Who was Gina Lollobrigida? Italian actress, photojournalist and a politician; know about her eventful life
Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida
The Italian veteran actress and legend Gina Lollobrigida passed away at the age of 95 on 16 January. She was one of the biggest stars of European cinema in the 1950s and 1960s which was called the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. The news of her passing away was confirmed by her family members and her grandnephew, Francesco Lollobrigida, who is also the Italian Minister of Agriculture. He tweeted news of her death and wrote, "one of the brightest stars of Italian cinematography and culture" has passed away.
Often times Gina Lollobrigida was described as "the most beautiful woman in the world". Let's know a bit more about her life and career:
Who was Gina Lollobrigida?
The full name of the Italian actress was Luigia "Gina" Lollobrigida. She was not just an actress but was also a photojournalist and a politician. She was one of the highest-paid actresses of her time in the industry and was one of the last living high-profile international actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.
Lollobrigida began a second career as a photojournalist after her film career slowed down.In the 1970s, she broke a story by obtaining an exclusive interview with Fidel Castro.
And not just this, she was also an active supporter of Italian and Italian-American causes particularly associating herself with the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF). For this service, she was also awarded the NIAF Lifetime Achievement Award at the Foundation's Anniversary Gala.
She was also interested in science and technology and always supported the cause with her own approach. In 2013, she sold her jewellery collection and donated nearly $5 million from that sale to benefit stem-cell therapy research.
Early life- Luigia Lollobrigida was born in Subiaco, Lazio and wasthe daughter of a furniture manufacturer. She had three sisters,Giuliana, Maria, and Fernanda. Lollobrigida did some modelling and won several beauty pageants when she was younger. She began appearing in minor roles in Italian films around this time.
At the age of 18, Lollobrigida performed in Eduardo Scarpetta's comedy Santarellina at Monte Castello di Vibio's Teatro Della Concordia.
A career in acting and cinema of Gina Lollobrigida
Howard Hughes signed Lollobrigida to a preliminary seven-year contract to make three films per year in 1950. She refused the contract's final terms, preferring to stay in Europe, and Hughes fired her. The dispute prevented her from working in American films shot in the United States until 1959, but not in American productions shot in Europe, despite Hughes' frequent threats to sue the producers.
Her performance in Bread, Love, and Dreams (Pane, Amore e fantasia, 1953) led to the film's box-office success and a BAFTA nomination for her. She also received a Nastro d'Argento award from the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists for her performance in the film. Lollobrigida made appearances in The Wayward Wife (1953) and Woman of Rome (1954), and these were her most famous Italian films of all time.
Beat the Devil (1953) washer first widely-seen English-language film which was shot in Italy and directed by John Huston.
Her film career had slowed by the 1970s. She co-starred with David Niven in King, Queen, and Knave (1972), and she appeared in a few other underappreciated productions in the early part of the decade. She served on the jury of the 8th Moscow International Film Festival in 1973.
A second successful career as a photojournalist
By the end of the 1970s, Lollobrigida had established a successful second career as a photographic journalist. She shot Paul Newman, Salvador Dal, Henry Kissinger, David Cassidy, Audrey Hepburn, Ella Fitzgerald, and the German national football team, among others.
She even got an exclusive interview with Fidel Castro, the Communist Cuban leader. Italia Mia, a collection of her works, was published in 1973.
Political career and aspirations of Gina Lollobrigida
Lollobrigida ran unsuccessfully for the European Parliament in 1999 as a candidate for The Democrats, a party led by Romano Prodi. She publicly supported Pope Francis' position on LGBTQ+ rights in 2020. Lollobrigida attempted to win a seat in the Senate of the Republic in the 2022 Italian general election as a candidate for the Sovereign and Popular Italy (ISP), a newly formed Eurosceptic alliance opposed to Mario Draghi, in Latina, Lazio.
She was defeated because her party received only 1 per cent of the vote in the constituency. Lollobrigida stated in an interview prior to the election that Mahatma Gandhi's "way of doing things" inspired her. She also claimed to have known Indira Gandhi.