Famed Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida dies at 95

Gina Lollobrigida, who for decades embodied the Italian stereotype of Mediterranean beauty and was dubbed “the most beautiful woman in the world” after the title of one her movies, has died in Rome.

Italian news agencies ANS and Lapresse reported Lollobrigida’s death on Monday, quoting Tuscany Governor Eugenio Giani. Lollobrigida was an honorary citizen of a Tuscan town.

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In September, the 95-year-old film legend had surgery to repair a thigh bone broken in a fall. She returned home and said she had quickly resumed walking.

Lollobrigida shot to fame in the 1950s as a sultry Mediterranean sex symbol and later became a photographer and sculptor after stepping away from the movie world.

In 1955 Lollobrigida starred in the film called ‘La Donna Piu Bella del Mondo’ (The World’s Most Beautiful Woman), which became her signature movie.

The daughter of a furniture manufacturer from a mountain village outside Rome, Subiaco, she made over 60 films including some during the 1990s.

Since retiring from the cinema, Lollobrigida has tried her hand as a photographer, sculptor, photojournalist, and a fashion and cosmetics executive.

A sloe-eyed, buxom brunette, La Lollo’s Hollywood breakout role came in the John Huston film ‘Beat the Devil’ (1953). In 1961 she won a Golden Globe with ‘Come September’ co-starring Rock Hudson.

With her earthy good looks she embodied the prototype of Italian beauty. Her distinctive short hairdo was especially influential. It quickly spread across Italy in the sixties and was referred to as the “lollo.”

With The Associated Press & Reuters

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