Remembering Ġemma Portelli
Last week Malta was rocked by the news that well-known actress Ġemma Portelli had died aged 75. The country was in mourning for it had lost one of its best comediennes and actors ever to grace our shores.
She had been in the public eye for some 50 years and had become quite a household name, especially for her famous role as Ġoma in F’Baħar Wieħed. The roles she was cast in over the years are numerous, with the last one being that of Filomen in Ta’ Ħorrox Borrox.
She has been described as a “diamondâ€, a true friend, a good joke cracker, a woman who excelled at making sweets and a person who was capable of hiding her personal problems to bring a smile to others. Jennifer Grech spoke to some of her colleagues and asked them to tell her about the Ġemma Portelli they knew. This is their emotional and heart-felt tribute to a dear friend.
Charles Clews
"One of the first recollections I have of Ġemma is the time when Johnny Catania, one of the Radio Muskettieri, approached her and brought her over for an audition. She was still young at the time. I gave her a script and she did quite well. Prosit I told her. She beamed and said, I used to listen to you, now I’m with you. (Filli kont nismagħkom, u issa qiegħda magħkom!)
But Ġemma’s knack at performing to an audience knew its roots much earlier. At the tender age of seven, while bombers flew overhead, she used to entertain the other children huddled in the shelters. So when she came to us, she was already ‘a mature actress’.
Ġemma was a very dedicated and bold woman, totally committed to the showbiz world, who was also capable of hiding any personal or family problems she might have had. She was a great joke cracker, something which came in handy before a performance, as she made each and every one of us feel at ease.
Ġemma’s prowess was not only in the kitchen, where she excelled at making sweets. She was also very good at the sewing machine, preferring to create her own costumes and that of other colleagues, whenever necessary and when she had the time.
The best moment in her career was reached when she went to Australia with Charles Thake to entertain the Maltese community there. This had always been a dream, which came true once she set foot there."
Charles Stroud
"Although I had known Ġemma for quite a long time, mainly from numerous stage and parish hall performances (where most of the time I was assisting backstage), I had the opportunity and honour to direct her in her most acclaimed interpretation of Ġoma in Lino Grech’s F’Baħar Wieħed. Her presence on the set was an inspiration to all the other actors. Her jollity, comments and side quips were a relief to the always tense atmosphere that inevitably evolves while filming local drama. Immediately switching to moments of pathos that the character required, she was capable of jerking many a tear in the eyes of all who watched her. This was a real reflection of her true inner feelings and personal problems which troubled her, and about which she sometimes talked about.
Although recently continually in pain, the loss of her husband Paul was a completely unexpected turn around. With him out of the scene the short comic sketches and musical numbers they very often performed were never to be repeated. The duo were magic. His intelligent scripts and her controlled improvisations were unique.
What followed after his demise were her unique performances in a number of TV episodes. F’Baħar Wieħed required her, apart from the long hours of filming over seven months, at her age, to climb ladders, run out of a burning house carrying two young children and travelling to Rome for a short filming sequence. It was here that I went through a traumatic event on the way back: she suddenly fainted at the airport due to low blood pressure.
We carried her onto the plane on a wheelchair. She was placed under close observation in VIP and I asked to stay close to her to be of assistance. Half way home she leaned over to me and said “Thank God and me, you’re now in VIP.†That was Ġemma. In every sad and painful situation she sought the smile out of all her audiences’ faces.
In her last public appearance when she received the award for a lifetime achievement at the Malta Television Awards, although visibly in great pain, she also cracked an emotional joke on stage. I met her for the last time on the same occasion backstage when I had just received 26th Frame’s award for best drama. She hugged me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. It felt like a motherly kiss proud of her son’s achievements.
Shakespeare was wrong when he said “The evil that men do lives after them. The good is often interned with their bones.†In Ġemma let’s not forget the smile."
Josephine Zammit Cordina
"Like so many others, especially those who admired her so much, the sad news of Ġemma’s passing away was a great shock. I was aware that her health was not the best but we always hope for things to get better.
