Pia Zadora

American Actress
Pia Zadora is an American actress and singer who gained national attention in the 1980s for her starring role in the highly criticized film Butterfly, for which she won a Golden Globe Award as New Star of the Year and the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress and Worst New Star. She has since focused on her music career, releasing several albums featuring popular standards.

About Pia Zadora

Pia Zadora (born Pia Alfreda Schipani; May 4, 1954) is an American actress and singer. She debuted 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.

In the 1980s, her film career failed to achieve critical success, so she focused on 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.

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Frequently asked questions about Pia Zadora

Pia Zadora is an American actress and singer who debuted as a child actress on Broadway, in regional theater, and in the film Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964).

Pia Zadora’s breakthrough role was in the 1981 film Butterfly, for which she won a Golden Globe Award as New Star of the Year, but also the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress and Worst New Star.

After her film career failed to achieve critical success in the 1980s, Pia Zadora focused on her music career, releasing several albums featuring popular standards, often backed by a symphonic orchestra. She was even nominated for a Grammy in 1984.

Pia Zadora was born on May 4, 1954, with the full name Pia Alfreda Schipani.

Before her breakthrough role in Butterfly, Pia Zadora had a career as a child actress, appearing on Broadway, in regional theater, and in the film Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964).

Quotes by Pia Zadora

And I like the way Cain writes his women. Very strong. They’re kind of lusty, they know what they want, they’re full of conviction. Cain’s women are sexual.

Pia Zadora

Basically, I’m a romantic.

Pia Zadora

Because a lot of straight people think I’m nuts.

Pia Zadora

But there’s not enough time in life to go sit at a party, have a drink, and make idle conversation. There’s too many important things to do. Just being together with my husband, spending time alone, which I have very little of.

Pia Zadora

Butterfly was certainly a vehicle for me, and if it died, it still would have served its purpose, in spades. We never expected it to give me the visibility it has given me. It was just a small thing as a vehicle, and suddenly the whole world knew about it.

Pia Zadora

Film, I think, is my medium.

Pia Zadora

I actually started singing those songs six or seven years ago, when I was an opening act for Frank Sinatra.

Pia Zadora

I don’t consider myself a sex symbol.

Pia Zadora

I don’t like to go to the movies to see violence or some kind of spy thing with all kinds of information you have to assimilate to understand the plot.

Pia Zadora

I have a funny name.

Pia Zadora

I like to see love stories: romantic comedy or romantic drama.

Pia Zadora

I love John Waters. You see, I want to be the next Divine.

Pia Zadora

If you have a guy like Jermaine, it’s a pain in the neck. When we were on the road together in Europe, Jesus, I had to kick the girls off of him. I mean, they throw themselves on the floor and take off their hats.

Pia Zadora

I’m gonna give them the advice that I always took myself, that it’s better to get to know somebody before you jump into the sack with them. Because then if you jump into the sack and fall in love, and you liked them already, you’re home free.

Pia Zadora

I’m just not comfortable with that society stuff. I mean, we were just invited to the White House, but my husband won’t take me because he knows I don’t want to go.

Pia Zadora

I’m one Pia Zadora, the same way all the time. That’s why I’m happy. It took me a long time to get to the point where could be myself all the time.

Pia Zadora

In a way, my past gives me a little credibility. Not that anybody cares what I did nineteen years ago, but I did have a career, and a legitimate one, before I met my husband.

Pia Zadora

The future comes quickly. Before you know it, you turn around and it’s tomorrow.

Pia Zadora

The reason we shot it was that the script was geared to Las Vegas and it was something commercial that we wanted to have in the can in case Butterfly was a success and we needed a follow-up.

Pia Zadora

The thing you do is escape from them by immersing myself in the character you’re playing.

Pia Zadora

Then I went through a whole bunch of crap with my lousy movies and pop records. I had people behind me kind of steering me in that direction, but it wasn’t really my bag.

Pia Zadora

When I was 21 I stopped and got married. I tried for a while to be the perfect wife, society this, society that but it wasn’t working, so after about a year I went back to work.

Pia Zadora

You know, it was important for me to do something like that, because nobody ever really thought I could do anything except look sexy on a poster and go shopping.

Pia Zadora

You know, it’s not the people in Hollywood who go to see movies that will make a movie successful; it’s the people all around the country; it’s word-of-mouth.

Pia Zadora