A spit fire, obstinate, passionate, with an explosive temper, these are just a few words describing the remarkable actress Anna Magnani. Born March 7, 1908, she was abandoned by her unmarried teenage mother and grew up with maternal grandparents. She did not know her father.

Some report he was Egyptian, others say he was Calabrese. Some even claimed Anna was born in Egypt, but Anna, proud of her Italian heritage, maintained, “I am Italian; I am Roman!” Anna worked her way through Rome’s Academy of Dramatic Art, singing in nightclubs and bars. For years, she performed in a number of different theater locales and even joined a theater group in South America.