For so many years Ġemma, with the various talents God endowed her with, succeeded in making others happy. She was a great actress, a versatile one who could make people laugh their hearts out but could also make them cry when a part so demanded of her. Ġemma’s talents were not only recognised and admired in Malta but also in Australia where she entertained members of the Maltese community during her three visits to that continent.
Entertainment was an integral part of Ġemma and it was her delight to feel the audience accepting her various interpretations which, of course, she always excelled in delivering. Whenever on stage she was dominant and the audience swayed towards her.
During my acting career which dates back a great number of years, I shared various performances with Ġemma. However, I just cannot refrain from mentioning with nostalgia the first-ever teleserial in Malta F’Baħar Wieħed. Who cannot remember her achievement in the way she interpreted that difficult role of Ġoma?
Ġemma was not only a stage, radio and TV actress. She was also dedicated to her family. And like other wives and mothers she had the ups and downs of life, some of which she confided in me whenever we were in the same production. But whatever her troubles, ailments or sorrows, during a performance she always managed to rise above them by giving her very best.
It was so befitting that a few months before her demise Ġemma was presented with the Charles Arrigo Lifetime Achievement Award. Most befitting also was the standing ovation she received on that night from so many of those who worked alongside her in the field of entertainment."
Victor Grech
"Ġemma was definitely a family woman. She used to confide in me a lot during any breaks we had while filming F’Baħar Wieħed. We were very good friends and later on in life she admitted that her husband’s death had left a mark on her.
I recall that prior to filming or rehearsals we used to stop and say a prayer to San Ginezju, the protector of actors. Ġemma used to take her work, be it on stage, radio or TV, very seriously. We will all miss her."
Tony Cassar Darien
"I cannot think of Ġemma Portelli without thinking of the Schembri Sisters. They are to Malta’s Thespian community what Chekov’s Three Sisters are to Russian theatre. But far less complicated! The late lamented Maria ‒ a Maleth stalwart married to the golden voiced Victor Apap; the deceased Ġemma ‒ beautifully partnered in life and on the boards by the affable Paul Portelli are now survived only by their little sister, Connie, also an indefatigable actress married to Richard Azzopardi, who has left an indelible mark in the annals of the local radio-play, and serial, as a writer, actor and producer.
And when I think of the Schembri Sisters, besides the sweetest of reminiscences covering the whole gamut of that mad existence that we term theatre, the thing which immediately comes to mind is... food! Glorious food! You see, the acting profession has lots to do with waiting; waiting at rehearsals, waiting for make-up, waiting for cues... one literally spends hours of waiting in shoddy dressing rooms before it’s time to get on with it and pour out the adrenaline which had been brewing for ever. Which explains why some succumb to drink. Perhaps as an antidote the sweet sisters generously donated food to their fellow actors. As a young teenager I shall never forget Ġemma’s exquisite home-made bread filled with mouthwatering delicacies which was the next best thing to an enthusiastic curtain call.
To talk about popular theatre in Malta is to evoke immediately the image of the naturalist Ġemma. In my opinion she formed part of a fastly diminishing group of exceptional actors and comedians who have preserved and enhanced the art of theatrical clowning which requires multiple skills. From the moment she hit the stage, oftentimes in sketches partnered by her musically endowed husband Paul, Ġemma portrayed mimetic, acrobatic, musical and elocution qualities which remind one of the lazzi in the commedia dell’arte. This virtuosity contributed enormously in making Ġemma’s characters appear as ‘larger than life’.
She did more than make people laugh. Her “naughty girls in pigtails†along with her more mature Ġomas hinted at their being able to achieve the impossible. When faced with humiliation, they invariably manage to say the last word and emerge from each successive situation with all dignity. Despite their naïve or apparent ignorance the characters portrayed by Ġemma displayed such resilience that defied the laws of logic and always managed to survive and fight on another day. Ġemma also had the gift of improvisation which she played to perfection.
