Gia Scala

Biography: Born Giovanna Sgoglio, she was born to an Irish mother and Italian father, raised in Rome from the age of three. At 17 she moved to the U.S.; she studied theater with Stella Adler in New York, then began appearing on TV. She debuted onscreen in 1956, playing standard leads in British and American films over the next five years. After 1961 she appeared in only one film; her career was impaired by a drinking problem, and she was arrested several times on intoxication-related charges. She died at 38 of an accidental overdose of drugs and alcohol.