Date of Birth
4 July 1927, Subiaco, Lazio, Italy
Birth Name
Luigina Lollobrigida
Nickname
The Mona Lisa of the Twentieth Century
La Lollo
Height
5' 5" (1.65 m)
Mini Biography
Gina Lollobrigida was born in Subiaco, Italy. Gina, destined to be called "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World", possibly had St. Brigid as part of her surname. She was the daughter of a furniture manufacturer, and grew up in the pictorial mountain village. The young Gina did some modeling and, from there, went on to participate successfully in several beauty contests. In 1947, she entered a beauty competition for Miss Italy, but came in third. The winner was Lucia Bosé (born 1931), who would go on to appear in over 50 movies, and the first runner-up was Gianna Maria Canale (born 1927), who would appear in almost 50 films. After appearing in a half-dozen films in Italy, it was rumored that, in 1947, film tycoon Howard Hughes had her flown to Hollywood; however, this did not result in her staying in America, and she returned to Italy (her Hollywood breakout movie wouldn't come until six years later in the John Huston film, Beat the Devil (1953)). Back in Italy, in 1949, Gina married Milko Skofic, a Slovenian (at the time, "Yugoslavian") doctor, by whom she had a son, Milko Skofic Jr. They would be married for 22 years, until their divorce in 1971. As her film roles and national popularity increased, Gina was tagged "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World", after her signature movie, Beautiful But Dangerous (1955) (aka "Beautiful But Dangerous"). Gina was nicknamed la "Lollo", as she embodied the prototype of Italian beauty. Her earthy looks and short "tossed salad" hairdo were especially influential and, in fact, there's a type of curly lettuce named "Lollo" in honor of her cute hairdo. Her film, Come September (1961), co-starring Rock Hudson, won the Golden Globe as the World's Film Favorite. In the 1970s, Gina was seen in only a few films, as she took a break from acting and concentrated on another career: photography. Among her subjects were Paul Newman, Salvador Dalí and the German national soccer team. A skilled photographer, Gina had a collection of her work, "Italia Mia", published in 1973. Immersed in her other passions (sculpting and photography), it would be 1984 before Gina would grace American TV on "Falcon Crest" (1981). Although Gina was always active, she only appeared in a few films in the 1990s. In June, 1999, she turned to politics and ran, unsuccessfully, for one of Italy's 87 European Parliament seats, from her hometown of Subiaco. Gina was also a corporate executive for fashion and cosmetics companies. As she told "Parade" magazine in April, 2000: "I studied painting and sculpting at school and became an actress by mistake". (We're glad she made that "mistake"). Gina went on to say: "I've had many lovers and still have romances. I am very spoiled. All my life, I've had too many admirers".
IMDb Mini Biography By: kdhaisch@aol.com
Spouse
Milko Skofic (15 January 1949 - 25 June 1971) (divorced) 1 child
Trivia
"Lollo", a kind of "curly" lettuce, was named after her.
£10,000 worth of her jewels was stolen from a bag in November 1998. This happened at a hotel reception in Munich, Germany, while she was waiting for a taxi to the airport. [11/98]
Born at 8:00am-CET
She was a successful photojournalist and scooped the world's press by obtaining an exclusive interview with Fidel Castro.
She placed third in the Miss Italy competition 1947 behind Lucia Bosé and Gianna Maria Canale.
Sisters: Guiliana, Maria, Fernanda
Son, Milko Skofic Jr..
Grandson, Dimitri Milko
Was considered for the role of Asunción Olazábal in "Beyond the Horizon" (1994). The part went to Luisa Kuliok.
Head of jury at the Berlin International Film Festival 1986
Joey "The Lips" Fagan's trumpet in the Roddy Doyle novel "The Commitments" is named after her.
Announced on October 19, 2006 she will marry Spanish real state mogul Javier Rigau Rafols, 45. Javier Rigau Rafols, 34 years her junior is quoted to be a proficient photographer and a painter. He met Lollobrigida in Monaco in 1984.
Was originally considered for one of the leading roles of Lady L (1965).
Personal Quotes
Popularity has a bright side, it unlocks many doors. But the truth is that I don't like it very much because it changes the private life into a very small thing.
My cinema -- the '50s, '60s -- is different from the cinema today so I thought that it would not be bad to show that kind of cinema where we could dream.
I've had many lovers and still have romances. I am very spoiled. All my life, I've had too many admirers.
I do what I like now. I just don't have time for it all.
A woman at 20 is like ice, at 30 she is warm and at 40 she is hot.
I have experience seducing nephews.
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