Many a time, during rehearsals, when the text was terrible and Ġemma intervened to turn it upside down and make something out of it, I watched her co-actors trying to contain themselves, hide their faces, before they burst out laughing out aloud. It must also be said that when Ġemma came across a solid text, a play which stood up by itself, she adopted de rigueur, an extreme accuracy. She did not deviate from it by a comma, a beat, a space, even a breath.
The nicest tribute ever made to this hearty all-Maltese comedienne came from none other than Sir Carol Reed, the famous British director. It was in the very early 1960s when the late Joe Zammit Cordina was formulating the Malta Talent Artistes. Ġemma and I, together with a couple of other actors, had successfully auditioned for this television episode.
Its two main actors, both deceased, were Kieren Moore and Roger Delgado. Ġemma was cast as a streetwise woman who accosts Moore while trying to seduce him. Seductively puffing on a cigarette Ġemma played her role to perfection, suffice it to say, that after just four takes it was in the can. On the morrow the shooting of a scene involving the director’s own daughter, Tracy Reed, could not get off the ground. Strong words were loudly spoken. And Ġemma’s professional presentation of the previous day came up in comparison; in a sort of a David and Goliath artistic tussle. (Never heard again of Tracy while her famous brother, Oliver, died in Valletta during the shooting of Gladiator).
As Ġemma joins the very small queue of Malta’s own cream of deceased comedians, like Johnny Navarro, Vitorin Galea, Nosi Ghirlando, Armando Urso, Josie Coppini and all those happy others I cannot help but bless ‒ and thank ‒ them all. For comedians are precious, in the way they manage to make the public not only to see itself on stage, but to participate and identify. Comedians are positive characters that make catharsis possible."
Mario Micallef
"The news of Ġemma’s death came unexpectedly. Although I had heard that she was not so well lately, I never expected her to die so suddenly. I’ve known Ġemma for a number of years, since the beginning of the 1970s, when I met her for the first time on Lino Grech’s teleserial F’Baħar Wieħed.
Later I had lots of opportunities to perform with her again, mainly on stage, especially when my company decided to stage F’Baħar Wieħed at the Catholic Institute.
Apart from her capabilities on stage, Ġemma was also a person who loved helping everybody, especially some ‘new’ actors. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work with her. She was always trying to bring a smile to others and make people laugh.
We’ve lost an actress; however, the wonderful memories will remain with us forever."
Lino Farrugia
"Ġemma Portelli ‒ a name not to forget, but to remember with tenderness and to remind others of and to respect. I met Ġemma some 42 years ago when I started the live Rediffusion morning programmes Ħobża u Sikkina and many others. She used to come every day and helped us make the programme interesting and different. I had just started my career and she always had an encouraging word, especially when I started directing. Despite being already a well-known name she accepted to do a small part in productions like Ir-Raħeb, the first play in Maltese for MADC, and Sitt Karattri Jfittxu Awtur for Atturi.
She accepted the monumental part of Ġoma in F’Baħar Wieħed, the first teleseries that Lino Grech and I initiated in the 1970s. Hers was a part not to be forgotten, with different characteristics constituting a rather complex character.
Ġoma was a hateful character that made people laugh, hate and admire. She epitomised all that is bad in the female gender and the male gender put together. At the same time she had to be kind and resourceful. And fun to watch. But the climax of the character was the scene in which Ġoma had to make everybody cry at the end of episode 13. Her husband Pinu had died and Ġemma had to create a tear-jerker scene. I remember, in those days it was a one take shot in the studios. If anything went wrong we had to start all over again. And we all know that such emotions are not easy to repeat. So I instructed everybody to stand by, gave the order to roll and started shooting. Ġemma had to decide herself when the scene started as she had to build the emotion. I just quietly said action, waited for a few seconds and all of a sudden we had on our screens one of the most genuine, tear-jerking scenes of the whole series. The cameramen had to concentrate as they all had tears in their eyes and the rest of the cast had to improvise as Ġemma started creating her own words which just fitted the character to perfection. Once finished I cried Cut, literally cried cut and went to hug her. That was Ġemma. As we say, Ġemma, we all say our goodbyes."
