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Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (Italian: [joˈlanda kriˈstiːna dʒiʎˈʎɔtti]; 17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), professionally known as Dalida, was a French singer and actress, born in Egypt to Italian parents. Leading an international career, Dalida has sold over 140 million records worldwide.
- She started out as a beauty queen. Dalida's career began when she became Miss Egypt in 1954. That same year, she moved to Paris to pursue an acting career.
- She recorded in seven languages. Several of Dalida's biggest hits are, of course, in French. Among them are "Itsi Bitsi Petit Bikini", "Il venait d'avoir 18 ans", "Laissez-moi danser" et "Mourir sur scène".
- She was a multi-faceted artist. Early on in her career, Dalida recorded light pop tunes attached to the yé-yé movement, France's answer to the rise of bands such as The Beatles in the early Sixties.
- Her personal life inspired one of her most famous songs. "Il venait d'avoir dix-huit ans", which translates to "he had just turned 18", was released by Dalida in 1973.
Dalida was a French-Italian singer, born to Italian parents in Egypt. She moved to France in her 30's, where she enjoyed the most successful part of her career. She was born on January 17, 1933 in Cairo, Egypt as Yolande Christina Gigliotti. She was married to Lucien Morisse. She died on May 3, 1987 in Paris, France.
- Actress, Music Department, Additional Crew
- May 3, 1987
- January 17, 1933
- She Had Surprising Beginnings
- She Had A Childhood Filled with Music
- They Took Her Father
- She Endured A Living Nightmare
- She Was (Mostly) A Normal Teen
- Her Mom Disapproved of Her Passions
- She Found Fame
- Her Mom Tried to Stop Her
- She Made Use of Her Beauty
- She Was A Total Stunner
Dalida’s beginnings foreshadowed her future as a star with incredible international appeal. On January 17, 1933, Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti—known to us as “Dalida”—was born to two Italian parents living in Cairo, Egypt. Her mom was a seamstress and the family breadwinner. Her dad, on the other hand, held a job that gained Dalida’s family a surprisi...
While Dalida’s mom brought in the cash, her dad’s job as the concertmaster of the Khedivial Opera House earned their family the admiration of her neighbors. Thanks to her parents, Dalida and her two brothers had a mostly idyllic childhood that exposed them to a good education and a love for music…until a family tragedy turned Dalida’s gentle father...
In 1940, WWII turned Dalida’s life completely upside-down. Allied forces took her father and some other Italian men from their homes, and sent them to the Fayed prison camp near Cairo. For four years, young Dalida saw neither hide nor hair of her father and had practically zero knowledge of what went on inside the camp. Four years later, the Allies...
Whatever happened inside the prison completely changed Dalida’s dad. He was no longer the loving figure that she remembered. Instead, he was cold and cruel. According to Dalida, “I hated him when he beat me, I hated him especially when he beat my mom and brothers.” Only 11 years old, she fervently wished for her father to disappear from her life fo...
In 1945, Dalida’s family was struck by tragedy. Her father suffered a brain abscess that killed him. Their grief was tempered by gratitude that they no longer had to put up with him. Now freed of her dad, Dalida went on to live her life as a normal teen—for the most part. As she approached her teen years, she developed a passion for acting that her...
Shortly after landing a safe (but probably boring) job at a pharmaceutical company, Dalida’s best friend convinced her to join Miss Ondine, a minor Cairo beauty pageant. Dalida, as excited as she probably was, hesitated. If her mom found out, she was toast. Her friend eventually convinced her to join—after all, it was just for fun. There was no way...
Okay, so Dalida didn’t actually win the competition, but she did place second, which completely shocked her. The news of her second-place win, along with a photograph of her, ended up in two major Egyptian newspapers. Awesome, right? Well, not if you’re trying to hide the fact that you joined a pageant from your mom! Eventually, her mom saw the art...
Dalida’s mom didn’t just send her to her room or ground her for a week. No, Dalida’s punishment was much, much worse. Dalida’s mom sat her down and forcibly cut the teen’s hair short, changing the girl’s looks and likely making it much more difficult for her to enter any future pageants. Dalida was tenacious though; she wasn’t going to let somethin...
Although her actions were extreme, Dalida’s mom wasn’t immune to having her mind changed. Sometime after the haircutting incident, her views of pageants and modeling softened. Dalida seized this chance to leave her job at the pharmaceutical company and pursue a modeling career with Donna, a Cairo-based fashion house. She must’ve been pretty darn go...
On her 21st birthday, Dalida got her mom’s blessing to enter the 1954 Miss Egypt competition. Unlike her last pageant experience, Dalida planned to take home the crown, and she did it in the most daring way possible. When she stepped onto the stage, she appeared in a sensational panther-print bikini that blew away the judges. Dalida won the Miss Eg...
Dalida: The Story of French Music’s Exotic Princess of Pop. Darcy ·. Features Music. · · 9 min read. Dalida, born Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti in January 1933, spent her early years in Cairo. Her parents were both from southern Italy but headed to Egypt after exhausting all job prospects in their home town.
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Dalida performed and recorded in more than ten languages, including Arabic, Italian, Greek, German, French, English, Japanese, Hebrew, Dutch and Spanish. She ranks among the 7 biggest singers of all time. In 1957, Dalida was the first artist to be awarded a gold record in France, and earned more than 70 in her career.
Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti ( Italian: [ joˈlanda kriˈstiːna dʒiʎˈʎɔtti]; 17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), professionally known as Dalida, was a French singer and actress, born in Egypt to Italian parents. Leading an international career, Dalida has sold over 140 million records worldwide.
