Zeudi Araya, the Eritrean-born actress, model, singer and film producer who became one of the most recognisable African faces in Italian cinema during the 1970s, has died at the age of 75.
Her death was announced by her son, Michelangelo Spano, who said Araya died at her home on Sunday, May 24, 2026, after a long illness. Funeral arrangements will be held privately, according to Italian media reports.
Born on February 10, 1951, in Dekemhare, Eritrea, Araya’s life carried a rare cultural arc: from Eritrean beauty queen to Italian cinema star, and later to film production. In 1969, at the age of 18, she won the Miss Eritrea title, shortly after completing her studies.
Her entry into Italian cinema came almost by chance. A trip to Rome for a coffee commercial opened the door to film work, after she was noticed by director Luigi Scattini. She soon appeared in La ragazza dalla pelle di luna and became closely associated with the Italian cinema of the 1970s.
Araya later appeared in films including The Off-Road Girl, The Body, Mr. Robinson, Neapolitan Mystery, Hearts and Armour and Control. She also moved behind the camera, working as a producer after stepping away from regular acting.
For Eritreans, Araya’s legacy is more than a filmography. She belonged to a generation whose stories travelled through complicated histories of migration, colonial memory, identity and cultural visibility. At a time when few Eritrean women were visible on major European screens, Araya became a public figure whose name remained tied to Eritrea even as her career unfolded largely in Italy.
Italian media described her as an Eritrean-Italian cinema icon, a woman remembered for beauty, privacy and a career that crossed modelling, acting, singing and production.
Her passing on May 24 — Eritrea’s Independence Day — gives the news a quiet poignancy for many Eritreans. Araya’s journey began in Dekemhare and reached the centre of Italian popular culture, leaving behind a story that belongs to both Eritrean memory and European cinema history.