Pawlu Testa
"There is only one word to describe Ġemma – unique. She is irreplaceable. She was such a good actress, who could make you laugh and cry at one go. I was lucky to have worked with her on a number of productions which left their mark on Teatru Rjal.
It is no secret that the character of Karmena Abdilla, created by Charles Clews, drew the highest number of people to our theatres. Ġemma played this character for the first time for my company. She is the only one to have played the character in all three series – It-tieġ ta’ Karmena Abdilla (1994), Il-honeymoon ta’ Karmena Abdilla (1995) and Karmena Abdilla 10 snin wara t-tieġ (1996). Ġemma played other important roles for our company Teatru Rjal, namely in Is-Salib tal-fidda and Ġesù ta’ Nazareth.
The void which Ġemma left in our theatres has been felt for the last nine years, since she retired from the stage. However, we were lucky to see her in television productions, mainly in F’Baħar Wieħed.
Although she is no longer with us, Ġemma’s memory will live on forever. Producers and actors who have worked with her, have all been touched and marked in some way, because despite her problems she always managed to bring a smile to their faces."
Karmen Azzopardi
"We have lost a diamond. Ġemma was such a professional actress. She was not only a comedienne, as many might know and remember her. She excelled in a number of serious roles and even plays in English, where I had the opportunity to flank her.
Over the years we built a very strong friendship. During that year of filming F’Baħar Wieħed, I realised she was one great woman, who felt for everyone who was going through a bad patch.
I will definitely be missing a true, close friend."
Ineż Farrugia
"I was a lot younger than Ġemma. However, I was lucky enough to have the chance to work with her in F’Baħar Wieħed. I got on well with her and we hit it off immediately. She was such a character, bringing a smile to all of us, even when she was down and had her own personal problems.
When I met Ġemma I was fascinated with the way she used to study her scripts. To avoid wasting time, she used to record her lines, so that even while doing the housework, she would listen to her own recording over and over again, and learn her parts."
Mario Azzopardi
"Ġemma was an extremely versatile actress. She would handle with ease a typical, suburban Maltese woman, nagging her partner to death, as well as a character from the theatre of the absurd (I keep remembering her in The Tenant) or the lyrical scenario in Lorca. She was a natural."
Monica Attard
"It was with shock that I heard about the death of Ġemma because I knew that although she had been in poor health for quite some time, the energy with which she approached life was incredible. I remember that when I interviewed her for a radio programme a few years ago I was impressed by her zeal for life even at her ripe age. In fact, she was talking about publishing a book of stories for children. I got to know Ġemma loved writing, especially for children, and more often than not she even wrote her own sketches. In my opinion, and I’m sure those who knew her will agree, Ġemma was a true artist... not only a brilliant comedienne... her sense of timing was perfect... but she could also elicit a tear or two from audiences when playing serious parts and performing moving speeches.
I remember Ġemma being very active with the Girl Guides Movement and how can I forget those delicious ‘brownies’ she used to make and of which she was very proud…
I remember her during the filming of the second edition of F’Baħar Wieħed… eating the appetising sandwiches she would have prepared at home before swallowing her pills… wearing those small earphones to repeatedly hear her lines which she would have recorded before… improvising costumes… and making us laugh with her humorous anecdotes.
Ġemma was a remarkable theatre person in every sense of the word and one I shall always endearingly remember!"
Lino Grech
"I’ve known Ġemma, who came from a family of actors, since she was 16 years old. She was forever a happy girl and I saw her grow up and mature in the theatre world.
In 1976 I had asked her to take part in F’Baħar Wieħed, the first serial on Maltese television. Her character was loved by many viewers, and when it was time for the programme to be aired, they would say “Let’s go and watch Ġoma.†They did not refer to the series by its name. Her character stood out.
But her career did not stop there. She continued to grow and become even better. There were times when during rehearsals for a production, the cast used to have some arguments. But the next day Ġemma used to turn up with sweets she had baked herself and everyone ended up talking about how good they were instead of picking up where they had left the previous day.
