Trivia

She separated from Dino De Laurentiis in 1983 and abandoned her career to live in Paris and Madrid, where she made tapestries. They had not divorced by the time she passed away from lung cancer on December 16, 1989.

Her son, Federico De Laurentiis, was killed in an Alaska airplane crash on July 15, 1981.

Born the daughter of an Italian father and an English mother, she lived in poverty caused by World War II.

Not having the same kind of drive as her two other Italian sex symbol competitors, Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida, Mangano's career was completely controlled by her husband Dino De Laurentiis.

Her most famous role, the earthy Riz amer (1949), had her out toiling ever so sexily in the rice fields. Lucille Ball did a hilarious spoof on this movie in the TV episode Lucy's Italian Movie (1956). Lucy is spotted by a famous Italian movie director and chosen to play a role in his new movie, "Bitter Grapes", that ends up with her toiling in her now famous grape-stomping vat scene.

She was initially chosen as the leading lady for Pâques sanglantes (1950). She had signed a contract with Lux Film for the sum of one million lire, but was forced to abandon the project because she was pregnant at the time.

She appeared with Vittorio Gassman in nine films: Riz amer (1949), Le loup de la Sila (1949), Anna (1951), Mambo (1954), La tempête (1958), La grande guerre (1959), Chacun son alibi (1960), Barabbas (1961) and Cinéma Paradiso (1988).

She appeared with Alberto Sordi in four films: La grande guerre (1959), Chacun son alibi (1960), Il disco volante (1964) and Cinéma Paradiso (1988).

She was trained as a dancer under Zhia Ruskaya and then worked as a model. She won the Miss Rome beauty pageant in 1946 and from then on toiled in small movie roles until her breakthrough came in Riz amer (1949).

Following her death, she was interred at Pawling Cemetery in Pawling, Dutchess County, New York. She passed away four months from what would have been her 60th birthday on April 21, 1990.

Grandmother of Giada De Laurentiis, Dino A. De Laurentis, Eloisa De Laurentiis and Igor De Laurentiis.

Mother of Veronica De Laurentiis, Raffaella De Laurentiis, Federico De Laurentiis and Francesca DeLaurentiis.

Sister of Rocco Roy Mangano, Patrizia Mangano and Natascia Mangano.

Was a heavy smoker from her teens.

On December 4, 1989, Mangano underwent surgery for lung cancer in Madrid, Spain. She never regained consciousness and died 12 days later.

According to a December 16, 1950 article by the Associated Press, her favorite movie actress was Greer Garson and her favorite movie actors were John Wayne, Cary Grant, and Van Heflin.