Lina Romay

Biography

Romay was born in Barcelona in 1954. Following graduation from high school, she studied the arts, married actor/photographer Ramon Ardid/ Raymond Hardy (they later divorced in 1978), and began acting in stage productions. She began appearing in Jesús Franco's films from the time that they met in 1972. She appeared in more than a hundred feature films, most of them directed by Franco. Among the better known of her horror films are The Bare Breasted Countess (a.k.a. Female Vampire) (1973), Barbed Wire Dolls (1975) and Jack the Ripper (1976). She took the name Lina Romay from the actress and jazz artist from the 1940s. Although Romay was listed in the credits of several of Franco's films as a co-director, actor Antonio Mayans stated in a recent interview that Franco used to credit her in that manner for business reasons, although she never actually co-directed any of their films together. She did however contribute occasional story ideas and assist in the editing of some films and trailers. Lina Romay and Jesús Franco lived as a couple for close to four decades, but only officially married on April 25, 2008. She died from cancer at the age of 57 on 15 February 2012, in Málaga, Spain. Franco died soon after in 2013.

Most Known For

Kiss Me Killer

as Moira Ray

Erotic Symphony

as Martine de Bressac

Cecilia

as Cabaret Owner/Performer

Fury in the Tropics

as Marga Lopez

Call Him Jess

as Herself

The Ticklish Ones

as Loulou

Helter Skelter

Midnight Party

as Sylvia

Downtown Heat

as Angela

Celestine

as Célestine

Countess Perverse

as Silvia Aguado

Red Silk

as Gina

Female Vampire

as Countess Irina Karlstein

Barbed Wire Dolls

as Maria da Guerra

Faceless

as Mme Orloff

Call Me Jess Redux

as Herself

Blind Target

as Tora

Downtown

as Cynthia

Vampire Junction

as Mados

Golden Temple Amazons

as Cameo