That was Ġemma. She will be missed."
She had been in the public eye for some 50 years and had become quite a household name, especially for her famous role as Ġoma in F’Baħar Wieħed. The roles she was cast in over the years are numerous, with the last one being that of Filomen in Ta’ Ħorrox Borrox.
She has been described as a “diamondâ€, a true friend, a good joke cracker, a woman who excelled at making sweets and a person who was capable of hiding her personal problems to bring a smile to others. Jennifer Grech spoke to some of her colleagues and asked them to tell her about the Ġemma Portelli they knew. This is their emotional and heart-felt tribute to a dear friend.
Charles Clews
"One of the first recollections I have of Ġemma is the time when Johnny Catania, one of the Radio Muskettieri, approached her and brought her over for an audition. She was still young at the time. I gave her a script and she did quite well. Prosit I told her. She beamed and said, I used to listen to you, now I’m with you. (Filli kont nismagħkom, u issa qiegħda magħkom!)
But Ġemma’s knack at performing to an audience knew its roots much earlier. At the tender age of seven, while bombers flew overhead, she used to entertain the other children huddled in the shelters. So when she came to us, she was already ‘a mature actress’.
Ġemma was a very dedicated and bold woman, totally committed to the showbiz world, who was also capable of hiding any personal or family problems she might have had. She was a great joke cracker, something which came in handy before a performance, as she made each and every one of us feel at ease.
Ġemma’s prowess was not only in the kitchen, where she excelled at making sweets. She was also very good at the sewing machine, preferring to create her own costumes and that of other colleagues, whenever necessary and when she had the time.
The best moment in her career was reached when she went to Australia with Charles Thake to entertain the Maltese community there. This had always been a dream, which came true once she set foot there."
Charles Stroud
"Although I had known Ġemma for quite a long time, mainly from numerous stage and parish hall performances (where most of the time I was assisting backstage), I had the opportunity and honour to direct her in her most acclaimed interpretation of Ġoma in Lino Grech’s F’Baħar Wieħed. Her presence on the set was an inspiration to all the other actors. Her jollity, comments and side quips were a relief to the always tense atmosphere that inevitably evolves while filming local drama. Immediately switching to moments of pathos that the character required, she was capable of jerking many a tear in the eyes of all who watched her. This was a real reflection of her true inner feelings and personal problems which troubled her, and about which she sometimes talked about.
Although recently continually in pain, the loss of her husband Paul was a completely unexpected turn around. With him out of the scene the short comic sketches and musical numbers they very often performed were never to be repeated. The duo were magic. His intelligent scripts and her controlled improvisations were unique.
What followed after his demise were her unique performances in a number of TV episodes. F’Baħar Wieħed required her, apart from the long hours of filming over seven months, at her age, to climb ladders, run out of a burning house carrying two young children and travelling to Rome for a short filming sequence. It was here that I went through a traumatic event on the way back: she suddenly fainted at the airport due to low blood pressure.
We carried her onto the plane on a wheelchair. She was placed under close observation in VIP and I asked to stay close to her to be of assistance. Half way home she leaned over to me and said “Thank God and me, you’re now in VIP.†That was Ġemma. In every sad and painful situation she sought the smile out of all her audiences’ faces.
In her last public appearance when she received the award for a lifetime achievement at the Malta Television Awards, although visibly in great pain, she also cracked an emotional joke on stage. I met her for the last time on the same occasion backstage when I had just received 26th Frame’s award for best drama. She hugged me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. It felt like a motherly kiss proud of her son’s achievements.
Shakespeare was wrong when he said “The evil that men do lives after them. The good is often interned with their bones.†In Ġemma let’s not forget the smile."
Josephine Zammit Cordina
"Like so many others, especially those who admired her so much, the sad news of Ġemma’s passing away was a great shock. I was aware that her health was not the best but we always hope for things to get better.
