Hollywood has always been a gateway to an amazing and wonderful cinematic experience.
Its colorful world is widely regarded as a fortress of the brightest and shiniest stars in the Western region and of the world as well. That is why it is also an abode for the talented outsiders such as the sultry Italians.
For many years, Latin America has always been number one when it comes to dominating the minorities. Then came the stunning Mediterranean beauties from il Bel Paese.
From Monica Belucci to Sophia Loren, it is not astonishing that they further add color and glimmer to the Hollywood limelight.
Known for their exceptional onscreen presence and immense acting prowess, they have represented Italian talent to the rest of the world very well.
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12 Most Famous Italian Actresses in Hollywood
The following actresses fully deserve to be part of this list of the most famous Italian actresses in Hollywood of all time.
1. Isabella Rossellini
Born: 18 June 1952 – Rome, Italy
Born to cinema royalty, nothing less was expected of this famous Italian actress. Isabella Rossellini’s parents were Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and Italian film director Roberto Rossellini, both famous in their time.
Rossellini’s film debut was a brief appearance opposite her mother in A Matter of Time in 1976. Her first real role was in the Italian film The Meadow three years later.
Rossellini is one of the most influential Italian actresses in Hollywood. She is best-noted, however, for her successful tenure as a Lancôme model, which lasted for 14 years.
Rosellini played roles in a number of famous Hollywood films including Blue Velvet (1986), Death Becomes Her (1992), Crime of the Century (1996), Merlin (1998), King of the Corner (2004), and Joy (2015).
The Italian actress and model has made America her home since 1979. She married film director Martin Scorsese the same year, divorcing him three years later. She now holds dual Italian and American citizenship and is focused on the preservation of the arts, photography, and wildlife.
2. Monica Bellucci
Born: 30 September, 1964 – Città di Castello, Italy
Monica Belluci’s name started to become known among Hollywood moviegoers when she landed a role in the 2003 films The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. But did you know she played a small part in Bram Stoker’s Dracula in 1992?
Her breakthrough films, however, are these respective Italian and French movies – Malèna (2000), Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001), and Irréversible (2002).
Definitely one of the most beautiful Italian actresses that ever graced the Hollywood grounds, Bellucci is as talented as she is pretty. She is known for her stunning beauty and for ageing like fine wine.
Bellucci played Lucia Sciarra in the 2015 James Bond film Spectre, making her the oldest woman to play the Bond girl role in the history of James Bond franchise. She was 50.
Hailed as a sex symbol and lauded for her hourglass figure, this Italian actress appeared in countless magazine covers and even made it to the list of “100 Hottest Women of All Time.”
Belucci also starred in famous movies like The Passion of the Christ (2004) and The Whistleblower (2010).
Apart from acting, she is active in the fashion scene, being a global ambassador for Italian fashion giant Dolce & Gabanna.
3. Asia Argento
Born: 20 September 1975 – Rome, Italy
Asia Argento is one of those famous Hollywood actresses known to be strong proponents of the #MeToo movement, a movement against sexual abuse and sexual harassment started by American activist Tarana Burke.
In 2018, Argento joined the movement against the infamous business mogul Harvey Weinstein, accusing Weinstein of sexually assaulting her in the 1990s.
Acting is in Argento’s blood. Her father, Dario Argento, is a well-known director of Italian horror films. She began acting as a child. Apart from acting, Argento has also directed films, written a novel, and recorded music.
Asia Argento is best-known for her movies XXX (2002), Land of the Dead (2005), Marie Antoinette (2006), and Transylvania (2006). She also appeared in the films Trauma (1993), Traveling Companion (1996), Friendly Fire (2006), Go Go Tales (2007), and The Voice Thief (2013).
4. Ornella Muti
Born: 9 March 1955 – Rome, Italy
Other than gorgeous in her 60s, Ornella Muti is known outside Italy for famous films such as Flash Gordon (1980) and Oscar (1991).
Born Francesca Romana Rivelli in the Italian capital, Muti’s screen name was inspired by the works of one of Italy’s most celebrated literary greats – Gabriele D’Annunzio. Ornella is a character from the play The Daughter of Iorio, while Muti is the surname of the heroine of the novel Pleasure.
