Gia Scala
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(November 2020) |
Gia Scala | |
|---|---|
 Scala inGoodyear Theatre(1957) | |
| Born | Josephine Grace Johanna Scoglio March 3, 1934 Liverpool,England |
| Died | April 30, 1972 (aged 38) |
| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1955–1969 |
| Known for | |
| Spouse |
Don Burnett
(m.1959;div.1970) |
Gia Scala(bornJosephine Grace Johanna Scoglio;March 3, 1934 – April 30, 1972) was a British-American actress of Italian and Irish descent.
Early life
[edit]Scala was born March 3, 1934, inLiverpool,England, toSicilianfather Pietro Scoglio, and Irish mother Eileen O'Sullivan. She had one sister,Tina Scala,also an actress.[citation needed]
Scala was brought up inMessinaand Mili San Marco in Sicily, the latter on the estate of her grandfather, Natale Scoglio, who owned one of the largest citrus growing operations in Sicily. When Scala was 16, she moved to the United States to live with her aunt Agata inWhitestone, Queens,New York City. After graduating fromBayside High School,[1]she moved toManhattanto pursue acting. Scala supported herself by working at a travel agency.[citation needed]
While she worked during the day for airlines and an insurance agency, Scala studied acting at night, withStella Adleramong her teachers.[1]She metSteve McQueen,whom she dated from 1952 to 1954. Scala began to appear on game shows, includingStop the Music,where she was spotted by Maurice Bergman, an executive ofUniversal Internationallocated in New York City.[citation needed]
Career
[edit]
In 1954, accompanied by her mother, Scala flew to Los Angeles to screen test for the role ofMary MagdaleneinThe Gallileans.Although she did not get the part, Peter Johnson atUniversal Studioswas impressed with Scala's screen test. Scala had her first official job inHollywoodwhen she was given a non-speaking, uncredited part in the movieAll That Heaven Allows,starringRock Hudson.Despite her minor role in the movie, Universal Studios signed her to a contract, dyed her hair dark brown, had her four front teeth capped, and gave her the stage name Gia Scala.[2]
SongwriterHenry Mancinimet Scala on the set ofFour Girls in Town.Inspired by her beauty, he wrote "Cha Cha for Gia", which appeared uncredited in the 1957 film.[citation needed]
inDon't Go Near the Water(1957)
Scala became emotionally distraught following the death of her mother in 1957. In 1958, she became anaturalizedAmerican citizen.[3]Scala soon after landed roles in such films asTip on a Dead Jockey(1957),The Garment Jungle(1957),The Tunnel of Love(1958), andThe Guns of Navarone(1961), starringGregory PeckandDavid Niven.
Scala made frequent appearances on American television during the 1960s, appearing in such series asAlfred Hitchcock Presents,Convoy,The Islanders,The Rogues,Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,Twelve O'Clock High,Tarzan,andIt Takes a Thief(1969) in the episode "The Artist Is for Framing," her final acting role.
