Gina Lollobrigida

Luigia "Gina" Lollobrigida (4 July 1927 – 16 January 2023) was an Italian actress, model, photojournalist, and sculptor. She was one of the highest-profile European actresses of the 1950s and 1960s, a period in which she was an international sex symbol and was dubbed "the most beautiful woman in the world". Nicknamed "" in her country after her famed role in Bread, Love and Dreams as well as her combative character, at the time of her death she was among the last surviving high-profile international actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.

As her film career slowed, Lollobrigida established a second career as a photojournalist. In the 1970s she achieved a scoop by gaining access to Fidel Castro for an exclusive interview.

Lollobrigida continued as an active supporter of Italian and Italian-American causes, particularly the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF). In 2008 she received the NIAF Lifetime Achievement Award at the Foundation's Anniversary Gala. In 2013, she sold her jewellery collection and donated the nearly US$5 million from the sale to benefit stem-cell therapy research. She won the Henrietta Award at the 18th Golden Globe Awards.

Youth Luigia Lollobrigida was born in Subiaco, Lazio, about from Rome, the daughter of a furniture maker and his wife. She had three sisters: Giuliana, Maria and Fernanda. After the end of World War II in 1945, the family moved to Rome, where Lollobrigida took singing lessons, did some modelling, and participated in several beauty contests, placing third in the 1947 Miss Italy contest.

Acting career In 1945 at age 18, Lollobrigida played a part in the comedy Na Santarella by Eduardo Scarpetta at the Teatro della Concordia of Monte Castello di Vibio, the smallest theatre all'italiana in the world.

Film

In 1946, she began appearing in Italian films in minor roles.

Her performance in the Italian romantic comedy Bread, Love and Dreams (Pane, amore e fantasia, 1953) led to its becoming a box-office success In this film she played the wife of Humphrey Bogart, with Jennifer Jones and Robert Morley as her costars. She then took part in the Italian-American production Crossed Swords (1954), co-starring with Errol Flynn. Her performance in The World's Most Beautiful Woman (also known as Beautiful But Dangerous, 1955) led to her receiving the first David di Donatello Award for Best Actress. She played the principal female lead in the circus drama Trapeze (1956)

She attended the 1961 Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Bob Hope, delivering the Academy Award for Best Director to Billy Wilder for the film The Apartment.

Jean Delannoy then directed her again, this time in Venere Imperiale (1962). She co-starred with Stephen Boyd and again received the Nastro d'Argento and David di Donatello awards. She co-starred with Sean Connery in the thriller Woman of Straw (1964), with Rock Hudson again in Strange Bedfellows (1965), and appeared with Alec Guinness in Hotel Paradiso (1966).

Lollobrigida starred in Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (1968) with Shelley Winters, Phil Silvers, Peter Lawford, and Telly Savalas. For this role, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and won a third David di Donatello award. Lollobrigida co-starred with Bob Hope in the comedy The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell (1968) and also accompanied Hope on his visits to military troops overseas. Five Branded Women (1960), directed by Martin Ritt (the leading role went to Silvana Mangano); and The Lady Without Camelias (1953), directed by Michelangelo Antonioni (the leading role went to Lucia Bosè). She later revealed regret for having refused a supporting role in La Dolce Vita (1960). The film's director, Federico Fellini, wanted to cast her in the film but, she explained, proposed projects were arriving too often at the time and her husband accidentally misplaced the script.

By the 1970s, her film career had slowed down, and she began focusing on photography. She appeared in King, Queen, Knave (1972), co-starring with David Niven. In 1973, she was a member of the jury at the 8th Moscow International Film Festival.

Television

In the mid-1980s, she guest starred in a multi-episode arc on the television series Falcon Crest as Francesca Gioberti, a role originally written for Sophia Loren, who had turned it down. For the role, she received a third Golden Globe nomination. She also had a supporting role in the 1985 television miniseries Deceptions, co-starring with Stefanie Powers. The following year, she appeared as a guest star in the TV series The Love Boat.

