Biography

As a West Hollywood landlord in 1985, she filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court to exempt her 15-unit apartment building from the city's freeze on rents because she was suffering a net loss of $1,600 a month. It was the first legal action taken against West Hollywood's rent control law.

In 2012 she retired from a successful, long-time career as a California real estate agent and returned to Italy.

Came to the U.S. in late 1958 with her father Vittorio Nino Novarese, when he was was hired to design costumes for Spartacus (1960) and stayed on to do The Story of Ruth (1960), Cleopatra (1963), and other films.

Was engaged to Aaron Spelling. The two broke it off when Aaron met Carol Candy Spelling.

Speaks five languages: her native Italian, French, Spanish, German, and English. She learned English when she came to the U.S.