Pia Zadora

Pia Zadora (born Pia Alfreda Schipani; May 4, 1954) is an American actress and singer. After working as a child actress on Broadway, in regional theater, and in the film Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964), she came to national attention in 1981 when, following her starring role in the highly criticized Butterfly, she won a Golden Globe Award as New Star of the Year while simultaneously winning the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress and the Worst New Star for the same performance. When in the 1980s, Zadora's film career failed to achieve critical success, she switched her focus to music. As a singer, she has released several albums featuring popular standards, often backed by a symphonic orchestra. She was nominated for a Grammy in 1984. Early life Zadora was born in Hoboken, New Jersey. Her father, Alphonse Schipani, was an Italian-American violinist, and her mother, Saturnina Schipani (née Zadorowski), was a Polish-American theatrical wardrobe supervisor for Broadway productions, the Metropolitan Opera and the New York City Opera. She adapted part of her mother's maiden name as her stage name. She appeared as a child actress with Tallulah Bankhead in Midgie Purvis, and played the youngest sister (Bielke) in the Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof (1964–66).