Born Giulia Anna Masina, February 22, 1921, near Bologna, Italy; died following treatment for lung cancer, March 23, 1994, in Rome, Italy. Actress. One ofthe most famous actresses in Italy, Masina won acclaim for her portrayals ofvulnerable women in La Strada and The Nights of Cabiria, both directed by her husband, Federico Fellini. She met Fellini after playing a role in a radioplay he had authored while the two were still students at the University of Rome; they were married in 1943. After a bit part in Roberto Rossellini's 1946film Paisa, Masina appeared in Alberto Lattuada's Senza Pieta ("Without Pity"), for which she earned the 1948 Italian Silver Ribbon award; she also won the Cannes Film Festival Best Actress award in 1956 for The Nights of Cabiria.Masina's other film appearances include Luci del varieta (also known as Variety Lights and Lights of Variety), Giulietta degli spiriti (also known as Juliet of the Spirits), and The Madwoman of Chaillot. After a hiatus of nearly two decades, Masina returned to the screen in Fellini's 1986 film Ginger and Fred, opposite Marcello Mastroianni. Her death followed Fellini's by less thanfive months.
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