Gina Rovere, born in Rome in 1935, is one of the most iconic and recognizable character actresses in Italian cinema, the perfect embodiment of the frank, pragmatic, and vivacious “popolana” (common woman). Her career is inextricably linked to the golden age of Italian comedy, which began with her dazzling debut in Mario Monicelli's masterpiece I soliti ignoti (1958), in which she played the unforgettable wife of Capannelle. From that moment on, her vigorous presence became a constant, specializing in roles of determined, practical women of the people. Among her most significant performances is that of Milly, the Roman prostitute with a heart of gold, in Antonio Pietrangeli's social drama Adua e le compagne (1960). She worked with other masters such as Bernardo Bertolucci in La commare secca (1962) and Monicelli again in Casanova '70 (1965), consolidating her reputation as an essential face for the authenticity and humanity of the cinema of that era.