Gina Lollobrigida Biography: The Life and Legacy of the Italian Cinema Diva

Born on July 4, 1927, Luigina Lollobrigida became one of the biggest sex symbols of the 1950s. She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome and worked as a model while waiting for her break in cinema. She placed third in the Miss Italy beauty pageant.

Her film career began with small roles in post-war Italian movies. Gina married Dr. Milko Škofič in 1949, who later became her manager. Their son, Milko Jr., was born in 1957.

Among her early successes were Campane a Martello (1949), directed by Luigi Zampa, and Achtung! Banditi! (1951), directed by Carlo Lizzani.

Known as “La Lollo,” she often played sensual roles and was famously called “the most beautiful woman in the world.” She portrayed the opera singer Lina Cavalieri in Beautiful But Dangerous (Italian: La donna più bella del mondo, 1955).

Gina acted alongside legendary stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Vittorio Gassman, Anthony Quinn, and Rock Hudson, and worked with acclaimed directors including John Huston. She won a Golden Globe Award in 1961.

The actress divorced in 1971 and announced her marriage in 2006 to Spanish businessman Javier Rigau y Rafols, whom she had been with since 1984. Their age difference is 34 years. Gina Lollobrigida is now retired from the screen.

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Carla Marinho Leal

Writer, traveler and above all, curious about many subjects. She has studied cinema since 2002 and is a Specialist in Cinematographic Studies from UNICAP. Founder of the blog Purviance and the website Cinemaclássico. She loves Charles Chaplin, Raj Kapoor and constantly browses films from all over the world.

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