Sylvia Koscina
Birth Name: Silvija Košćina
Date of Birth: 22 August, 1933
Place of Birth: Zagreb, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (now Croatia)
Date of Death: 26 December, 1994
Place of Death: Rome, Lazio, Italy
Ethnicity: Croatian, likely small amount of Italian
Sylvia Koscina was a Yugoslav-Italian actress. She was known for role as the female lead in the films Hercules (1959) and Hercules Unchained, Iole, and The Secret War of Harry Frigg, among many other credits.
She was the daughter of Valerija Maljković and Ing. Ivan Košćina. Her parents were from Split. During WWII, her family moved to Italy. She considered herself Yugoslav.
It has been said that Sylvia was the daughter of a Greek father and a Polish mother. This is not accurate.
Sylvia’s paternal grandfather was Ante/Antonio Benedetto Košćina/Coschina (the son of Ivan/Giovanni Košćina/Coschina and Nikolina/Nicolina Sbisa). Ante was born in Borgo Grande-Veli Varoš, Split. Ivan was the son of Josip/Gisueppe Košćina/Coschina and Ana/Anna Šore. Nikolina was the daughter of Jakov/Giacomo Sbisà and Andrijana/Andreanna Barkojević/Barcoevich-Pešnjardo.
Sylvia’s paternal grandmother was named Marijeta/Marietta Bilinić/Bilinich. Marijeta was born in Borgo Lučac, Split.
Source: Genealogy of Sylvia Koscina (focusing on her father’s side) – https://www.geni.com
Leading actress of Italian Cinema.
She stated to journalist/writer Alain Elkann:
_”Despite I was born in Zagreb, I consider myself Yugoslav, though Yugoslavia is made by different ethnic groups and with differenti religions”. [Alain Elkann, Interviste 1989-2000, Bompiani Overlook, 2000, p. 359]
However some of her Dalmatian ancestors may have easily been Slavicized Italians as their names suggest.
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The Greek and Polish stuff was an invention.
Paternal grandfather birth record was in Italian: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-899X-RTBP?i=169&wc=9R28-L27%3A391644801%2C392251901%2C392252201&cc=2040054
great-grandparents marriage record, Italian again: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-899X-RYHK?i=531&wc=9R28-L27%3A391644801%2C392251901%2C392252201&cc=2040054
Giacomo Sbisà: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L99X-FF3C?i=330&wc=9R24-HZZ%3A391644801%2C392240201%2C954407001%3Fcc%3D2040054&cc=2040054
He was from Rovigno/Rovinj, in Istria peninsula (very Italian town back then)
Her paternal grandfather was evidently an ethnic Italian.