Italian actor Gina Lollobrigida, who was once called "the most beautiful woman in the world", has died at the age of 95 in Rome. Ms Lollobrigida's grandnephew, Italian Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida, tweeted news of her death and called her "one of the brightest stars of Italian cinematography and culture".
"Today #GinaLollobrigida has disappeared, one of the brightest stars of Italian cinematography and culture. Incomparable champion, icon of beauty and versatility, extraordinary woman and professional. He will continue to live on and inspire through his works," Mr Francesco wrote in Italian.
According to The Guardian, Ms Lollobrigida died in a Rome clinic after being hospitalised for some time. She is survived by her son, Milko, and grandson, Dimitri.
Ms Lollobrigida was born in 1927 in Subiaco, the mountains east of Rome. She was the daughter of a furniture maker and through the 1950s and 60s, she was one of the world's most desired performers and starred in a number of European and American films opposite many of Hollywood's leading men of the day.
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As per CNN, Ms Lollobrigida also trained as a painter and sculptor. She became a successful beauty queen and model, before making her first movie appearance in 1946 with a small role in 'The Black Eagle'. In 1953, Ms Lollobrigida made her first English-language film in John Huston's 'Beat the Devil', alongside Humphrey Bogart and Jennifer Jones.
In the 1970s, when her film roles began dwindling, Ms Lollobrigida then made a new career for herself as a photojournalist. She sometimes appeared in film and on television, most famously in a recurring role in US prime-time soap 'Falcon Crest' in 1984. But then she reinvented herself as an artist.
Ms Lollobrigida even worked for Unicef and the United Nations and had an unsuccessful run for a seat in the European Parliament. She remained active in politics - as recently as last year. She stood for the Italian Senate but was unsuccessful.
