Silvana Pampanini

Silvana Pampanini
Silvana Pampanini in The Cheerful Squadron, in 1954.
Born	(1925-09-25)25 September 1925 Rome, Kingdom of Italy
Died	6 January 2016(2016-01-06) (aged 90) Rome, Italy
Occupation	Film actress Director

Silvana Pampanini (25 September 1925 – 6 January 2016) was an Italian film actress and director. She took part in the Miss Italy contest in 1946 and the following year she started her movie career.

Pampanini was wrongly reported as Miss Rome of 1947. A caption in a 1952 newspaper said, "She is considered Italy's all-time beauty."

Silvana quickly became one of the most popular pin-up girls and movie stars in her country. She was considered a sex symbol throughout the 1950s. At the start of their career both Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren briefly appeared as extras in some films Pampanini starred in. The curvaceous brunette was usually dubbed when acting but used her voice when singing. Notably, she could speak French and Spanish, sing, dance, play the piano and she also recorded several songs.

In a 1952 worldwide publicized press statement she complained that middle-aged Hollywood actors like Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart were too old to play romantic lovers. Then in 1955 she visited New York City, Denver and California, appeared on television but rejected film offers because of her poor command of the English language and her dislike of the American working schedule.

Silvana was well-liked in France, where they nicknamed her Ninì Pampan, Spain, where she appeared in Tirma, Central and South America, especially in Mexico, where she starred in Sed de Amor with Pedro Armendáriz. Pampanini was often involved in arguments and controversies with film producers which eventually jeopardized her career. Nevertheless she successfully worked with distinguished actors and directors such as Vittorio Gassman, Marcello Mastroianni, Alberto Sordi, Totò, Jean Gabin, Henri Vidal, Abel Gance, Vittorio De Sica, Buster Keaton. The film O.K. Nero, in which Pampanini played the role of scantily dressed Empress Poppaea, was banned in certain places because of scenes that were considered indecent.