Anna Magnani Biography: Son, Height, Death, Net Worth, Movies, Husband, Awards, Cause of Death, Songs, Age

Anna Magnani is a celebrated Italian actress known for her authentic, intense, and emotionally raw portrayals of working-class women.

She became internationally famous for her leading role as Pina in the 1945 Italian neorealist film Rome, Open City, which established her as a global star and the face of post-war Italian cinema.

Profile

• Full Name: Anna Magnani
• Date of Birth: March 7, 1908
• Age: Deceased
• Gender: Female
• Place of Birth: Rome, Italy
• Nationality: Italian
• Profession: Actress, Singer
• Height: 5 ft 4 in (163 cm)
• Eye Color: Brown
• Hair Color: Dark Brown (often dyed black)
• Parents: Marina Magnani (mother), Pietro Del Duce
• Siblings: N/A
• Spouse: Goffredo Alessandrini (married 1935, annulled 1950)
• Children: Luca Magnani (originally Luca Alessandrini)
• Relationship Status: N/A
• Religion: Roman Catholic
• Ethnicity: Italian
• Net Worth: $5 million

Early Life and Education

Anna Magnani was born in Rome, Italy, on March 7, 1908. Anna is now deceased, her childhood was spent in poverty in a Roman slum neighborhood.

She was raised almost entirely by her maternal grandmother, as her mother, Marina Magnani, left for Alexandria, Egypt, shortly after her birth. The identity of her father, Pietro Del Duce, is often disputed.

As a young woman, Anna attended the National Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome. She supported her studies by singing Roman folk songs in local nightclubs and cabarets, which helped her develop a stage presence and a strong voice.

Her early education in dramatic arts laid the foundation for her celebrated career in both theater and film.

Personal Life

Anna Magnani married Italian film director Goffredo Alessandrini in 1935. The marriage was not successful and they separated well before their official annulment in 1950.

Magnani had one son, Luca Magnani, born in October 1942. The child’s father was the actor Massimo Serato, who reportedly left Magnani during the pregnancy.

Magnani became known for her intense devotion to her son. When Luca contracted polio as a toddler and was left paralyzed, she dedicated a significant amount of her life and earnings to his care and medical needs.

She often turned down significant acting roles to be by his side. Luca grew up to have a daughter, Olivia Magnani, who also became an actress.

Career

Anna Magnani‘s career began on the stage, performing in vaudeville and singing in cabarets before transitioning to film in the early 1930s. Her breakout film role came in 1945 with Roberto Rossellini‘s masterpiece, Rome, Open City.

Her raw, emotional performance in the film made her an international star and a primary symbol of the Italian neorealist movement. She was known for her non-glamorous, realistic portrayal of women, often refusing makeup and embracing roles that highlighted her natural expressiveness.

This intensity attracted the attention of playwright Tennessee Williams, who wrote the play The Rose Tattoo specifically for her. She later starred in the 1955 film adaptation, a role that earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress.

This made her the first Italian actress to win the prestigious award.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, she balanced her work between Hollywood and Italy, appearing in films like The Fugitive Kind with Marlon Brando. A significant later role was in Pier Paolo Pasolini‘s film Mamma Roma (1962).

Her career ended with a brief cameo appearance in Federico Fellini‘s Roma in 1972.

Awards

• Academy Award for Best Actress (1956)
• BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress (1957)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama (1956)
• Nastro d’Argento for Best Actress (multiple wins)
• New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (1955)
• National Board of Review Award for Best Actress (1955)

Net Worth

Anna Magnani estimated net worth at the time of her death was at least $5 million.

Death

Anna Magnani died in Rome on September 26, 1973, at the age of 65. The cause of death was pancreatic cancer.

She was buried in the family tomb of her close friend, the director Roberto Rossellini, located at the Verano Cemetery in Rome.

Controversy

Anna Magnani was a strong-willed, fiery personality known for being notoriously difficult on set. Her professional and personal relationship with director Roberto Rossellini was complex and volatile.

They were a couple for some time after the success of Rome, Open City, but their relationship ended abruptly when Rossellini began a very public affair with actress Ingrid Bergman. This scandal was a major tabloid story in both Hollywood and Italy during the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Magnani was known for her blunt honesty and would often speak her mind regardless of the social consequences.

Social Media

• N/A

Filmography

• La cieca di Sorrento (1934)
• Tempo massimo (1934)
• Quei due (1935)
• L’ultima nemica (1938)
• Tarakanova (1938)
• Voglio vivere con Letizia (1938)
• Una lampada alla finestra (1940)
• La fuggitiva (1941)
• Teresa Venerdì (1941)
• Quarta pagina (1942)
• L’avventura di Annabella (1943)
• La vita è bella (1943)
• Campo de’ Fiori (1943)
• Abbasso la miseria! (1945)
• Roma città aperta (Rome, Open City) (1945)
• Abbasso la ricchezza! (1946)
• Avanti a lui tremava tutta Roma (1946)
• Il bandito (1946)
• L’onorevole Angelina (1947)
• Assunta Spina (1948)
• Amorosa bugiarda (1948)
• Proibito rubare (1948)
• The Miracle (episode of L’Amore) (1948)
• Volcano (1950)
• Bellissima! (1951)
• Camicie rosse (1952)
• The Golden Coach (1953)
• We, the Women (episode “Anna Magnani”) (1953)
• The Rose Tattoo (1955)
• Wild Is the Wind (1957)
• Nella città l’inferno (1958)
• The Fugitive Kind (1959)
• Risate di gioia (1960)
• Mamma Roma (1962)
• The Puma Stone (1964)
• Made in Italy (episode “La Crisi”) (1965)
• The Latin Lover (1965)
• The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969)
• 1943: un incontro (1971)
• Roma (1972)