Italian film legend Gina Lollobrigida dies at 95

Rome – Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida became an international star in the 1950s and was dubbed “the most beautiful woman in the world” by the title of one of her films, her agent said, She died in Rome on Monday. She is 95 years old.

Broker Paola Comin did not provide details. But Lollobrigida underwent surgery in September to repair a femur fractured in a fall. She returned home and said she was walking quickly again.

In 1954, Time magazine published a portrait of the heroine, which compared her to a “goddess” in an article about Italian filmmaking. More than half a century later, Lollobrigida still commands attention with her curly auburn hair and her statuesque figure.

Lollo, as Italians affectionately call her, started making films in Italy just after World War II, when the country began promoting the brunette stereotype of Mediterranean beauty on the big screen.

In addition to “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World” in 1955, career highlights include “Come September,” which won a Golden Globe with Rock Hudson; · Huston’s film, starring Humphrey Bogart and Jennifer Jones; Bonasera, Mrs. Campbell, 1969, which won the Italian Lollobrigida Film Award for Best Actress.

In Italy, she worked with some of the country’s top directors after the war, including Mario Monicelli, Luigi Commencini, Pietro Germi and Vittorio De Sica .

Two of her domestically popular films were Comencini’s “Pane Amore Fantasia” in 1953 and its sequel “Pane Amore Gelosia” a year later. In each film, her male counterpart is Vittorio Gassman, one of the most powerful men on the Italian screen.

Lollobrigida started her career in beauty pageants, posing for magazine covers and making brief appearances in small films. But her sexy image soon propelled her to roles in major Italian and international films.

Although Lollobrigida played some dramatic roles, her roles were most popular in light-hearted comedies, such as the “Bread in Love” movies.

Lollobrigida was also an accomplished sculptor, painter, and photographer, eventually largely abandoning film art. She roamed the world with her camera, from what was then the Soviet Union to Australia.

In 1974, Fidel Castro was a guest in Cuba and hosted her for 12 days while she was shooting photojournalism.

She was born in the picturesque hill town of Subiaco, near Rome, on July 4, 1927, the son of a furniture maker.