Masina, Giulietta

Born Feb. 22, 1921, near Bologna. Italian film actress.

Masina studied at the University of Rome. In 1942 she began her career as a dramatic actress in the theater; she later worked in radio. She made her cinema debut in the film Senza Pietà (1948). She acquired worldwide fame for her roles in the films of her husband, the director F. Fellini, which include Lights of Variety (1950), La Strada (1954; Russian title, They Wandered Along the Roads), II Bidone (1955), Nights of Cabiria (1956), and Juliet of the Spirits (1965).

Masina’s acting style combines lyricism and the grotesque, a subtle psychological approach, and a remarkable authenticity in her character portrayals. Her talent is especially apparent in her portrayal of Gelsomina in La Strada and of Cabiria in Nights of Cabiria. In her own way, Masina develops the Chaplinesque theme of the “little man” who suffers from loneliness and the cruelty of the world yet retains his faith in human goodness.