GINA LOLLOBRIGIDA
Name: Gina Lollobrigida
Birth name: Luigina Lollobrigida
Born: 4 July 1927 Subiaco, Italy
Gina Lollobrigida (born July 4, 1927 in Subiaco, Italy), is a Golden Globe Award-winning
Italian actress and photojournalist.
Born Luigina Lollobrigida, she was one of four daughters of a furniture
manufacturer (her sisters are Giuliana, Maria and Fernanda). She spent her youth
in a picturesque mountain village. In her youth, Gina did some modeling, and
from there she went to participate successfully in several beauty contests. At
around this time, she began appearing in Italian language films. In 1947, Gina
entered the Miss Italy pageant and came in 3rd place.
Her appearance in Italian films brought her to the attention of Hollywood and
she made her first American film, Beat the Devil, in 1953. As her popularity
increased, Lollobrigida earned the nickname The World's Most Beautiful Woman
after her signature 1955 movie.
She made another notable appearance in Trapeze with Burt Lancaster in 1956 and
starred in The Hunchback of Notre Dame the same year. In 1959 she co-starred
with Frank Sinatra in Never So Few and with Yul Brynner in Solomon and Sheba.
The latter was notable for having Brynner replace Tyrone Power (who died during
filming), for being the last film directed by King Vidor, and for an orgy scene
extremely licentious for Hollywood motion pictures of that era.
In 1961 she made one of her most popular films, Come September, with Rock Hudson,
for which she won the Golden Globe as "World Film Favorite." She co-starred with
him again in 1965's Strange Bedfellows and appeared alongside Alec Guinness in
1966's Hotel Paradiso. In 1968 she starred in the enjoyable Buona Sera, Mrs.
Campbell with Shelley Winters, Phil Silvers, and Telly Savalas. For this role
she was nominated for a Golden Globe.
Lollobrigida co-starred with Bob Hope in the comedy "The Private Life of Sgt. O'Farrell"
and also accompanied Hope on his visits to military troops overseas.
By the 1970s her film career had wound down. She appeared in only a few poorly
received productions in the early part of the decade.
In 1986, she was the head of jury at the Berlin International Film Festival. She
made a few minor film appearances in the 1990s.
By the end of the 1970s she had embarked on what turned out to be a successful
career as a photographic journalist. She photographed, among others, Paul Newman,
Salvador Dalí and the German national football team and scooped the world's
press by obtaining an exclusive interview with Fidel Castro. In 1973 a
collection of her work was published, Italia Mia.
She has focused on other interests such as sculpting and it was 1984 before she
returned to American television screens with a part in Falcon Crest. She was
also a corporate executive for fashion and cosmetics companies.
In 1999 she ran unsuccessfully for one of Italy's 87 seats in the elections for
European Parliament with the center-left party The Democrats.
Name: Gina Lollobrigida
Birth name: Luigina Lollobrigida
Born: 4 July 1927 Subiaco, Italy
Gina Lollobrigida (born July 4, 1927 in Subiaco, Italy), is a Golden Globe Award-winning
Italian actress and photojournalist.
Born Luigina Lollobrigida, she was one of four daughters of a furniture
manufacturer (her sisters are Giuliana, Maria and Fernanda). She spent her youth
in a picturesque mountain village. In her youth, Gina did some modeling, and
from there she went to participate successfully in several beauty contests. At
around this time, she began appearing in Italian language films. In 1947, Gina
entered the Miss Italy pageant and came in 3rd place.
Her appearance in Italian films brought her to the attention of Hollywood and
she made her first American film, Beat the Devil, in 1953. As her popularity
increased, Lollobrigida earned the nickname The World's Most Beautiful Woman
after her signature 1955 movie.
She made another notable appearance in Trapeze with Burt Lancaster in 1956 and
starred in The Hunchback of Notre Dame the same year. In 1959 she co-starred
with Frank Sinatra in Never So Few and with Yul Brynner in Solomon and Sheba.
The latter was notable for having Brynner replace Tyrone Power (who died during
filming), for being the last film directed by King Vidor, and for an orgy scene
extremely licentious for Hollywood motion pictures of that era.
In 1961 she made one of her most popular films, Come September, with Rock Hudson,
for which she won the Golden Globe as "World Film Favorite." She co-starred with
him again in 1965's Strange Bedfellows and appeared alongside Alec Guinness in
1966's Hotel Paradiso. In 1968 she starred in the enjoyable Buona Sera, Mrs.
Campbell with Shelley Winters, Phil Silvers, and Telly Savalas. For this role
she was nominated for a Golden Globe.
Lollobrigida co-starred with Bob Hope in the comedy "The Private Life of Sgt. O'Farrell"
and also accompanied Hope on his visits to military troops overseas.
By the 1970s her film career had wound down. She appeared in only a few poorly
received productions in the early part of the decade.
In 1986, she was the head of jury at the Berlin International Film Festival. She
made a few minor film appearances in the 1990s.
By the end of the 1970s she had embarked on what turned out to be a successful
career as a photographic journalist. She photographed, among others, Paul Newman,
Salvador Dalí and the German national football team and scooped the world's
press by obtaining an exclusive interview with Fidel Castro. In 1973 a
collection of her work was published, Italia Mia.
She has focused on other interests such as sculpting and it was 1984 before she
returned to American television screens with a part in Falcon Crest. She was
also a corporate executive for fashion and cosmetics companies.
In 1999 she ran unsuccessfully for one of Italy's 87 seats in the elections for
European Parliament with the center-left party The Democrats.