Bruno and Luisa di Marco | |||||||||
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Lissek as Bruno
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EastEnders character | |||||||||
Portrayed by |
Leon Lissek (Bruno) Stella Tanner (Luisa) |
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Duration | 1998 | ||||||||
First appearance | Episode 1568 29 January 1998 |
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Last appearance | Episode 1709 17 December 1998 (Bruno) Episode 1700 26 November 1998 (Luisa) |
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Introduced by | Jane Harris | ||||||||
Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||
Profile | |||||||||
Occupation | Retired | ||||||||
Stella Tanner as Luisa
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Sons | Giuseppe di Marco Franco di Marco |
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Grandsons |
Beppe di Marco Gianni di Marco Luca di Marco |
Granddaughters |
Teresa di Marco Nicky di Marco |
Other relatives | Joe di Marco |
Bruno and Luisa di Marco are fictional characters from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played respectively by Leon Lissek from 29 January to 17 December 1998 and Stella Tanner from 29 January to 26 November 1998. They were two of many characters to be axed by the executive producer of EastEnders, Matthew Robinson.
Luisa (b. 12 March 1929) and Bruno di Marco (b. 1 August 1927) first appear at the funeral of their son, Giuseppe. They had been doting parents to Giuseppe and are devastated by his death. They live with Giuseppe's wife, Rosa (Louise Jameson), and her family. They are very proud of their Italian ancestry but they actually know very little about their homeland, as they had been raised in London and lived there most of her life.
Bruno—like his father before him—had been the owner of an Italian restaurant in London's Soho, which he later gave to Giuseppe as a wedding present. The restaurant began to struggle financially, and when Giuseppe died in 1998, the di Marcos were forced to close it down. Giuseppe's friend George Palmer ( Paul Moriarty)—who had bailed the restaurant out of debt several times in the past—recruits the di Marcos to run his new Italian restaurant in Walford, which he names Giuseppe's. Bruno and Luisa's family refer to them as Nonno and Nonna, which is Italian for grandfather and grandmother.
Bruno is stricken with bronchitis due to years of heavy smoking, which means that he is unable to work or help out in the restaurant. He likes to drink, play cards and hold family meetings at his favourite table.
Luisa had always been active in the upbringing of her grandchildren. She is a traditionalist, and disapproved when her grandson's wife, Sandra (Clare Wilkie), opted to go back to work instead of staying at home to look after her son, Joe (Jake Kyprianou). When the di Marcos interference became too much, Sandra walked out, abandoning Joe. Luisa subsequently played a big part in her great grandson's upbringing.