Gina Lollobrigida

Gina Lollobrigida was born on July 4, 1927, in Subiaco, Italy. Her surname may have been influenced by St. Brigid, and she was the daughter of a furniture manufacturer who grew up in a picturesque mountain village. As a young woman, she pursued modeling and participated in several beauty contests. In 1947, she competed in the Miss Italy pageant, where she placed third. The winner was Lucia Bosè (born 1931), who later appeared in over 50 films, and the first runner-up was Gianna Maria Canale (born 1927), who appeared in nearly 50 films. After appearing in a handful of Italian films, it was rumored in 1947 that film tycoon Howard Hughes had her flown to Hollywood, but she returned to Italy after a short stay. Her Hollywood breakthrough came six years later in John Huston’s *Beat the Devil* (1953).

Back in Italy, Gina married Milko Skofic, a Slovenian (then Yugoslavian) doctor, in 1949. They had a son, Milko Skofic Jr., and remained married for 22 years until their divorce in 1971. As her film career and national popularity grew, she became known as "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World," a title associated with her 1955 film *Beautiful But Dangerous*. She was also nicknamed "La Lollo," representing the ideal of Italian beauty. Her distinctive look, including a short, curly "tossed salad" hairstyle, became influential; a type of curly lettuce was even named "Lollo" in her honor. Her 1961 film *Come September*, co-starring Rock Hudson, won the Golden Globe Award for World’s Film Favorite.

In the 1970s, Gina appeared in only a few films, as she shifted her focus to photography. Among her subjects were Paul Newman, Salvador Dalí, and the German national soccer team. She published a collection of her work titled *Italia Mia* in 1973. Engaged in sculpting and photography, she made a return to American television in 1984 with a role in *Falcon Crest* (1981). Though always active, she appeared in only a few films in the 1990s and retired from acting in 1997 after a 50-year career in the motion picture industry. In June 1999, she ran unsuccessfully for one of Italy’s 87 European Parliament seats from her hometown of Subiaco. She also held executive positions in fashion and cosmetics companies. In an April 2000 interview with *Parade* magazine, she said: "I studied painting and sculpting at school and became an actress by mistake." She added: "I've had many lovers and still have romances. I am very spoiled. All my life, I've had too many admirers."