Pier Angeli was born Anna Maria Pierangeli in Italy. When she began her acting career, she took her surname and split it in two, creating the stage name that the world would come to know. She was just sixteen years old when she appeared in her first Italian film, “The Million Dollar Nickel.” A handful of small roles followed before she made the leap that would change everything.
In 1951, Pier Angeli made her Hollywood debut in the film “Teresa.” The role earned her the Golden Globe for New Star of the Year – Actress, an extraordinary achievement for a teenager who had only recently arrived in the American film industry. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer quickly saw her potential and signed her to a five-year contract, setting the stage for a busy run of films throughout the early 1950s.
These early years in Hollywood were filled with photo shoots, studio events, and a rapidly growing public profile. Angeli carried herself with a natural elegance that translated effortlessly onto film and into the press photographs that circulated widely at the time.
After signing with MGM, Angeli settled into Hollywood life. Studio publicity images from this period show her reading by the fire, relaxing at home, and posing in elegant gowns — the carefully crafted image of a rising star.
“Teresa” remains one of her most recognized films. It told the story of an American soldier who returns home from World War II with an Italian bride. Angeli played that bride with a quiet vulnerability that resonated deeply with postwar American audiences. The film put her on the map and confirmed that her Golden Globe win was no fluke.
By 1952, Angeli was appearing in multiple productions. She starred opposite Stewart Granger in “The Light Touch” and also worked on “The Devil Makes Three.” Her schedule was relentless, and the photographs from this period show a young woman at the peak of her early fame, moving between film sets, airports, and public appearances with ease.
In 1953, Angeli filmed “The Story of Three Loves” and “Sombrero.” It was on the set of “The Story of Three Loves” that she fell in love with her co-star Kirk Douglas, and the two became engaged. The relationship did not last. After the engagement ended, she began a brief affair with actor James Dean, who was one of Hollywood’s most talked-about young stars at the time.
Despite the romance with Dean, Angeli married singer and actor Vic Damone in 1954. The marriage lasted until 1958. Photos from 1954 show her active on the Hollywood social circuit, attending parties, dining out at venues like Mocambo’s, and spending time with fellow stars like Debbie Reynolds. She also appeared in “The Silver Chalice” that year, continuing to build a diverse filmography.
The mid-1950s saw Angeli remain a fixture of Hollywood’s social world while also continuing to work on film projects. She appeared in “Port Afrique” in 1955 and was photographed at garden parties, alongside fellow actresses like Leslie Caron, and at various Los Angeles gatherings. By 1956, she had a son with Vic Damone, and images from that year capture a quieter, more domestic side of her life.
After her divorce from Vic Damone in 1958, Angeli’s personal life shifted again. In 1962, she married Italian composer Armando Trovajoli. That marriage also ended, after seven years. Through the 1960s, she continued working in films, though her Hollywood star power had faded compared to the early years of her career. She was still photographed frequently, and images from 1960 and 1961 show a composed and stylish woman in her early thirties.
Her final screen appearance came in 1971. That same year, Pier Angeli was found dead in her home in Beverly Hills. She was 39 years old. The official cause of death was a barbiturate overdose. Her body was taken to Europe, and she was buried at the Cimetière des Bulvis in Rueil-Malmaison, Hauts-de-Seine, France.
