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Delia Scala, born September 25, 1929 - died
January 15, 2004, was an Italian ballerina and
actor|actress.


Born Odette Bedogni in Bracciano, Lazio, Italy, as
a young girl the family moved to Milan where she
studied ballet at La Scala Ballet School for seven
years. She performed in numerous ballets until
World War II, after which she began appearing in
motion pictures using the stage name, Delia Scala.
In 1956, she began a career in television, an
industry that at the time in Italy was still in
its infancy. She starred in several variety shows
during the 50s and 60s, and became one of her
country's most beloved TV showgirls.

During the mid 1950s she gained much publicity for
her relationship with Formula One racecar driver
Eugenio Castellotti. However, he died in 1957 when
his Ferrari crashed while attempting a speed
record at the Modena racetrack. She ultimately
married Piero Giannotti, but he was killed in a
bicycle mishap.

Although Scala achieved great fame, life was not
easy and she was diagnosed with breast cancer,
undergoing a radical mastectomy. After several
years battling her cancer, Delia Scala died in
2004 in Livorno, Tuscany. With the news of her
passing, Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
called her a "model of vivaciousness and rigorous
professionalism" and said she ranked among "the
most beloved and popular artists in the history of
Italian entertainment."