Silvana Mangano (; 21 April 1930 – 16 December 1989) was an Italian film actress. She was one of a generation of thespians who arose from the neorealist movement, and went on to become a major female star, regarded as a sex symbol for the 1950s and '60s. She won the David di Donatello for Best Actress three times – for The Verona Trial (1963), The Witches (1967), and The Scientific Cardplayer (1972) – and the Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress twice.
Raised in poverty during World War II, Mangano trained as a dancer and worked as a model before winning a Miss Rome beauty pageant in 1946. This led to work in films; she achieved success in Bitter Rice (1949) and went on to forge a successful career in films, working with many notable directors like Pier Paolo Pasolini, Luchino Visconti, Alberto Lattuada, and Vittorio De Sica. Her career continued well into her 50s, with supporting roles in David Lynch's Dune (1984) and Nikita Mikhalkov Dark Eyes (1987).
Mangano was the wife of international film producer Dino De Laurentiis and had four children with him, including Veronica De Laurentiis and Raffaella De Laurentiis.
Early life
Born in Rome to an Italian father and an English mother (Ivy Webb from Croydon), Mangano lived in poverty during World War II. Trained for seven years as a dancer, she supported herself as a model. In 1946, at age 16, Mangano won the Miss Rome beauty pageant, and through this, she obtained a role in a Mario Costa film.
Career
Mangano's earliest connection with filmmaking occurred through her romantic relationship with actor Marcello Mastroianni. This led her to a film contract, though it took some time for Mangano to ascend to international stardom with her performance in Bitter Rice (Riso Amaro, Giuseppe De Santis, 1949). She signed a contract with Lux Film in 1949, and later married producer Dino De Laurentiis. Her final film role was in Nikita Mikhalkov for Dark Eyes, for which received a Nastro d'Argento nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Although it was sung by Flo Sandon's, Silvana Mangano was credited on the record label of "El Negro Zumbón", which is from the soundtrack of the film Anna (1951) and was a hit song in 1953. A clip of the opening of this performance is featured in the film Cinema Paradiso (1988).
Personal life
It is claimed that she had an affair with Mohammad Reza Shah of Iran during the late 1940s. Married to film producer Dino De Laurentiis from 1949, the couple had four children: Veronica, Raffaella, Francesca, and Federico.
Following surgery on 4 December 1989 that left her in a coma, Mangano died of lung cancer in Madrid, Spain, on 16 December 1989.
Legacy
In 2000, the city of Rome named a street in the Valleranello district after Mangano.
Filmography
thumb|Mangano in [[Bitter Rice (1949)]]
thumb|Mangano in [[This Angry Age (1957)]]
thumb|Mangano in [[Conversation Piece (film)|Conversation Piece (1974)]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
!Role
! Director
! Notes
|-
| rowspan="2" |1947
|L'elisir d'amore
|Adina's Girlfriend
|Mario Costa
| rowspan="4" |Uncredited
|-
|Flesh Will Surrender
|Ballerina at Party
|Alberto Lattuada
|-
|1948
|Mad About Opera
|Woman at Carmen's
|Mario Costa
|-
| rowspan="3" |1949
|Black Magic
|Bit part
|Gregory Ratoff
|-
|Bitter Rice
|Silvana
|Giuseppe De Santis
|
|-
|The Wolf of the Sila
|Rosaria Campolo
|Duilio Coletti
|
|-
|1950
|Il Brigante Musolino
|Mara Russo
|Mario Camerini
|
|-
|1951
|Anna
|Sister Anna
|Alberto Lattuada
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |1954
|Mambo
|Giovanna Masetti
|Robert Rossen
|
|-
|The Gold of Naples
|Teresa
|Vittorio De Sica
|Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress
|-
|Ulysses
|Penelope / Circe
|Mario Camerini
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1957
|This Angry Age
|Suzanne Dufresne
|René Clément
| rowspan="2" |Nominated- Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress
|-
|The Wolves
|Teresa
|Giuseppe De Santis
|-
|1958
|Tempest
|Masha
|Alberto Lattuada
|
|-
|1959
|The Great War
|Costantina
|Mario Monicelli
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1960
|Five Branded Women
|Jovanka Jelisavac
|Martin Ritt
|
|-
|Crimen
|Marina Capretti
|Mario Camerini
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1961
|The Last Judgment
|Signora Matteoni
|Vittorio De Sica
|
|-
|Barabbas
|Rachel
|Richard Fleischer
|
|-
|1963
|The Verona Trial
|Edda Ciano
|Carlo Lizzani
|David di Donatello for Best Actress<br>Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress
|-
| rowspan="2" |1964
|My Wife
|The Wife / Clara / Eritrea / Luciana
|Luigi Comencini<br/>Tinto Brass<br/>Mauro Bolognini
|
|-
|Il disco volante
|Vittoria Laconiglia
| rowspan="2" |Tinto Brass
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1966
|Me, Me, Me... and the Others
|Silvia
|
|-
|Pardon, Are You For or Against?
|Emanuela
|Alberto Sordi
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1967
|The Witches
|Gloria / Woman in a Hurry / Assurdina Caì / Nunzia / Giovanna
|Luchino Visconti<br/>Mauro Bolognini<br/>Pier Paolo Pasolini<br/>Franco Rossi<br/>Vittorio De Sica
|David di Donatello for Best Actress
|-
|Oedipus Rex
|Jocasta
|Pier Paolo Pasolini
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1968
|Caprice Italian Style
|Bambinaia
|Mario Monicelli
|
|-
|Teorema
|Lucia
|Pier Paolo Pasolini
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |1971
|Death in Venice
|Tadzio's Mother
|Luchino Visconti
|Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress
|-
|Scipio the African
|Aemilia Tertia
|Luigi Magni
|
|-
|The Decameron
|The Madonna
|Pier Paolo Pasolini
|Uncredited
|-
| rowspan="2" |1972
|The Scientific Cardplayer
|Antonia
|Luigi Comencini
|David di Donatello for Best Actress
|-
|D'amore si muore
|Elena
|Carlo Carunchio
|
|-
|1973
|Ludwig
|Cosima von Bülow
| rowspan="2" |Luchino Visconti
|Nominated- Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress
|-
|1974
|Conversation Piece
|Marchesa Bianca Brumonti
|Nominated- Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress
|-
|1984
|Dune
|Reverend Mother Ramallo
|David Lynch
|
|-
|1987
|Dark Eyes
|Elisa Patroni
|Nikita Mikhalkov
|Nominated- David di Donatello for Best Supporting Actress<br>Nominated- Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress
|-
|1988
|Slugs
|a diner in restaurant
|Juan Piquer Simón
|Uncredited
|}
References
External links
- Front Cover of Life Magazine, 11 April 1960