Lyda Borelli
actress
- Born:
- 1884-03-22, Rivarolo Ligure, Genoa, Liguria, Italy
- Died:
- 1959-06-01, Rome, Lazio, Italy
- Professions:
- actress
Biography
A spring wind off the Ligurian coast welcomed Lyda Borelli into the world on 22 March 1884, in the hillside pocket of Rivarolo Ligure near Genoa. Within two decades she had taken the Italian stage by storm, then stepped before the camera to hypnotise early-cinema audiences with her serpentine grace. Three films in particular—Love Everlasting (1914), The Moth (1916) and Malombra (1917)—cemented her legend: every flutter of her gloved hands set fashion trends, every languid glance became a national sigh. In 1920 she stepped away from the spotlight to marry Vittorio Cini di Monselice, exchanging footlights for family life. Rome, the city that had once applauded her, closed its curtain on her story on 1 June 1959.