Muti was a teenage model before making her film debut in 1970. She continued working in Italian films before she debuted in Hollywood ten years later. She played the role of Princess Aura in Flash Gordon.
Following her debut, this Italian actress appeared in various American movies such as Love and Money (1982), Casanova (1987), Wait Until Spring, Bandini (1989), A Season of Giants (1990), Oscar (1991), Once Upon a Crime (1992), Somewhere in the City (1998), and To Rome with Love (2012).
Today, Muti still continues to act on screen and stage in Italy.
5. Anna Magnani
Born: 7 March 1908 – Rome, Italy
Died: 26 September 1973 – Rome, Italy
Anna Magnani’s famous accolade was being the first ever Italian actress to receive an Academy Award in 1956 for playing the role of Serafina Delle Rose in the 1955 movie The Rose Tattoo.
Before making her film debut in the 1934 La cieca di Sorrento (The Blind Woman of Sorrento), Magnani worked as an entertainer in nightclubs in Rome, specializing in racy songs and in vaudeville. She became known internationally when she played the female lead role in the 1945 Roma città aperta (Rome Open City), which is deemed by critics as one of the greatest Italian movies of all time.
Magnani was noted for her intense acting and realistic portrayals of characters. Fiery, fearless, and exciting, she was dubbed the cinema’s “La Lupa” (she-wolf) and the “perennial toast of Rome.”
Her other notable movies include Angelina (1947), Bellissima (1951), Wild Is the Wind (1957), Made in Italy (1966), and The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969).
6. Virna Lisi
Born: 8 November 1936 – Ancona, Italy
Died: 18 December 2014 – Rome, Italy
After being discovered by two Neapolitan producers during her teens, Verna Lisi appeared in the 1953 film La corda d’acciaio (The Steel Rope).
In the early years of her film career, the beautiful Italian actress was cast more for her looks than for her talent. She turned down the role of Tatiana Romanova in the 1963 James Bond movie From Russia with Love (which subsequently went to fellow Italian, Daniela Bianchi).
Lisi’s access to Hollywood came when Hollywood producers who were searching for a new Marilyn Monroe chose her for the role of a blond seductress in the 1964 black comedy How to Murder Your Wife alongside Jack Lemmon.
She was then cast alongside Tony Curtis in Not with My Wife, You Don’t! (1966) and Frank Sinatra in Assault on a Queen (1966). She also starred in a couple of films with Anthony Quinn.
When Lisi returned to Europe, she sought to obtain more challenging roles in order to overcome her typecasting playing temptresses. She then began to play more challenging roles with a variety of award-winning performances.
Lisi’s portrayal of Catherine de’ Medici in the 1994 historical drama La Reine Margot won her the César and Cannes Film Festival awards, as well as a Silver Ribbon for Best Supporting Actress.
7. Valeria Golino
Born: 22 October 1965 – Naples, Italy
Although Valeria Golino never formally studied acting, she is considered one of the biggest internationally-recognized Italian actresses.
Discovered by the renowned Italian film director Lina Wertmüller, Golina began her career in film and won as Best Actress at the 1986 edition of Venice Film Festival for her movie Storia d’Amore (A Tale of Love).
Golina moved to the United States and made an entry to Hollywood, starring in the movie Big Top Pee-wee in 1988. Her Hollywood career blossomed when she was cast in popular movies Rain Man (1988) opposite Tom Cruise and the comedy Hot Shots! and Hot Shots! 2.
Golino almost landed the roles of Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman (1990), and Rachel Manus in Flatliners (also in 1990), but both went to Julia Roberts.
Golino also worked as a fashion model and appeared in TV commercials as well. She has also recorded music, with one of her songs winning her a Silver Ribbon award.
8. Maria Grazia Cucinotta
Born: 27 July 1968 – Messina, Italy
Maria Grazia Cucinotta began her career as a model and showgirl before getting important roles in a number of Italian films and television series.
