Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida, one of the biggest stars of European cinema in the 1950s and '60s, died at the age of 95.

Often described as "the most beautiful woman in the world", her films included "Beat the Devil", the "Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "Crossed Swords".

She co-starred alongside the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra, Rock Hudson and Errol Flynn.

Her career faded in the 1960s and she moved into photography and politics.

Nicknamed La Lollo, she was one of the last surviving icons of the glory days of film, who Bogart said "made Marilyn Monroe look like Shirley Temple".

Movie mogul Howard Hughes showered her with marriage proposals. Off camera, she enjoyed a feud with Sophia Loren, a fellow Italian star.

Loren was "very shocked and saddened" by the death of her one-time rival, a statement said.

Culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano wrote on Twitter: "Farewell to a diva of the silver screen, protagonist of more than half a century of Italian cinema history. Her charm will remain eternal."

Lollobrigida died in a Rome clinic, her former lawyer Giulia Citani told the Reuters news agency.

Photo: Getty Images