Adorable Story #139: Gina Lollobrigida
Bigger than La Dolce Vita
“She makes Marilyn Monroe look like Shirley Temple.”
— Humphrey Bogart
Few stars have embodied the golden age of European cinema like Gina “La Lollo” Lollobrigida.
Born in Italy between the two World Wars, crowned the “World’s Most Beautiful Woman,” and reborn countless times as an actress, photographer, sculptor, and even political candidate, Gina never once faded quietly into history.
Table of Contents: A Star is Born / A Beauty with Brains and Backbone / Hollywood Calls / Success / A Magical Decade Starts / The Artist Beyond the Camera / Meeting Fidel / Personal Life / Later Years / Did you know?
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A Star is Born
Luigina Lollobrigida was born on July 4th, 1927, in Subiaco, Italy, a medieval hill town about 70 kilometers east of Rome.
Her father, Giovanni Lollobrigida, was a talented furniture maker, and her mother, Giuseppina Mercuri, kept their household spirited and close-knit despite economic hardship after WWI.
Gina had three sisters: Giuliana, Maria, and Fernanda.
The family relocated from Subiaco to Rome when Gina was a teenager, seeking better opportunities.
Already as a teenager, Gina’s striking features began to attract attention, though she initially shrugged off the idea of a career in film or theatre.
