actress who gained recognition primarily through her work in Italian cinema during the 1960s and 1970s. Hailing from Borger, Texas, Love established herself as a notable figure in European exploitation and genre filmmaking. Her professional film career began with the 1965 Italian romantic comedy "Love Italian Style," which marked her entry into the continental European film industry. Love's first venture into horror came with the 1966 low-budget Michael Reeves film "She Beast," where she portrayed the niece of a character named Groper. This early work in the horror genre would prove indicative of her later career trajectory, as she became associated with various exploitation and B-movie productions throughout the following decade. Love is perhaps best known for her role as Deidre in "The Arena" (1974), a women-in-prison gladiator film directed by Steve Carver that starred Margaret Markov and Pam Grier. The film followed a group of female slaves forced to become gladiatrices who eventually rebel against their Roman captors. Her other notable credits from this period include "Love Angels" (1974) and "The Killer Reserved Nine Seats" (1974), both of which contributed to her reputation within the exploitation film circuit. Love was married twice, first to Italian film producer Mauro Parenti and later to Luc, Jean-Baptiste. Her marriage to Parenti connected her more deeply to the Italian film industry, where she continued to work throughout the 1970s. Love passed away on January 9, 2019, in Seychelles, concluding a career that spanned over a decade and left a distinct mark on the European exploitation film genre. While her filmography may not be extensive by conventional standards, Love's work represents an important chapter in the international B-movie and exploitation cinema of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly in the Italian film industry that welcomed many American actors during this era.