Silvana Mangano facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Silvana Mangano
Mangano in 1958
Born	(1930-04-21)21 April 1930 Rome, Lazio, Kingdom of Italy
Died	16 December 1989(1989-12-16) (aged 59) Madrid, Spain
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1945–1987
Spouse(s)	Dino De Laurentiis ​ ​ (m. 1949; div. 1988)​
Children	4, including Veronica and Raffaella
Awards	David di Donatello for Best Actress 1963 The Verona Trial 1967 The Witches 1972 The Scientific Cardplayer Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress 1955 The Gold of Naples 1964 The Verona Trial Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress 1972 Death in Venice

Silvana Mangano (born April 21, 1930 – died December 16, 1989) was a famous Italian film actress. She was one of the big stars of Italian cinema in the 1950s and 1960s. She won many awards for her acting. These included the David di Donatello for Best Actress three times and the Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress twice.

Silvana grew up in a poor family during World War II. She trained as a dancer and worked as a model. In 1946, she won the Miss Rome beauty contest. This helped her start her acting career. She became very famous after starring in the movie Bitter Rice (1949). She worked with many well-known directors like Pier Paolo Pasolini and Luchino Visconti. Her career lasted until she was in her 50s. She had roles in movies like David Lynch's Dune (1984).

Silvana Mangano was married to the international film producer Dino De Laurentiis. They had four children together.

Early Life and First Steps

Silvana Mangano was born in Rome, Italy. Her father was Italian, and her mother, Ivy Webb, was from England. Her family faced hard times during World War II.

Silvana trained as a dancer for seven years. She also worked as a model to support herself.

In 1946, when she was 16, Silvana won the Miss Rome beauty pageant. This win helped her get a small role in a movie. The next year, she entered the Miss Italia contest. Many future Italian movie stars, like Gina Lollobrigida and Lucia Bosè, also took part in that contest.

A Star's Journey

Silvana Mangano's journey into movies began with her connection to actor Marcello Mastroianni. This led to her first movie contract. It took some time, but she became an international star with her role in Bitter Rice (1949). After this success, she signed a contract with Lux Film and later married producer Dino De Laurentiis.

Even though she wasn't as famous worldwide as Sophia Loren or Gina Lollobrigida, Silvana Mangano was a beloved star in Italy. She acted in many important films from the 1950s to the 1970s. Some of her famous movies include Anna (1951), L'oro di Napoli (1954), and Death in Venice (1971).

She also starred in The Witches (1967), a movie made of several short stories. Famous directors like Pasolini and Visconti directed parts of this film. Silvana worked with Pasolini and Visconti four times in her career.

Throughout her career, Silvana won many awards. She received the David di Donatello for Best Actress three times. She also won the Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress twice. Her last movie was Dark Eyes (1987). For this role, she was nominated for another award.

A famous song called "El Negro Zumbón" from her movie Anna (1951) became a big hit. Even though another singer sang it, Silvana Mangano was credited on the record. A part of her performance from this song is shown in the movie Cinema Paradiso (1988).

Family Life

Silvana Mangano married film producer Dino De Laurentiis in 1949. They had four children: Veronica, Raffaella, Francesca, and Federico.

Silvana's daughter, Veronica, is the mother of Giada De Laurentiis. Giada is a well-known chef and TV host on the Food Network. Silvana's daughter, Raffaella, worked with her father to produce Silvana's movie Dune (1984). Sadly, her son Federico died in an airplane crash in 1981.

Silvana and Dino separated in 1983. They started divorce proceedings in 1988.

Later Years and Passing

After having surgery on December 4, 1989, Silvana Mangano went into a coma. She passed away from lung cancer in Madrid, Spain, on December 16, 1989.

Her Legacy

In 2000, the city of Rome honored Silvana Mangano by naming a street after her. The street is in the Vallerano district.

Filmography

Mangano in Bitter Rice (1949).

Mangano in This Angry Age (1957).

Mangano in Conversation Piece (1974).

See also

In Spanish: Silvana Mangano para niños