- Born
- Died
- Birth nameMaria Canale
- Height5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
- Gianna Maria Canale was born on September 12, 1927 in Reggio di Calabria, Calabria, Italy. She was an actress, known for Clash of Steel (1962), Theodora, Slave Empress (1954) and Dead Woman's Kiss (1949). She was married to Riccardo Freda. She died on February 13, 2009 in Florence, Tuscany, Italy.
- SpouseRiccardo Freda(1951 - December 20, 1999) (his death)
- Predatory charm; alluring seductress gaze
- Hollywood-style butterfly-wing eyebrows
- Raven hair and green almond eyes
- Often worked with husband Riccardo Freda
- Often starred in peplums and period pieces, usually playing queens or heroines
- In 1947, at the Miss Italia beauty contest, which was won by actress Lucia Bosè, she placed second.
- Crowned 'Miss Florence' in 1947.
- Florence-born Italian leading lady whose anatomy figured prominently into a number of '50s and early '60s spear-and-sandal plots whether a fetching princess or evil temptress.
- Husband Riccardo Freda met her initially when he offered her a role in one of his films. They got married in Brazil, where they shot two films together, but eventually returned to Italy where she was frequently directed by her husband.
- Her sultry, dark-haired looks were featured in many magazine spreads in the 1950s and she was often thought of as the Italian version of Ava Gardner.
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