Guiletta masina biography

Award-winning Italian actress who earned international recognition for her portrayal of Gelsomina in La Strada . Born Giulia Anna Masina on February 22, 1920, in San Giorgio di Piano, Italy; died of lung cancer on March 23, 1994, in Rome; youngest of four children of Gaetano Masina (erstwhile first violinist with Milan's Teatro Scala); grew up under the tutelage of her aunt Giulia Pasqualin; married Federico Fellini (a director), in 1943; children: one son (b.

1945, died in infancy).

First appeared as an actress while at university in Rome, performing with the school's drama society and attracting professional attention with her performance in a radio play written by Federico Fellini (1942); married Fellini (1943); won Best Supporting Actress award at the Venice Film Festival for her work in Without Pity (1948), and Best Actress for her performance in Fellini's The Nights of Cabiria at the Cannes Film Festival (1956); became an icon of Ita