Giulietta Masina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Giulietta Masina
Masina in the role of Cabiria, 1957
Born	Giulia Anna Masina (1921-02-22)22 February 1921 San Giorgio di Piano, Kingdom of Italy
Died	23 March 1994(1994-03-23) (aged 73) Rome, Italy
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1942–1991
Spouse(s)	Federico Fellini ​ ​ (m. 1943; died 1993)​

Giulia Anna "Giulietta" Masina (born February 22, 1921 – died March 23, 1994) was a famous Italian actress. She was best known for her amazing roles in the films La Strada (1954) and Nights of Cabiria (1957). For her role in Nights of Cabiria, she won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1957.

A film expert named Peter Bondanella called Masina's acting "masterful" and "unforgettable." Even the legendary actor Charlie Chaplin said she was "the actress who moved him most."

Both La Strada and Nights of Cabiria won Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. People said her "humanity" truly inspired these films.

Early Life and Education

Giulia Anna Masina was born on February 22, 1921. She grew up in San Giorgio di Piano, a town near Bologna, Italy. She was the oldest of four children. Her father was a violin player, and her mother was a schoolteacher.

When Giulietta was four, her uncle took her to meet Luigi Pirandello. He was a famous Italian writer who later won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

A few years later, after her uncle passed away, his wife invited Giulietta to live with her in Rome. Giulietta's parents agreed. They believed Rome would offer more chances for her artistic talents.

Developing Her Talents

In Rome, Masina went to an Ursuline convent school. She also took lessons in singing, playing the piano, and dancing. Her first acting experiences were during World War II. She performed with a student arts group from the university.

Masina earned a degree in Literature from Sapienza University of Rome. During the war, she found work as a voice actress on the radio. This job paid well and brought her more attention than stage acting.

It was through her radio work that Masina met Federico Fellini. He was a radio scriptwriter at the time. They got married in 1943.

Acting Career Highlights

Masina as Gelsomina in La Strada, 1954

Giulietta Masina began acting in films with her husband, Federico Fellini. Many of her most successful films were either written or directed by him.

Her first film role was a small, uncredited part in Roberto Rossellini's Paisà (1946). Fellini helped write this film. She received her first official screen credit in Without Pity (1948). This film was also co-written by Fellini.

Breakthrough Roles

Masina starred with Anthony Quinn in Fellini's La Strada (1954). She played Gelsomina, a kind and innocent girl who works with a traveling circus strongman.

She then won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival. This was for her role as Cabiria in Fellini's Nights of Cabiria (1957). Both La Strada and Nights of Cabiria won the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film.

A film critic from New York Times once wrote that Masina's acting showed more "grace and courage" than many big Hollywood movies.

Masina in 1960

Later Career and Collaborations

After a film called The High Life (1960) did not do well, Masina focused more on her personal life. However, she worked with Fellini again in Juliet of the Spirits (1965). This film won awards like the New York Film Critics award and the Golden Globe award.

Film critic Roger Ebert said that Fellini made Juliet of the Spirits as a special gift for his wife.

Masina also acted in her first English-language film, The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969). She starred alongside the famous actress Katharine Hepburn.

After almost 20 years of mostly television work, Masina appeared in Fellini's Ginger and Fred (1986). In this film, she and Marcello Mastroianni played two dancers who used to impersonate Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. They reunite for a TV show.

Her last film was A Day to Remember (1991). In the late 1960s, Masina also hosted a popular radio show called Lettere aperte. On the show, she answered letters from her listeners. These letters were later published in a book.

Death and Legacy

Giulietta Masina passed away from lung cancer on March 23, 1994. She was 73 years old. Her death came five months after her husband, Federico Fellini, died.

For her funeral, she asked that a trumpeter play the song "La Strada" by Nino Rota. This song was a very special theme from her famous film La Strada.

Giulietta Masina and Fellini are buried together in the Rimini cemetery. Their tomb has a unique monument shaped like the front of a ship. It was created by the sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro.

Awards and Recognition

Giulietta Masina received many awards for her acting:

• Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists: She won four Silver Ribbon awards.
  • Best Actress: For Nights of Cabiria (1957) and Ginger and Fred (1986).
  • Best Supporting Actress: For Without Pity (1948) and Variety Lights (1950).
• She was nominated twice for a BAFTA Film Award for Best Foreign Actress.
• David di Donatello: She won several David awards.
  • David di Donatello for Best Actress award: For Juliet of the Spirits (1965) and Ginger and Fred (1986).
  • Honorary award (1986).
• Cannes Film Festival Best Actress award: For Nights of Cabiria (1957).
• San Sebastián film festival Best Actress award: For Nights of Cabiria (1957).

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Giulietta Masina para niños