Phyllis Brown
Gina Lollobrigida was a stunning Italian actress who captivated audiences in the 1950s and 1960s.
Starting with roles in Italy, such as La Bersagliera (Luigi Comencini’s Bread, Love, and Dreams) and Gemma Vagnuzzi (The Wayward Wife, 1953), she quickly became an international star.
She was dubbed “the most beautiful woman in the world” and rose to become one of the highest-paid actresses of her generation.
Gina Lollobrigida shining as a Hollywood star
Born in 1927, Gina was the second of four sisters in a poor working-class family in Subiaco, Italy. Aware of her striking beauty early on, she participated in beauty contests, most notably finishing as the second runner-up in Miss Italy 1947.
Gina began her acting career in 1945, initially playing minor roles. Her first major success came with the romantic comedy “Bread, Love, and Dreams” (1953). This film succeeded at the box office, earning Gina a BAFTA nomination and a Silver Ribbon award in Italy.
She continued to make her mark with films like “The Wayward Wife” (1953) and “Woman of Rome” (1954) and also starred in French films such as “Fearless Little Soldier” (1952), “Beauties of the Night” (1952), and “Le Grand Jeu” (1954).
Her first English-speaking role was in “Beat the Devil” (1953), where she played the wife of Humphrey Bogart’s character.
In 1961, she won the prestigious Golden Globe for her role in “Come September.” She was invited to announce the Best Director award at the Oscars.
Gina’s career peaked in the 1950s and 1960s with significant projects such as “Woman of Straw” (1964), “Strange Bedfellows” (1965), “Hotel Paradiso” (1966), and “The Private Navy of Sgt. O’Farrell” (1968).
Gina Lollobrigida as the Mona Lisa of the 20th century
Known for her talent and captivating looks, her sharp features and hourglass figure (91-56-89 cm at her peak) enchanted men and evoked envy in women. Dubbed the Mona Lisa of the 20th century, she was Hollywood’s number one sex symbol.
Gina Lollobrigida was frequently compared to Marilyn Monroe. Both were iconic beauties of the 1950s and 1960s, captivating audiences with their charm and talent.
While Marilyn Monroe was the quintessential American sex symbol, Lollobrigida represented the allure and elegance of Europe.
Humphrey Bogart once said, “She makes Marilyn Monroe look like Shirley Temple.” Even Rock Hudson, her co-star in Come September (1961) and Strange Bedfellows (1965), who would later come out as gay, was not immune to her sexual charms.
“I don’t think he was gay then — people can change,” she said. “When we did our love scenes, he was quite…normal. He liked me very much. I felt something . . . it was more than a kiss.”
At the height of her stardom, she landed in Argentina for a visit and was met by 60,000 fans, including the country’s dashing president, Juan Peron. In London, hotpants were sold with her name stitched across the back in sequins.
Meanwhile, her Italian compatriots named a new lettuce variety, the lollo rosso, after her signature curly updo. The newspaper Il Messaggero described her as “opulent, carnal, bewitching, earthy, vital, vibrant, elegant, imperial, an ambassadress of Italian glamour to the world.”
Career transition and final years of Gina Lollobrigida
By the 1970s, her film career began to fade, but her status in the industry remained intact.
She was invited to serve as a judge at the 8th Moscow International Film Festival (1973) and the 36th Berlin International Film Festival (1986). She also took on television roles, earning a Golden Globe nomination for “Falcon Crest.”
Gina continually reinvented herself, transitioning into sculpture, politics, photography, and journalism. In 1974, she secured an exclusive interview with Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid tribute to Lollobrigida: “Farewell to a diva of the silver screen, protagonist of more than half a century of Italian cinema history. Her charm will remain eternal.”
Photos of the 50s and 60s beauty icon
1. Lollobrigida in the 1950s
2. Lollobrigida wearing an evening dress, photographed in 1952 for a feature in Picture Post entitled Stars Bring Fashions From Italy
3. Gina Lollobrigida as La Bersagliera in Pane, Amore e Fantasia (Bread, Love and Dreams), directed by Luigi Comencini, 1953
4. Lollobrigida with actors Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre along a street in Ravello, Italy in 1953, during a break from filming
5. Gina pictured with her husband Milko Škofič in 1953.
6. Gina Lollobrigida in publicity portrait for the film ‘Woman Of Rome’, 1954
7. Gina Lollobrigida photographed by Edward Quinn at Cannes Film Festival, 1954
8. Portrait of Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida with short curly hair, wearing an embroidered dress, Venice, 1954
9. Sophia Loren, left, Yvonne de Carlo, centre, and Lollobrigida at the Ball of Stars at the Berlin film festival in 1954
10. A wardrobe assistant helping Gina Lollobrigida get into her corset in 1954
11. Gina Lollobrigida at Her Villa Near Rome, Italy, 1956
12. Gina Lollobrigida in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1956), directed by Jean Delannoy
13. Gina starred in Trapeze in 1956
14. With Burt Lancaster, left, and Tony Curtis in Trapeze (1956), directed by Carol Reed
15. Gina Lollobrigida in 1958
16. German actor Horst Buchholz with Gina Lollobrigida, during the International Film Festival (Berlinale) in Berlin, Germany, July 5, 1958
17. Gina Lollobrigida in King Vidor’s Solomon and Sheba, 1959
18. Gina Lollobrigida and Yul Brynner, 1959
19. Frank Sinatra and Gina Lollobrigida in a still from “Never So Few,” 1959 
20. Gina Lollobrigida in Go Naked in the World (1961, MGM)
21. Gina Lollobrigida and American actor Rock Hudson at the studio party in 1965
22. Gina Lollabrigida gets her jewels back at Beverly Hills Hotel, 1965 
23. Pictured with Alec Guinness in Hotel Paradiso, 1966
24. Gina Lollobrigida on set of La morte ha fatto l’uovo, 1968
25. Gina Lollobrigida and Ludmilla Cherina at Venice Film Festival in August 1971
