Italian actress Sandra Milo, muse of Federico Fellini, dies

2024-01-29 20:27:40

The actress and presenter Sandra Miloone of the most popular artists of Italian cinema and muse of the famous director Federico Fellinidied at the age of 90 in his home in Romasurrounded by her family, leaving behind a long career of more than six decades, local media reported today.

‘sandrocchia‘, as she was nicknamed by Fellini, with whom she had a relationship, as well as with the socialist leader Bettino Craxi, she filmed 70 films in Italian cinema, in which she also worked with other great directors such as Roberto Rossellini, Antonio Pietrangeli, Luigi Zampa, Dino Risi, Pupi Avati, Gabriele Salvatores and Gabriele Muccino.

Since she started with Alberto Sordi in 1955 with ‘Lo scapolo’ (‘The Bachelor’) until her last performance in the series “Gigolò percaso”, released last Christmas, Milo was a fighter and three years ago she chained herself in the Government headquarters to request improvements for entertainment workers.

“A protagonist of Italian cinema is leaving. With the disappearance of Sandra Milo the small and big screen lose a great talented artist with overwhelming charisma“said Undersecretary of Culture Lucia Borgonzoni, who highlighted his ability to “change register with extreme ease” that “conquered the hearts of millions of Italians.”

Born in Tunisia on March 11, 1933 as Salvatrice Elena Greco, at the age of three her family returned to Italy and at only 15 years old Milo married the Marquis Cesare Rodighiero, whom she left only a few months later to begin a modeling career. in Milan.

With the help of the Greek filmmaker Moris Ergas, father of his daughter Débora, Milo made his film debut with Sordi and began making films with such famous actors as Totò, Brigitte Bardot and Vittorio de Sica, and in 1959 he starred in ‘Il generale Della Rovere ‘ (‘El general de la Rovere’) by Roberto Rossellini and in 1961, ‘Fantasmi a Roma’ ‘Ghosts of Rome’), with Vittorio Gassman and Marcello Mastroiani.

Fellini, with whom he had a long secret romance for 17 yearsas she herself revealed in 2009, directed her in “8 y 1⁄2” “Fellini 8½”) and “Giulietta degli spiriti” (‘Giulietta of the Spirits’) and also starred in several notable films in the 60s, such as ‘L ‘ombellone’ (‘The Parasol’) from 1965, by Dino Risi, with Enrico Maria Salerno.

After a period away from the screen, after marrying Ottavio De Lollis in 1968 and having two children, Ciro and Azzurra, in the 80s she later became a familiar face on the small screen, until in recent years she returned to to cinema, as in the film ‘Happy Family’ by Gabriele Salvatores, in 2010, which he combined with theater.

The actress, who was also the lover of socialist leader Bettino Craxi for two years, revealed in a television interview in 2007 that helped his mother die: “People must die with dignity,” he said.