Zora Kerova

Zora Ulla Keslerová (born 11 August 1950) is a Czech actress, dancer, singer and model. Often credited under the names Zora Kerova, Zora Kerowa or Zora Keer, she became known for starring in numerous Italian horror films during the 1980s.

Zora Kerova
Born	Zora Ulla Keslerová 11 August 1950 Prague, Czechoslovakia
Other names	Zora Keer, Zora Kerowa
Occupation	Actress, dancer, singer, model
Years active	1978–present
Spouse(s)	Petr Hapka ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 1997)​
Children	1

Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, she began her career as a dancer and singer, later becoming a photo model. Kerova made her screen debut in the Italian film, La febbre americana (1978). A year later, she appeared in the Czech drama, Křehké vztahy, and another Italian film, Terror Express. She followed by starring in cult horror films such as Antropophagus (1980), Cannibal Ferox (1981) and Lucio Fulci's The New York Ripper (1982). She later appeared in another two Fulci's films, Touch of Death (1988) and Sodoma's Ghost (1988).

Early life

Zora Kerova was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia.

Career

She began her career as a cultural dancer and singer, and later became a model. Her career expanded and she decided to become an actress. She began her acting career in Italian cinema. In 1978, she made her acting debut in La Febbre Americana, with co-star Italian actor and writer George Eastman (actor), whom she also worked with in later films. In 1979, Zora starred in the Czech film Krehké Vztahy (The Fragile Relations), a psychological drama, in which she played a divorced mother. The film was not a success at the time. A string of minor film roles followed.

Italian cinema offered more for her career; she became a star in Italy under several names including Zora Kerowa and Zora Keer. She appeared in many erotic, action, and of course horror films throughout the eighties.

Apart from her roles in erotic films, Zora is remembered for starring in several cult horror classics. In 1980, she played psychic "Carol" in Antropophagus, in which she and a group of people head to an island, Carol feels there is something evil on it, and the group is one by one murdered by a madman played by George Eastman. Zora said in interviews she mainly remembers being very seasick in the boating scenes. In a 2005 interview alongside Eastman, Kerova explained that she never really got to know director Joe D'Amato on the set of the film, and that she learned phonetic English by listening to The Beatles.[1]

In 1981, she starred as "Pat Johnson" in Cannibal Ferox, in which she was seen hanging on hooks by her breasts.[2] In 1982, she played "Eva" in The New York Ripper, in which her character gets a smashed liquor bottle into her groin by the insane killer.

Then, Zora again worked with George Eastman in The New Barbarians (also known as Warriors of the Wasteland).[3]

Throughout her acting career she has worked with such directors as Joe D'Amato, Umberto Lenzi, Lucio Fulci, and Ferdinando Baldi. Fulci was her favorite director, and in interviews she dispelled the rumor that he was a misogynist.

Her final cinematic film Papà dice messa came out in 1996, but Kerova returned to acting in 2006 starring in the direct-to-video film La Radice del Male (The Root of Evil) directed by Silvana Zancolò.[4][5]

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1978	La Febbre Americana	Lisa
	Le Evase - Storie di Sesso e di Violenze	Anna	Other title: Jailbirds (credited as Zora Keer)
1979	Krehké Vztahy	Bára	Other title: The Fragile Relations (credited as Zora Ulla Kesslerová)
	Terror Express	Anna
1980	La Filles de Madame Claude	Nathalie	Other title: Gift Girls (credited as Zora Kerowa)
	La Vera Storia della Monaca di Monza	Sister Virginia de Leyva	Other title: The True Story of the Nun of Monza
	Antropophagus	Carol	Other title: Anthropophagus: The Grim Reaper
1981	Retez	Marta
	Cannibal Ferox	Pat Johnson	Other title: Make Them Die Slowly (credited as Zora Kerowa)
1982	Vítr v Kapse	Ilonka	(credited as Zora-Ulla Kesslerová)
	I Nuovi Barbari		Other Title: The New Barbarians, Warriors of the Wasteland
	Lo Squartatore di New York	Eva	Other title: The New York Ripper (credited as Zora Kerowa)
	Sny o Zambezi		Other title: Dreams About Zambezia
	Liquid Sky
1983	Andel s Dáblem v Tele	Zanet Azárt
1984	Fesák Hubert	Ruza	(credited as Zora-Ulla Keslerová)
1985	Perinbaba
1988	Quandro Alice Ruppee lo Specchio	Virginia Field	Other title: Touch of Death, When Alice Broke the Looking Glass (credited as Zora Ulla Kesler)
	Il Fantasma di Sodoma	Succubus	Other title: Sodoma's Ghost (uncredited)
	Andel Svádí Dábla	Zanet Azárt	(credited as Ulla Kesler)
1989	Luna di Sangue	Mary	Other title: Moon of Blood (credited as Ulla Z. Kesler)
1990	Hansel e Gretel		Other title: Hansel and Gretel
1995	Mullo Tutto
	Altrove		(credited as Ulla Zora Keselrova)
1996	Papá Dice Messa
2006	La Radice del Male

References

1. George R. Reis"Anthropophagus (The Grim Reaper) (1980)". dvddrive-in.com. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
2. "Top 10 Most Gruesome Movie Scenes". dailytop10.net. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
3. George R. Reis"Anthropophagus (The Grim Reaper) (1980)". dvddrive-in.com. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
4. "Zora Ulla Keslerová Biography". csfd.cz. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
5. "silvana zancolò film director". Retrieved 3 October 2018.

External links

• Zora Kerova at IMDb
• Zora Kerova at AllMovie