Italian film icon Gina Lollobrigida dies at 95
One of the last icons of the Golden Age of Hollywood, who was famed for her biting wit and beauty, was dubbed as Italy's answer to America's Elizabeth Taylor.
Lollobrigida also served as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and its Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida, who came to represent Italy's vibrant rebirth after World War Two, has died aged 95.
"La Lollo," as she is affectionately known in Italy, died in a Rome clinic, her former lawyer Giulia Citani said on Monday.
After a humble upbringing, Lollobrigida played opposite Hollywood stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Rock Hudson, Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis and Frank Sinatra, becoming one of the most recognisable cinema icons of the 1950s and 60s.
Bringing much-needed glamour and pizzazz to the post-war period, she stirred hearts whether as an onscreen gipsy, queen or single mother.
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Lollobrigida for decades embodied the Italian stereotype of Mediterranean beauty and was dubbed “the most beautiful woman in the world” after the title of one her movies.
Bogart, who she starred opposite in her breakthrough movie "Beat the Devil" in 1953, said Lollobrigida made "Marilyn Monroe look like Shirley Temple."
She is best known for Luigi Comencini's 1953 classic "Bread, Love and Dreams", and Jean Delannoy's 1956 "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".
Lollobrigida became a photographer and sculptor after stepping away from the movie world.
Last September, she failed in a bid to win a seat in the Italian parliament for a leftist political party at national elections.
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Bogart, who she starred opposite in her breakthrough movie "Beat the Devil" in 1953, said Lollobrigida made "Marilyn Monroe look like Shirley Temple."
'Accidental' entry into acting
Luigia "Gina" Lollobrigida was born on July 4, 1927, in Subiaco, a mountain village 50 kilometres east of Rome.
She began to study sculpture after her family moved to the capital, supporting herself by singing and modelling before attracting the attention of Italian film producers.
She said her entry into acting was an accident.
"I refused when they offered me my first role. They insisted again... So I told them my price was one million lire, thinking that would put a stop to the whole thing. But they said yes!" she told Vanity Fair.
Lollobrigida won many awards during her career, including seven of Italy's Oscar equivalent David di Donatello.
Italians then dubbed her their answer to Elizabeth Taylor after her signature movie "La Donna Piu Bella del Mondo" ("The Most Beautiful Woman in the World") in 1955.
She also had an infamous long-standing rivalry with fellow Italian diva Sophia Loren.
Lollobrigida won seven David di Donatello awards during her career, Italy's Oscar equivalent.
But by the 1970s she had turned from acting to sculpture and photojournalism, including getting a scoop interview and photo shoot with Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
She travelled the world, snapping celebrities from Henry Kissinger to Indira Gandhi, Maria Callas, Liza Minnelli, Salvador Dali, Audrey Hepburn and Ella Fitzgerald.
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