Later years
[edit]On August 21, 1959, Scala married Don Burnett, an actor[4]turned investment banker. After 11 years of marriage they divorced on September 1, 1970, and Burnett married actressBarbara Anderson.Scala had difficulties with alcohol and her career began to wane.[citation needed]
In 2015, author/researcher Sterling Saint James wrote a book about Gia Scala's life titledGia Scala: The First Gia.Tina Scalaprovided intimate details about her sister's life.[citation needed]
Death
[edit]On the night of April 30, 1972, 38-year-old Scala was found dead in her Hollywood Hills home. Los Angeles County CoronerThomas Noguchireported her cause of death was from accidental "acuteethanolandbarbiturateintoxication ".[1]
Scala is interred in theHoly Cross Cemeteryin Culver City, California.[5]
Film and television credits
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Stop the Music | ||
| 1955 | All That Heaven Allows(uncredited) | Marguerita | |
| 1956 | Never Say Goodbye(uncredited) | Minnie | |
| 1956 | The Price of Fear | Nina Ferranti | |
| 1957 | Goodyear Theatre(TV) | Giovanna | |
| 1957 | Four Girls in Town | Vicki Dauray | |
| 1957 | The Big Boodle | Anita Ferrer | |
| 1957 | Don't Go Near the Water | Melora Alba | |
| 1957 | The Garment Jungle | Theresa Renata | |
| 1957 | Tip on a Dead Jockey | Paquita Heldon | |
| 1958 | Ride a Crooked Trail | Tessa Milotte | |
| 1958 | The Tunnel of Love | Estelle Novick | |
| 1958 | The Two-Headed Spy | Lili Geyr | |
| 1959 | The Angry Hills | Eleftheria | |
| 1959 | Battle of the Coral Sea | Karen Philips | |
| 1960 | I Aim at the Stars | Elizabeth Beyer | |
| 1960 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents(TV) | Lottie Rank | Season 5 Episode 26: "Mother, May I Go Out to Swim?" |
| 1960 | The Islanders(TV) | Rhea | "Duel of Strangers" |
| 1961 | The Guns of Navarone | Anna | |
| 1961 | Here's Hollywood(TV) | Herself | Episode 1.154 |
| 1961 | Hong Kong(TV) | Maria Banda | "The Runaway" |
| 1961 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents(TV) | Lisa Talbot | Season 6 Episode 27: "Deathmate" |
| 1962 | The Triumph of Robin Hood | Anna | |
| 1964 | Operation Delilah | Dalida | |
| 1964 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour(TV) | Kitty Frazier | Season 2 Episode 27: "The Sign of Satan" |
| 1964 | The Rogues(TV) | Simone Carnot | "Take Me to Paris" |
| 1965 | The Rogues(TV) | Lisa de Monfort | "The Laughing Lady of Luxor" |
| 1965 | Convoy(TV) | Madeline Duval | "Passage to Liverpool" |
| 1965 | Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea(TV) | Dr. Katya Markova | "Jonah & the Whale" |
| 1965 | Twelve O'Clock High(TV) | Ilka Zradna | "R/X for a Sick Bird" |
| 1965 | Run for Your Life(TV) | Marika Takacs | "How to Sell Your Soul for Fun & Profit" |
| 1966 | Jericho(TV) | Simone DuBray | "Upbeat & Underground" |
| 1967 | Tarzan(TV) | Martha Tolboth | "The Golden Runaway" |
| 1969 | The Name of the Game(TV) | Renata Marino | "The Inquiry" |
| 1969 | It Takes a Thief(TV) | Angel | "The Artist Is for Framing" |
References
[edit]- ^abc"Gia Scala Is Dead; Film Actress, 38".The New York Times.Associated Press.May 2, 1972. Archived fromthe originalon September 4, 2017.RetrievedAugust 5,2020.
- ^Brumburgh, Gary. "More Than a Beautiful Face",Films of the Golden Age.June 2022
- ^Crivello, Kirk (January 1, 1990).Fallen Angels: The Lives and Untimely Deaths of 14 Hollywood Beauties.Berkley. p. 188.ISBN0-425-11968-8.
- ^"Gia Scala Wed to Don Burnett".The New York Times.United Press International.August 22, 1959. p. 9.ProQuest114707384.RetrievedNovember 3,2020– viaProQuest.
- ^Ellenberger, Allan R. (May 1, 2001).Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory.McFarland. p. 172.ISBN978-0-7864-5019-0.RetrievedJanuary 31,2023.
External links
[edit]
- 1934 births
- 1972 deaths
- 20th-century English actresses
- Accidental deaths in California
- Actresses from Liverpool
- Alcohol-related deaths in California
- Barbiturates-related deaths
- Bayside High School (Queens) alumni
- Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
- Drug-related deaths in California
- English emigrants to the United States
- English film actresses
- English people of Italian descent
- English people of Irish descent
- English people of Sicilian descent
- English television actresses
- Naturalized citizens of the United States
- People from Whitestone, Queens