Italian actress Virna Lisi died at 78

Italian star Virna Lisi, famed in the 1960s for appearing opposite stars like Frank Sinatra, has died at the age of 78.

She had begun her film career as a teenager in the early 1950s with a string of roles in Italian movies. The actress was regularly lauded in her homeland for her work, winning seven David di Donatella awards in the 1980s and 90s, culminating in a special honour in 2009.

According to media reports, Virna Lisi was born on November 8, 1936. She reached the public's attention when she appeared in the film ‘La corda d'acciaio’ (‘The line of steel’, which was released in 1953.) She went on to appear in a number of acclaimed movies including ‘La Donna del Giorno’ (1956), ‘Eva’ (1962), and ‘Romolo e Remo’ (1961).

A source revealed that Lisi’s son, Corrado, stated that, “She had passed away peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, a month after being diagnosed with an illness. In 2004, she was given an honorary ‘Italian Globe’ in 2004 for her cinematic achievements”.

While in Hollywood, she maintained a career in European cinema. She plays a lead role in ‘The Birds, the Bees and the Italians’ which shared the top prize at the ‘Cannes’ film festival in 1966.

She is survived by her son Corrado Pesci and three grandchildren. Her husband of 53 years, the architect Franco Pesci, died in 2013.