About Silvana Pampanini
Silvana Pampanini was an Italian film actress, director and singer. She was also the niece of the soprano of the golden era of opera, Dame Rosetta Pampanini. Silvana Pampanini caused a sensation when she took part in the 1946 Miss Italia contest and the following year she started her movie career. Madame Pampanini was born into a well-off family, she was educated, and studied opera and ballet since her childhood. According to interviews, Pampanini was a contralto with notable voice extension. However, she also said many times over the years that she preferred to pursue a career in cinema as it required less training and it was much less demanding than a career as an opera singer. Because of her physical looks and public persona Silvana was compared first to Deanna Durbin, then to Jane Russell. In 1954, the actress was sent a letter threatening that her home would be blown up if she did not leave a payment of 8 million lire in her car. Green-eyed and long-legged Silvana quickly became one of the most popular pin-up girls and movie stars in her country.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.