Judging In 1986, she was invited to head the jury at the 36th Berlin International Film Festival, which awarded the Golden Bear to Reinhard Hauff's film Stammheim. She said the majority decision was "prefabricated", and opposed it. In 1997 she was in the jury at Film Fest Gent and similarly distanced herself from the Grand Prix winner The Witman Boys, which she deemed 'immoral'.

Photojournalism By the end of the 1970s, Lollobrigida had embarked on what she developed into a successful second career as a photographic journalist. She photographed, among others, Paul Newman, Salvador Dalí, Henry Kissinger, David Cassidy, Audrey Hepburn, Ella Fitzgerald, and the Germany national football team. In 1974 she obtained an exclusive interview with Fidel Castro. Between 1972 and 1994 she published six collections of her photographs, including the 1973 title Italia Mia.

Politics In 1999, Lollobrigida unsuccessfully ran for election to the European Parliament as a candidate for The Democrats, a party led by Romano Prodi. In 2020, she publicly endorsed Pope Francis' views on LGBT rights. In the 2022 Italian general election, Lollobrigida, at the age of 95, attempted to win a seat in the Senate of the Republic, by standing for election as candidate for the Sovereign and Popular Italy (ISP), a newly founded Eurosceptic alliance opposed to Mario Draghi, in Latina, Lazio. She was unsuccessful, as the party garnered only 1% of the constituency vote, below the 3% electoral threshold. Škofič gave up the practice of medicine to become her manager. In 1960, Lollobrigida moved from her native Italy to Toronto, with Škofič and their son. The couple meant to solve the legal situation of their son who was considered stateless by the Italian bureaucracy. The couple divorced in 1971.

In October 2006, aged 79, she announced to Spain's ¡Hola! magazine her engagement to a 45-year-old Spanish businessman, Javier Rigau y Rafols They had met at a party in Monte Carlo in 1984 and had since become companions. The engagement was called off on 6 December 2006, reportedly because of the strain of intense media interest.

In 2006, Lollobrigida and Rigau signed a prenuptial agreement and married in Spain. In January 2013, she started legal action against Rigau, claiming that her ex-partner had staged a secret ceremony in which he "married" an imposter pretending to be her at a registry office in Barcelona. She said he intended to lay claim to her estate after her death. Lollobrigida accused Rigau of fraud, saying that he had earlier obtained the legal right to act on her behalf with a power of attorney, and carried out the plot to get extra power. "A while ago he convinced me to give him my power of attorney. He needed it for some legal affairs. But instead, I fear that he took advantage of the fact that I don't understand Spanish ... Who knows what he had me sign." In March 2017, she lost her court action, but subsequently said that she would appeal.

Lollobrigida had a habit of referring to herself in the third person.

Lollobrigida retired from filming in 1997. She told PARADE in April 2000: "I studied painting and sculpting at school and became an actress by mistake ... I've had many lovers and still have romances. I am very spoiled. All my life, I've had too many admirers." After retirement she divided her time between her house on Via Appia Antica in Rome and a villa in Monte Carlo. After 2009, she refused visitors to her home.

At the end of the 2010s, Andrea Piazzolla became Lollobrigida's main collaborator, general director and trustee of some Monegasque real estate and financial societies. In July 2020 he was charged for circumvention of an incapable person.

In 2021, the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation, at the request of her son, ruled that Lollobrigida should have a legal guardian appointed to manage her affairs and prevent predation. Although the court determined she was mentally capable, medical evidence had indicated that there was "a weakening in her correct perception of reality" and that she was in a state of "vulnerability".

Lollobrigida died aged 95, at a clinic in Rome on 16 January 2023. She was buried in her birthplace, Subiaco, Lazio.

The lawyer and politician, and current Minister of Agriculture of Italy, Francesco Lollobrigida, is her great-nephew.

In 2022, sports media noted that Olympic speed skating gold medalist Francesca Lollobrigida is her great-niece, and the two had met.

In November 2023, Andrea Piazzolla, who in 2009 aged 21 had begun working for Lollobrigida as a factotum, was convicted of embezzling Lollobrigida's millions. Piazzolla was jailed for three years.

