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

Gia Scala
Scala in Goodyear Theatre (1957)
Born
Josephine Grace Johanna Scoglio

March 3, 1934
Liverpool, England
DiedApril 30, 1972 (aged 38)
Resting placeHoly Cross Cemetery
OccupationActress
Years active1955–1969
Known for
Spouse
Don Burnett
(m. 1959; div. 1970)

Early life

edit

Scala was born March 3, 1934, in Liverpool, England, to Sicilian father Pietro Scoglio, and Irish mother Eileen O'Sullivan. She had one sister, Tina Scala, also an actress.[citation needed]

Scala was brought up in Messina 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, New York City. After graduating from Bayside High School,[1] she moved to Manhattan to pursue acting. Scala supported herself by working at a travel agency.[citation needed]

While she worked during the day for airlines and an insurance agency, Scala studied acting at night, with Stella Adler among her teachers.[1] She met Steve McQueen, 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.[citation needed]

Career

edit
 
Scala in the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "Mother, May I Go Out to Swim?"

In 1954, accompanied by her mother, Scala flew to Los Angeles to screen test for the role of Mary Magdalene in The Gallileans. Although she did not get the part, Peter Johnson at Universal Studios was impressed with Scala's screen test. Scala had her first official job in Hollywood when she was given a non-speaking, uncredited part in the movie All That Heaven Allows, starring Rock Hudson. 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.[2]

Songwriter Henry Mancini met Scala on the set of Four Girls in Town. Inspired by her beauty, he wrote "Cha Cha for Gia", which appeared uncredited in the 1957 film.[citation needed]

 
Scala and Russ Tamblyn
in Don't Go Near the Water (1957)

Scala became emotionally distraught following the death of her mother in 1957. In 1958, she became a naturalized American citizen.[3] 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 and David Niven.

Scala made frequent appearances on American television during the 1960s, appearing in such series as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Convoy, The Islanders, The Rogues, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Twelve O'Clock High, Tarzan, and It Takes a Thief (1969) in the episode "The Artist Is for Framing," her final acting role.

Later years

edit

On August 21, 1959, Scala married Don Burnett, an actor[4] 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.[citation needed]

In 2015, author/researcher Sterling Saint James wrote a book about Gia Scala's life titled Gia Scala: The First Gia. Tina Scala provided intimate details about her sister's life.[citation needed]

Death

edit

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 and barbiturate intoxication".[1]

Scala is interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.[5]

Film and television credits

edit
Year Title Role Episode
1954 Stop the Music
1955 All That Heaven Allows (uncredited) Marguerita
1956 Never Say Goodbye (uncredited) Minnie
1956 The Price of Fear Nina Ferranti
1957 Goodyear Theatre (TV) Giovanna
1957 Four Girls in Town Vicki Dauray
1957 The Big Boodle Anita Ferrer
1957 Don't Go Near the Water Melora Alba
1957 The Garment Jungle Theresa Renata
1957 Tip on a Dead Jockey Paquita Heldon
1958 Ride a Crooked Trail Tessa Milotte
1958 The Tunnel of Love Estelle Novick
1958 The Two-Headed Spy Lili Geyr
1959 The Angry Hills Eleftheria
1959 Battle of the Coral Sea Karen Philips
1960 I Aim at the Stars Elizabeth Beyer
1960 Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV) Lottie Rank Season 5 Episode 26: "Mother, May I Go Out to Swim?"
1960 The Islanders (TV) Rhea "Duel of Strangers"
1961 The Guns of Navarone Anna
1961 Here's Hollywood (TV) Herself Episode 1.154
1961 Hong Kong (TV) Maria Banda "The Runaway"
1961 Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV) Lisa Talbot Season 6 Episode 27: "Deathmate"
1962 The Triumph of Robin Hood Anna
1964 Operation Delilah Dalida
1964 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (TV) Kitty Frazier Season 2 Episode 27: "The Sign of Satan"
1964 The Rogues (TV) Simone Carnot "Take Me to Paris"
1965 The Rogues (TV) Lisa de Monfort "The Laughing Lady of Luxor"
1965 Convoy (TV) Madeline Duval "Passage to Liverpool"
1965 Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV) Dr. Katya Markova "Jonah & the Whale"
1965 Twelve O'Clock High (TV) Ilka Zradna "R/X for a Sick Bird"
1965 Run for Your Life (TV) Marika Takacs "How to Sell Your Soul for Fun & Profit"
1966 Jericho (TV) Simone DuBray "Upbeat & Underground"
1967 Tarzan (TV) Martha Tolboth "The Golden Runaway"
1969 The Name of the Game (TV) Renata Marino "The Inquiry"
1969 It Takes a Thief (TV) Angel "The Artist Is for Framing"

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Gia Scala Is Dead; Film Actress, 38". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 2, 1972. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  2. ^ Brumburgh, Gary. "More Than a Beautiful Face", Films of the Golden Age. June 2022
  3. ^ Crivello, Kirk (January 1, 1990). Fallen Angels: The Lives and Untimely Deaths of 14 Hollywood Beauties. Berkley. p. 188. ISBN 0-425-11968-8.
  4. ^ "Gia Scala Wed to Don Burnett". The New York Times. United Press International. August 22, 1959. p. 9. ProQuest 114707384. Retrieved November 3, 2020 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ Ellenberger, Allan R. (May 1, 2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 172. ISBN 978-0-7864-5019-0. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
edit