This Italian actress is known in Hollywood for her role in the Bond movie The World Is Not Enough in 1999 alongside Pierce Brosnan. She is deemed one of the most gorgeous Bond girls in the history of the Fleming spy franchise.
Cucinotta is also internationally known for her roles in Il Postino (The Postman) and as Isabella in the American crime drama TV series The Sopranos.
9. Daniela Bianchi
Born: 31 January 1942 – Rome, Italy
Best known for her role of Bond girl Tatiana Romanova in the 1963 film From Russia with Love, the spy movie helped Italian actress Daniela Bianchi etch the roles that she wanted in some of her known movies.
Later on, Bianchi landed roles in several Italian and French movies which include The Sword of El Cid (1962), Operation Lady Chaplin (1966), Weekend, Italian Style (1966), Dirty Heroes (1967), Operation Kid Brother (1967), and The Last Chance (1968).
After a short stint in French and Italian films, Bianchi retired from acting and went on to marry an Italian shipping magnate. Since her retirement, Bianchi only appeared in a quick cameo in the 2012 Italian documentary We’re Nothing Like James Bond.
10. Claudia Cardinale
Born: 15 April 1938 – Tunis, Tunisia
Born in Tunisia to Sicilian parents, Claudia Cardinale did not learn Italian until she started getting cast in Italian movies. Her films were mostly dubbed, as moviemakers were bothered by her heavy French accent.
Best-known for her 1968 movie Once Upon a Time in the West in Hollywood, Cardinale was a darling of the crowd – often regarded as a movie sweetheart by the American audience in her time.
Claudia Gerini has had a long film career in and out of Italy. Honored at many film festivals, Cardinale won acting awards, including the 1993 Venice Film Festival and the 2002 Berlin Film Festival.
The Los Angeles Times magazine dubbed her one of the “50 Most Beautiful Women in Film History.”
11. Gina Lollobrigida
Born: 4 July 1927 – Subiaco, Italy / Died: 16 January 2023 – Rome, Italy
Gina Lollobrigida was one of the highest-profile European actresses and sex symbols of the 1950s and 1960s.
She was first invited an acting job in the United States by film tycoon Howard Hughes, but she turned down the offer and preferred to work in Europe. Eventually, upon appearing in various Italian and French movies, Gina made an entry to Hollywood through her first American movie Beat the Devil in 1953 alongside Humphrey Bogart.
Lollobrigida also starred in the 1955 movie Beautiful But Dangerous where she garnered the accolade of being “the most beautiful woman in the world.”
Together with Rock Hudson, she appeared in the Golden Globe-winning movie Come September in 1961. It was adjudged the “World’s Film Favorite” at the awards’ night.
Lollobrigida was nominated three times for the Golden Globe.
Apart from acting, Lollobrigida also studied painting and sculpture. She is a photojournalist as well.
In 2000, Lollobrigida declared she became an actress “by mistake” in an interview with Parade magazine.
Gina Lollibrigida was 95 years old when she died in Rome, Italy, on 16 January 2023.
12. Sophia Loren
Born: 20 September 1934 – Rome, Italy
Saving the best for last, here is the quintessential “femme fatale” of the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema – Sophia Loren. She is hands down the most famous Italian actress in Hollywood.
Born Sofia Villani Scicolone, Loren’s father was an aristocrat who refused to marry her mother. Growing up poor due to lack of financial support from her blue-blood father, Loren rose above her poverty-stricken origins to become universally recognized not only as one of Italy’s most beautiful women but its most famous movie star as well.
Like many other Italian film actresses, Loren’s entry into the business was by way of a beauty pageant. She entered the Miss Italia 1950 pageant and was chosen as one of the last three finalists.
Loren moved to the U.S. at a very young age to pursue acting, and she was not disappointed when she landed roles in Hollywood.
After years of hard work, this Italian actress bagged the title of being the first-ever actor in a foreign language movie to clinch an Academy award.
Loren is famous for movies like Two Nights with Cleopatra (1953), Black Orchid (1959), It Started in Naples (1960), El Cid (1961), Two Women (1961), Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963), The Fall of the Empire (1964), and Marriage Italian Style (1964).