For so many years Ġemma, with the various talents God endowed her with, succeeded in making others happy. She was a great actress, a versatile one who could make people laugh their hearts out but could also make them cry when a part so demanded of her. Ġemma’s talents were not only recognised and admired in Malta but also in Australia where she entertained members of the Maltese community during her three visits to that continent.
Entertainment was an integral part of Ġemma and it was her delight to feel the audience accepting her various interpretations which, of course, she always excelled in delivering. Whenever on stage she was dominant and the audience swayed towards her.
During my acting career which dates back a great number of years, I shared various performances with Ġemma. However, I just cannot refrain from mentioning with nostalgia the first-ever teleserial in Malta F’Baħar Wieħed. Who cannot remember her achievement in the way she interpreted that difficult role of Ġoma?
Ġemma was not only a stage, radio and TV actress. She was also dedicated to her family. And like other wives and mothers she had the ups and downs of life, some of which she confided in me whenever we were in the same production. But whatever her troubles, ailments or sorrows, during a performance she always managed to rise above them by giving her very best.
It was so befitting that a few months before her demise Ġemma was presented with the Charles Arrigo Lifetime Achievement Award. Most befitting also was the standing ovation she received on that night from so many of those who worked alongside her in the field of entertainment."
Victor Grech
"Ġemma was definitely a family woman. She used to confide in me a lot during any breaks we had while filming F’Baħar Wieħed. We were very good friends and later on in life she admitted that her husband’s death had left a mark on her.
I recall that prior to filming or rehearsals we used to stop and say a prayer to San Ginezju, the protector of actors. Ġemma used to take her work, be it on stage, radio or TV, very seriously. We will all miss her."
Tony Cassar Darien
"I cannot think of Ġemma Portelli without thinking of the Schembri Sisters. They are to Malta’s Thespian community what Chekov’s Three Sisters are to Russian theatre. But far less complicated! The late lamented Maria ‒ a Maleth stalwart married to the golden voiced Victor Apap; the deceased Ġemma ‒ beautifully partnered in life and on the boards by the affable Paul Portelli are now survived only by their little sister, Connie, also an indefatigable actress married to Richard Azzopardi, who has left an indelible mark in the annals of the local radio-play, and serial, as a writer, actor and producer.
And when I think of the Schembri Sisters, besides the sweetest of reminiscences covering the whole gamut of that mad existence that we term theatre, the thing which immediately comes to mind is... food! Glorious food! You see, the acting profession has lots to do with waiting; waiting at rehearsals, waiting for make-up, waiting for cues... one literally spends hours of waiting in shoddy dressing rooms before it’s time to get on with it and pour out the adrenaline which had been brewing for ever. Which explains why some succumb to drink. Perhaps as an antidote the sweet sisters generously donated food to their fellow actors. As a young teenager I shall never forget Ġemma’s exquisite home-made bread filled with mouthwatering delicacies which was the next best thing to an enthusiastic curtain call.
To talk about popular theatre in Malta is to evoke immediately the image of the naturalist Ġemma. In my opinion she formed part of a fastly diminishing group of exceptional actors and comedians who have preserved and enhanced the art of theatrical clowning which requires multiple skills. From the moment she hit the stage, oftentimes in sketches partnered by her musically endowed husband Paul, Ġemma portrayed mimetic, acrobatic, musical and elocution qualities which remind one of the lazzi in the commedia dell’arte. This virtuosity contributed enormously in making Ġemma’s characters appear as ‘larger than life’.
She did more than make people laugh. Her “naughty girls in pigtails†along with her more mature Ġomas hinted at their being able to achieve the impossible. When faced with humiliation, they invariably manage to say the last word and emerge from each successive situation with all dignity. Despite their naïve or apparent ignorance the characters portrayed by Ġemma displayed such resilience that defied the laws of logic and always managed to survive and fight on another day. Ġemma also had the gift of improvisation which she played to perfection.
