Gina Lollobrigida, Italian screen legend and sex symbol, passes away aged 95

Italian actress and photojournalist Gina Lollobrigida passed away on Monday at the age of 95. The screen legend was, at the time of her death, one of the last high-profile stars from the so-called Golden Age of Hollywood. Lollobrigida had a long and successful career in Hollywood and Europe, appearing in a number of hits and winning several awards.

A Reuters report quoted her former lawyer Giulia Citani as saying that ‘La Lollo’, as she was affectionately known in Italy, died in a Rome clinic. “Farewell to a diva of the big screen, protagonist of more than half a century of the Italian film history. Her charm will remain immortal. Ciao Lollo,” Italian culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano tweeted on Monday evening.

Lollobrigida was born in 1927 in Italy’s Subiaco. After finishing third in the 1947 Miss Italy, she embarked on an acting career. After appearing in a number of Italian films, she made her mark in Hollywood in the 1950s. Over the next two decades, she was one of the highest-profile actresses from Europe, starring opposite the biggest stars of the age, including Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra, Yul Brynner, Burt Lancaster, Sean Conner, and David Niven among others. She was widely regarded as one of the biggest international sex symbols at the peak of her career.

She was nominated for Golden Globes thrice, winning once in 1961. After her acting career declined in the 1970s, Lollobrigida turned to photojournalism and carved out a successful career in the field. She managed a coup of sorts in the 70s when she managed to obtain an exclusive interview with Fidel Castro, leader of Communist Cuba, at the height of the Cold War.

After retiring from acting in 1997, Lollobrigida also tried her hand at politics. In 1999, she ran for a seat in the European Parliament but lost. In 2022, at the age of 95, she contested an election for the Italian Senate but could secure only 1% of the vote.