Gia Scala (born Josephine Grace Johanna Scoglio; March 3, 1934 – April 30, 1972) was a British and American actress.

Early life

Scala was born March 3, 1934, in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, England, to Sicilian father Pietro Scoglio, and Irish mother Eileen O'Sullivan. She had one sister,

Tina Scala Tina Scala (July 16, 1935 – January 10, 2022) was an Italian-born American actress, model, singer and poet. Early life The daughter of an Italian father and an Irish mother, Scala's early life was one of privilege. As Agatina Carmen Maria Scog ...

, also an actress. Scala was brought up in

Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...

and 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 in

Whitestone, Queens Whitestone is a residential neighborhood in the northernmost part of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood proper is located between the East River to the north; College Point and Whitestone Expressway to the west; Flushing a ...

, New York City. After graduating from Bayside High School, she moved to

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

to pursue acting. Scala supported herself by working at a travel agency. While she worked during the day for airlines and an insurance agency, Scala studied acting at night, with

Stella Adler Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher. A member of Yiddish Theater's Adler dynasty, Adler began acting at a young age. She shifted to producing, directing, and teaching, founding the ...

among her teachers. She met

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of counterculture of the 1960s, 1960s counterculture, made him a top box office draw for his films of the late ...

, whom she dated from 1952 to 1954. Scala began to appear on game shows, including '' Stop the Music'', where she was spotted by Maurice Bergman, an executive of Universal International located in New York City.

Career

In 1954, accompanied by her mother, Scala flew to Los Angeles to screen test for the role of

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...

in ''The Gallileans.'' Although she did not get the part, Peter Johnson at

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

was impressed with Scala's screen test. Scala had her first official job in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

when she was given a non-speaking, uncredited part in the movie ''

All That Heaven Allows ''All That Heaven Allows'' is a 1955 American melodrama film directed by Douglas Sirk, produced by Ross Hunter, and adapted by Peg Fenwick from a novel by Edna L. Lee and Harry Lee. It stars Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson in a tale about the social ...

'', starring

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular film stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades, and was a prominent figure in the G ...

. 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. Songwriter

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flutist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Awards, ...

met Scala on the set of ''

Four Girls in Town ''Four Girls in Town'' is a 1957 American CinemaScope Technicolor drama film, directed by Jack Sher, about four girls trying to be movie stars. Plot When the leading lady drops out of a new film to be shot in New Orleans, studio head James Mannin ...

''. Inspired by her beauty, he wrote "Cha Cha for Gia", which appeared uncredited in the 1957 film. Russ Tamblyn and Gia Scala 1957

Scala became emotionally distraught following the death of her mother in 1957. In 1958, she became a

naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

American citizen. Scala soon after landed roles in such films as '' Tip on a Dead Jockey'' (1957), '' The Garment Jungle'' (1957), '' The Tunnel of Love'' (1958), and '' The Guns of Navarone'' (1961), starring

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 12th-greatest male ...

and

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was an English actor, soldier, raconteur, memoirist and novelist. Niven was known as a handsome and debonair leading man in Classic Hollywood films. His accolades include an Academ ...

. Scala made frequent appearances on American television during the 1960s, appearing in such series as ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'', ''

Convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

,'' '' The Islanders,'' '' The Rogues,'' ''

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' is a 1961 American science fiction disaster film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, and starring Walter Pidgeon and Robert Sterling. The supporting cast includes Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden ...

,'' '' Twelve O'Clock High'', ''

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...

'', and '' It Takes a Thief'' (1969) in the episode "The Artist Is for Framing," her final acting role.

Later years

On August 21, 1959, Scala married Don Burnett, an actor turned investment banker. After 11 years of marriage they divorced on September 1, 1970, and Burnett married actress Barbara Anderson. Scala had difficulties with alcohol and her career began to wane. In 2015, author/researcher Sterling Saint James wrote a book about Gia Scala's life titled ''Gia Scala: The First Gia.'' Her sister, Tina, provided further details about her sister's life.

Death

On the night of April 30, 1972, 38-year-old Scala was found dead in her Hollywood Hills home. Los Angeles County Coroner Thomas Noguchi reported her cause of death was from accidental "acute

ethanol Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with its formula also written as , or EtOH, where Et is the ps ...

and

barbiturate Barbiturates are a class of depressant, depressant drugs that are chemically derived from barbituric acid. They are effective when used medication, medically as anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants, but have physical and psychological a ...

intoxication". Scala is interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Film and television credits

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Scala, Gia 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