Many a time, during rehearsals, when the text was terrible and Ġemma intervened to turn it upside down and make something out of it, I watched her co-actors trying to contain themselves, hide their faces, before they burst out laughing out aloud. It must also be said that when Ġemma came across a solid text, a play which stood up by itself, she adopted de rigueur, an extreme accuracy. She did not deviate from it by a comma, a beat, a space, even a breath.
The nicest tribute ever made to this hearty all-Maltese comedienne came from none other than Sir Carol Reed, the famous British director. It was in the very early 1960s when the late Joe Zammit Cordina was formulating the Malta Talent Artistes. Ġemma and I, together with a couple of other actors, had successfully auditioned for this television episode.
Its two main actors, both deceased, were Kieren Moore and Roger Delgado. Ġemma was cast as a streetwise woman who accosts Moore while trying to seduce him. Seductively puffing on a cigarette Ġemma played her role to perfection, suffice it to say, that after just four takes it was in the can. On the morrow the shooting of a scene involving the director’s own daughter, Tracy Reed, could not get off the ground. Strong words were loudly spoken. And Ġemma’s professional presentation of the previous day came up in comparison; in a sort of a David and Goliath artistic tussle. (Never heard again of Tracy while her famous brother, Oliver, died in Valletta during the shooting of Gladiator).
As Ġemma joins the very small queue of Malta’s own cream of deceased comedians, like Johnny Navarro, Vitorin Galea, Nosi Ghirlando, Armando Urso, Josie Coppini and all those happy others I cannot help but bless ‒ and thank ‒ them all. For comedians are precious, in the way they manage to make the public not only to see itself on stage, but to participate and identify. Comedians are positive characters that make catharsis possible."
Mario Micallef
"The news of Ġemma’s death came unexpectedly. Although I had heard that she was not so well lately, I never expected her to die so suddenly. I’ve known Ġemma for a number of years, since the beginning of the 1970s, when I met her for the first time on Lino Grech’s teleserial F’Baħar Wieħed.
Later I had lots of opportunities to perform with her again, mainly on stage, especially when my company decided to stage F’Baħar Wieħed at the Catholic Institute.
Apart from her capabilities on stage, Ġemma was also a person who loved helping everybody, especially some ‘new’ actors. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work with her. She was always trying to bring a smile to others and make people laugh.
We’ve lost an actress; however, the wonderful memories will remain with us forever."
Lino Farrugia
"Ġemma Portelli ‒ a name not to forget, but to remember with tenderness and to remind others of and to respect. I met Ġemma some 42 years ago when I started the live Rediffusion morning programmes Ħobża u Sikkina and many others. She used to come every day and helped us make the programme interesting and different. I had just started my career and she always had an encouraging word, especially when I started directing. Despite being already a well-known name she accepted to do a small part in productions like Ir-Raħeb, the first play in Maltese for MADC, and Sitt Karattri Jfittxu Awtur for Atturi.
She accepted the monumental part of Ġoma in F’Baħar Wieħed, the first teleseries that Lino Grech and I initiated in the 1970s. Hers was a part not to be forgotten, with different characteristics constituting a rather complex character.
Ġoma was a hateful character that made people laugh, hate and admire. She epitomised all that is bad in the female gender and the male gender put together. At the same time she had to be kind and resourceful. And fun to watch. But the climax of the character was the scene in which Ġoma had to make everybody cry at the end of episode 13. Her husband Pinu had died and Ġemma had to create a tear-jerker scene. I remember, in those days it was a one take shot in the studios. If anything went wrong we had to start all over again. And we all know that such emotions are not easy to repeat. So I instructed everybody to stand by, gave the order to roll and started shooting. Ġemma had to decide herself when the scene started as she had to build the emotion. I just quietly said action, waited for a few seconds and all of a sudden we had on our screens one of the most genuine, tear-jerking scenes of the whole series. The cameramen had to concentrate as they all had tears in their eyes and the rest of the cast had to improvise as Ġemma started creating her own words which just fitted the character to perfection. Once finished I cried Cut, literally cried cut and went to hug her. That was Ġemma. As we say, Ġemma, we all say our goodbyes."
