Lollobrigida is the daughter of a furniture manufacturer, and spent her youth in a picturesque mountain village. In her youth, Gina did some modeling, and from there she went to participate successfully in several beauty contests. At around this time, she began appearing in Italian language films. In 1947, Gina entered the Miss Italy pageant and came in 3rd place.

In 1949 she married a Yugoslavian physician, Milko Skofic. (They had one son, and were divorced in 1971). Her beauty brought her to the attention of Hollywood, making her first American film, , in 1953. Following that, she was cast in a series of light romantic comedies considered minor by some. As her popularity increased, Lollobrigida earned the nickname "The World's Most Beautiful Woman" after her signature 1955 movie. In 1966 Gina had an affair with comedian Jerry Lewis. She has now largely retired from acting, and concentrates on photography and business ventures. In 1999, she contested the elections for European Parliament unsuccessfully.

She and the 7-years-younger fellow Italian actress Sophia Loren have publicly traded insults, and they