Lina Romay (4)

Lina Romay, born Rosa María Almirall Martínez on June 25, 1954, in Barcelona, Spain, was a renowned Spanish actress and filmmaker known for her extensive roles in erotic, horror, and adult films. She starred in over 100 movies directed by her longtime partner Jesús Franco, beginning in 1973 with films like The Female Vampire, Barbed Wire Dolls (1975), and Jack the Ripper (1976). Often credited under pseudonyms such as Candy Coster and Lulu Laverne, she fearlessly performed in unsimulated sex scenes, embracing her exhibitionist tendencies. Romay met Franco in 1972 through her first husband, photographer Ramon Ardid, divorcing him in 1978 after their affair began.

A polyglot fluent in Spanish, Catalan, French, Portuguese, Italian, and English, she contributed plot ideas and editing to Franco's works. They lived together for nearly 40 years, marrying in 2008. She died of cancer on February 15, 2012, in Málaga, Spain, at age 57; Franco followed in 2013.