Pawlu Testa
"There is only one word to describe Ġemma – unique. She is irreplaceable. She was such a good actress, who could make you laugh and cry at one go. I was lucky to have worked with her on a number of productions which left their mark on Teatru Rjal.
It is no secret that the character of Karmena Abdilla, created by Charles Clews, drew the highest number of people to our theatres. Ġemma played this character for the first time for my company. She is the only one to have played the character in all three series – It-tieġ ta’ Karmena Abdilla (1994), Il-honeymoon ta’ Karmena Abdilla (1995) and Karmena Abdilla 10 snin wara t-tieġ (1996). Ġemma played other important roles for our company Teatru Rjal, namely in Is-Salib tal-fidda and Ġesù ta’ Nazareth.
The void which Ġemma left in our theatres has been felt for the last nine years, since she retired from the stage. However, we were lucky to see her in television productions, mainly in F’Baħar Wieħed.
Although she is no longer with us, Ġemma’s memory will live on forever. Producers and actors who have worked with her, have all been touched and marked in some way, because despite her problems she always managed to bring a smile to their faces."
Karmen Azzopardi
"We have lost a diamond. Ġemma was such a professional actress. She was not only a comedienne, as many might know and remember her. She excelled in a number of serious roles and even plays in English, where I had the opportunity to flank her.
Over the years we built a very strong friendship. During that year of filming F’Baħar Wieħed, I realised she was one great woman, who felt for everyone who was going through a bad patch.
I will definitely be missing a true, close friend."
Ineż Farrugia
"I was a lot younger than Ġemma. However, I was lucky enough to have the chance to work with her in F’Baħar Wieħed. I got on well with her and we hit it off immediately. She was such a character, bringing a smile to all of us, even when she was down and had her own personal problems.
When I met Ġemma I was fascinated with the way she used to study her scripts. To avoid wasting time, she used to record her lines, so that even while doing the housework, she would listen to her own recording over and over again, and learn her parts."
Mario Azzopardi
"Ġemma was an extremely versatile actress. She would handle with ease a typical, suburban Maltese woman, nagging her partner to death, as well as a character from the theatre of the absurd (I keep remembering her in The Tenant) or the lyrical scenario in Lorca. She was a natural."
Monica Attard
"It was with shock that I heard about the death of Ġemma because I knew that although she had been in poor health for quite some time, the energy with which she approached life was incredible. I remember that when I interviewed her for a radio programme a few years ago I was impressed by her zeal for life even at her ripe age. In fact, she was talking about publishing a book of stories for children. I got to know Ġemma loved writing, especially for children, and more often than not she even wrote her own sketches. In my opinion, and I’m sure those who knew her will agree, Ġemma was a true artist... not only a brilliant comedienne... her sense of timing was perfect... but she could also elicit a tear or two from audiences when playing serious parts and performing moving speeches.
I remember Ġemma being very active with the Girl Guides Movement and how can I forget those delicious ‘brownies’ she used to make and of which she was very proud…
I remember her during the filming of the second edition of F’Baħar Wieħed… eating the appetising sandwiches she would have prepared at home before swallowing her pills… wearing those small earphones to repeatedly hear her lines which she would have recorded before… improvising costumes… and making us laugh with her humorous anecdotes.
Ġemma was a remarkable theatre person in every sense of the word and one I shall always endearingly remember!"
Lino Grech
"I’ve known Ġemma, who came from a family of actors, since she was 16 years old. She was forever a happy girl and I saw her grow up and mature in the theatre world.
In 1976 I had asked her to take part in F’Baħar Wieħed, the first serial on Maltese television. Her character was loved by many viewers, and when it was time for the programme to be aired, they would say “Let’s go and watch Ġoma.†They did not refer to the series by its name. Her character stood out.
But her career did not stop there. She continued to grow and become even better. There were times when during rehearsals for a production, the cast used to have some arguments. But the next day Ġemma used to turn up with sweets she had baked herself and everyone ended up talking about how good they were instead of picking up where they had left the previous day.
That was Ġemma. She will be missed."
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