Awards and nominations Lollobrigida won three David di Donatello, two Nastro d'Argento, and six Bambi awards. She was nominated three times for the Golden Globe and won once in 1961 as World Film Favorite– Female. She was nominated once for a BAFTA award.

In 1985, she was nominated as an officer of France's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by Jack Lang, for her achievements in photography and sculpture.

In 1987 she was appointed a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

Lollobrigida was awarded the Légion d'honneur by François Mitterrand.

On 16 October 1999, Lollobrigida was nominated as a Goodwill Ambassador of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

On 1 February 2018, Lollobrigida received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Books Italia mia (1973) – a collection of photographs across Italy The Philippines (1976) – a collection of photographs across the Philippines Wonder of Innocence (1994) – a book of photographs Sculptures (2003) Gina Lollobrigida Photographer (2009) – a book of her photography Gina Lollobrigida "Vissi D'Arte" (2008) – a book of her sculptures and some of her drawings and paintings

Filmography Sources:

Film

Year Film Role Notes 1946 Lucia di Lammermoor This Wine of Love Black EagleGirl at party 1947 When Love Calls Pagliacci Nedda Flesh Will SurrenderDancer A Man About the House Young girl 1948 Mad About Opera Dora 1949 Alarm Bells Agostina The Bride Can't WaitDonata Venturi The White Line Donata Sebastian 1950 A Dog's Life Rita Buton My Beautiful Daughter Lisetta Minneci Alina Alina 1951 A Tale of Five Cities Maria Severini The Young CarusoStellaFour Ways OutDaniela Love I Haven't... But... ButGina Attention! Bandits! Anna 1952 Wife For a Night (Moglie per una notte) Ottavia Times Gone By Mariantonia Desiderio Fanfan la Tulipe Adeline La Franchise Beauties of the Night Leila, Cashier 1953 The Wayward Wife Gemma Vagnuzzi Bread, Love and Dreams Maria De Ritis Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Foreign ActressNastro d'Argento for Best Actress The Unfaithfuls Lulla Possenti Beat the Devil Maria Dannreuther USA-UK-Italy Boum sur ParisHerself 1954 Woman of Rome Adriana Bread, Love and Jealousy Maria De Ritis Crossed Swords Francesca Le Grand Jeu Sylvia Sorrego, Helena Ricci 1955 Beautiful but Dangerous Lina Cavalieri David di Donatello for Best Actress 1956 Trapeze Lola The Hunchback of Notre Dame Esmeralda 1958 Anna of Brooklyn Anna 1959 The Law Marietta Never So Few Carla Vesari Solomon and Sheba Queen of Sheba 1961 Go Naked in the World Giulietta Cameron Come September Lisa Helena Fellini Golden Globe Henrietta Award, World Film Favorite – Female 1962 Lykke og krone (documentary) La bellezza di Ippolita Ippolita 1963 Imperial Venus Paulette Bonaparte David di Donatello for Best ActressNastro d'Argento for Best Actress Mad Sea Margherita 1964 Woman of Straw Maria Marcello 1965 Me, Me, Me... and the Others Titta Le Bambole (The Dolls) Beatrice Strange Bedfellows Toni Vincente The Love Goddesses (documentary) 1966 Pleasant Nights Domicilla The Sultans Liza Bortoli Hotel Paradiso Marcelle Cotte 1967 Cervantes Giulia Toffolo 1968 Stuntman Evelyne Lake Death Laid an Egg Anna The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell Maria Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell Carla Campbell Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyDavid di Donatello for Best Actress 1969 That Splendid November Cettina 1971 Bad Man's River Alicia King 1972 King, Queen, Knave Martha Dreyer 1969 Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Herself (2 episodes) 1972 The Adventures of Pinocchio Fairy with Turquoise Hair 1984 Falcon Crest Francesca Gioberti 5 episodesNominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film 1985 Deceptions Princess Alessandra Mini-series 1986 The Love Boat Carla Lucci Season 9, "The Christmas Cruise" 1988Woman of Rome Adriana's mother 3 episodes, television remake 1996 Una donna in fuga Eleonora Riboldi TV movie