Romalı Perihan

Who is Romalı Perihan?

Romalı Perihan, formerly Perihan, Princess of Esfandiari-Bakhtiari, is an internationally-known Turkish soprano, socialite, painter, model, columnist, and actress who married to the late Iranian nobleman Bijan, Prince of Esfandiari-Bakhtiari in Italy.

Born and raised in Rome, Romalı Perihan was the sister-in-law of Her Majesty The Queen Soraya. She was once nicknamed "La Bella Turca" and "La Turca Romana" by the Italian media and is often referred to as Princess Romalı Perihan or Princess Soprano. Before pursuing a career as a singer at the age of seventeen, she briefly attended the Accademia Nazionale di Arte Drammatica Silvio D'Amico. She became one of the leading figures in European high society. Fluent in Italian and Turkish, Romalı Perihan speaks five languages.

Romalı Perihan is the Honorary President of the Cultural Foundation of Poets Ashiks and Writers. She acted in multilingual cinema chiefly from 1960 to 1982, doing several films in Italian with renowned director Federico Fellini, for whom she was a favourite subject. She is known as the only Turkish to appear in a Fellini film.