Sandra Milo, the Italian actress who was Federico Fellini’s muse and lover, has died

The actress and presenter Sandra Miloone of the most appreciated artists of Italian cinema and muse of the famous director Federico Fellinidied at the age of 90 at her home in Rome, surrounded by her family, leaving behind a long career of more than six decades, Italian media reported today.

“Sandrocchia”, as she was nicknamed by Fellini, with whom she had a romantic relationship, as well as with the socialist leader Bettino Craxihe shot 70 films of Italian cinema, in which he also worked with other great directors such as Roberto RosselliniAntonio Pietrangeli, Luigi Zampa, Dino Risi, Pupi Avati, Gabriele Salvatores and Gabriele Muccino.

Since it started with Alberto Sordi in 1955 with I’m a bachelor (“The Bachelor”) until her last performance in the series “Gigolo Accidental”, released last Christmas, Milo was a fighter and Three years ago the Government chained itself to the headquarters to ask for improvements for entertainment workers.

“A protagonist of Italian cinema is passing away. With the passing of Sandra Milo, the small and big screen lose an artist of great talent and overwhelming charisma”, said the Undersecretary of Culture Lucia Borgonzoni, who underlined her ability to “change records with extreme ease” which “has won the hearts of millions of Italians.

From Tunisia and married at 15 years old

Born in Tunisia on March 11, 1933 as Salvatrice Elena Greco, at the age of three her family returned to Italy and At just 15 years old Milo married the Marquis Cesare Rodighierowho left just a few months later to start a modeling career in Milan.

With the help of the Greek filmmaker Moris Ergas, father of his daughter Débora, Milo made his debut in cinema with Sordi and began making films with famous actors such as Totò, Brigitte Bardot and Vittorio de Sica, and in 1959 he acted in General Della Rovere (“El general de la Rovere”) by Roberto Rossellini and in 1961, Ghost in Rome (“Ghosts of Rome”), with Vittorio Gassman and Marcello Mastroiani.

Fellini, with whom she had a long secret love affair lasting 17 years, as she herself revealed in 2009, directs him in 8 and 1/2 AND Juliet of the spirits (“Juliet of the Spirits”) and also starred in several major films in the 1960s, such as The umbrella (“The Umbrella”), 1965, by Dino Risi, with Enrico Maria Salerno.

A successful return to television

After a period away from the screen, after having married Ottavio De Lollis in 1968 and having had two children, Ciro and Azzurra, in the 80s she then became a well-known face on the small screen, until returning to the cinema in recent years, as in movie happy family by Gabriele Salvatores, in 2010, which he combined with the theatre.

The actress, who was also the lover of socialist leader Bettino Craxi for two years, revealed in a television interview in 2007 that she had helped her mother die: “People must die with dignity,” she said.