Of the many foreign actresses to earn international success, most — Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren, Gina Lollabrigida, to name a few — were bombshells, sex symbols in the classic mold. Anna Magnani was the exception; earthy and unkempt, she was neither glamorous nor statuesque, yet radiated such fierce intelligence and sensuality that she became a major star, and along with Guilietta Masina she reigned as the most celebrated Italian actress of the postwar era. Born March 7, 1908, in Alexandria, Egypt, Magnani was raised by her grandmother in the slums of Rome. She studied acting at Santa Cecilia's Corso Eleanora Duse but began her performing career as a nightclub singer before moving on to variety theaters and stock. While singing in San Remo, she married filmmaker Goffredo Alessandri in 1933 and through him Magnani met director Nunzio Malasomma, who cast her in a lead role in his 1934 effort La Cieca di Sorrento. Under Alessandri, she next appeared in 1936's Cavalleria, followed in 1938 by Mario Soldati's Tarakanova.…  » Read more