Donna Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi
Encyclopedia
Marina Torlonia
, Princesa di Civitelli-Cesi (October 22, 1916 – September 15, 1960) was an Italian-American socialite
and aristocrat
best known as the paternal grandmother of the actress and model Brooke Shields
.
, at Palazzo Núñez-Torlonia
), the youngest daughter of Marino Torlonia, 4th prince of Civitella-Cesi
and his wife, Mary Elsie Moore
, a daughter of Charles Arthur Moore, a shipping broker and hardware manufacturer from Connecticut
. Her brother was Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince di Civitella-Cesi, the husband of Infanta Beatriz of Spain
(an aunt of King Juan Carlos I of Spain
).
The Torlonia family was one of the richest Italian families of the 19th century, gaining its fortune in the administration of Vatican
finances. Through Olimpia Giustiniani
, Torlonia is a descendant of Olimpia Maidalchini
making her a niece (many generations after) of Maidalchini's brother-in-law, Pope Innocent X
and a descendant of Olimpia Guistiniani's husband's family, the Barberini
.
(1909–1975), the American amateur tennis
player, whom she met in Rome at a tennis championship. They married in 1940, in North Conway, New Hampshire. The Shields' had two children: Francis Alexander Shields
(the father of the actress and model Brooke Shields
) and a daughter, Marina Shields. They later divorced.
Her second husband, whom she married on 29 December 1950, was Edward W. Slater, an architect, by whom she had a son, Edward (born 1955).
Torlonia
200px|thumb|Coat of arms of the House of Torlonia.The princes Torlonia are an Italian noble family from Rome, who acquired a huge fortune in the 18th and 19th centuries through administering the finances of the Vatican.-History:...
, Princesa di Civitelli-Cesi (October 22, 1916 – September 15, 1960) was an Italian-American socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
and aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
best known as the paternal grandmother of the actress and model Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields
Brooke Christa Shields is an American actress and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle....
.
Family
Torlonia was born in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, at Palazzo Núñez-Torlonia
Palazzo Núñez-Torlonia
Palazzo Núñez-Torlonia is a palace in Rome, central Italy, the current home of the Torlonia family.The palace was built in 1660 by Giovanni Antonio De Rossi for the marquis Francisco Nuñez-Sánchez. In 1806 the palace was acquired by prince Lucien Bonaparte, brother of the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte...
), the youngest daughter of Marino Torlonia, 4th prince of Civitella-Cesi
Marino Torlonia, 4th prince of Civitella-Cesi
Marino Torlonia , the 4th Prince di Civitella-Cesi, duke of Poli and Guadagnolo, was an Italian nobleman.-Biography:...
and his wife, Mary Elsie Moore
Mary Elsie Moore
Mary Elsie Moore was an American heiress who married and divorced Italian prince Don Marino Torlonia, 4th prince of Civitella-Cesi.-Early life and education:...
, a daughter of Charles Arthur Moore, a shipping broker and hardware manufacturer from Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. Her brother was Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince di Civitella-Cesi, the husband of Infanta Beatriz of Spain
Infanta Beatriz of Spain
The Infanta Beatriz of Spain was a daughter of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg and paternal aunt of the current King Juan Carlos I.-Early life:Infanta Beatriz was born at La Granja, San Ildefonso near...
(an aunt of King Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I |Italy]]) is the reigning King of Spain.On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of General Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated king according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. Spain had no monarch for 38 years in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the...
).
The Torlonia family was one of the richest Italian families of the 19th century, gaining its fortune in the administration of Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
finances. Through Olimpia Giustiniani
Olimpia Giustiniani
Olimpia Giustiniani was an Italian noblewoman of the houses of Giustiniani and Barberini. She was the grand-daughter of Olimpia Maidalchini, niece of Pope Innocent X and wife of Maffeo Barberini, Prince of Palestrina....
, Torlonia is a descendant of Olimpia Maidalchini
Olimpia Maidalchini
Olimpia Maidalchini , also spelled Olympia and known as Donna Olimpia, was the sister-in-law of Pope Innocent X .- Early life :...
making her a niece (many generations after) of Maidalchini's brother-in-law, Pope Innocent X
Pope Innocent X
Pope Innocent X , born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj , was Pope from 1644 to 1655. Born in Rome of a family from Gubbio in Umbria who had come to Rome during the pontificate of Pope Innocent IX, he graduated from the Collegio Romano and followed a conventional cursus honorum, following his uncle...
and a descendant of Olimpia Guistiniani's husband's family, the Barberini
Barberini
The Barberini are a family of the Italian nobility that rose to prominence in 17th century Rome. Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, as Pope Urban VIII...
.
Marriages
Marina Torlonia's first husband was Francis Xavier ShieldsFrank Shields
Francis Xavier Alexander Shields, Sr. was an amateur American tennis player of the 1920s and 1930s.-Tennis career:Between 1928 and 1945 he was ranked eight times in the U.S...
(1909–1975), the American amateur tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player, whom she met in Rome at a tennis championship. They married in 1940, in North Conway, New Hampshire. The Shields' had two children: Francis Alexander Shields
Francis Alexander Shields
Francis Xavier Alexander Shields was an American businessman and an executive at Revlon in New York, but is perhaps best known as the father of the actress Brooke Shields....
(the father of the actress and model Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields
Brooke Christa Shields is an American actress and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle....
) and a daughter, Marina Shields. They later divorced.
Her second husband, whom she married on 29 December 1950, was Edward W. Slater, an architect, by whom she had a son, Edward (born 1955).