Pier Angeli Italian actress Date of Birth: 19.06.1932 Country: Italy

1. Biography of Pier Angeli
2. Early Career and Success
3. Personal Life and Relationships
4. Later Career and Personal Struggles

Biography of Pier Angeli

Pier Angeli was an Italian actress who appeared in a total of 33 films, both Italian and American. She was born Anna Maria Pierangeli in 1932 in Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy. Pier Angeli's twin sister, Marisa Pavan, is also an actress. To make her name more appealing to audiences, she divided her surname and became known as Pier Angeli.

Early Career and Success

Pier Angeli made her film debut in 1950 in the movie "Domani è troppo tardi" alongside Vittorio De Sica. She then had her American debut in the film "Teresa" in 1951, for which she received a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer. She was often compared to Greta Garbo and her future in the film industry seemed promising. Some of her notable films from that period include "The Story of Three Loves" (1953), "Sombrero" (1953), "Mam'zelle Nitouche" (1954), "The Silver Chalice" (1954), and "Port Afrique" (1956).

Personal Life and Relationships

Pier Angeli had a number of high-profile romances, including one with James Dean. However, her relationship with Dean was short-lived due to the intervention of Angeli's controlling mother. In 1954, she married actor and singer Vic Damone, but they divorced four years later. The divorce attracted significant media attention, with their custody battle over their son Perry Farinola Damone being widely covered.

Later Career and Personal Struggles

Pier Angeli's career continued to flourish in the late 1950s with roles in American films such as "Somebody Up There Likes Me," "Merry Andrew," and "The Vintage." However, in the 1960s, she returned to Europe and lived in Great Britain, where she appeared in films such as "The Angry Silence." Some of her notable non-American films during that period included "Sodom and Gomorrah" (1962) and "Battle of the Bulge" (1965).

In 1962, Pier Angeli married Italian film composer Armando Trovaioli, but they divorced in 1969. They had a son named Andrew. As her career slowed down and her personal life faced difficulties, Angeli struggled with her declining popularity and the fear of losing her beauty. On September 10, 1971, Pier Angeli was found dead in her home in West Los Angeles. The cause of death was reported as a barbiturate overdose. She was buried at Cimetière des Bulvis in Rueil-Malmaison, France.