Hollywood has always been home to many stars. Some shine brightly for decades, while others rise to fame quickly and then fade away just as fast.
Over the years, we’ve seen famous actresses like Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, Jayne Mansfield, Raquel Welch, and Jean Harlow grab attention with their talent and beauty.
But even when these queens of the screen ruled the industry, there were always newcomers ready to take their place. One of them was Sydne Rome, known as the golden girl from the American Midwest.
Sydne’s journey to fame was different; she decided to move to Europe. With her blonde hair and blue eyes, she became a popular figure. She even dated David Bowie at one time.
Although she had the charm to succeed, Sydne didn’t stay in the spotlight for long. Today, she is still active and has created a family of her own. Sadly, she suffered an accident that left her with scars on her face, but she continues to persevere.
#1. Sydne Rome – early life
Sydne Rome was born on March 17, 1951, in Akron, Ohio. Her father worked in plastic manufacturing, while her mother, whom Sydne described as a “born hippie,” had a more free-spirited approach to life.
Growing up in an upper-middle-class family, Sydne spent her childhood in the small town of Upper Sandusky, which had a population of around 5,000 people. Interestingly, it was known for having the highest per capita income of any town in the United States.
Throughout Hollywood history, many actors’ children have found success in their own right. Notable examples include Miley Cyrus, the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus; Dakota Johnson, whose parents are actors Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson; and Kate Hudson, the daughter of Goldie Hawn and Bill Hudson.
The term “nepo baby” refers to these celebrity offspring, described by Sky as “a catchier way to say the successful child of a celebrity – someone who rode to fame on the coattails of their talented parent, often making a name for themselves in the same or an adjacent industry.”
For some, having famous parents provides fantastic opportunities, giving them valuable connections in the entertainment industry. However, it can also create pressure to live up to their parents’ achievements and star power.
Sydne Rome didn’t face this pressure. None of her family members were involved in the entertainment business. “There was nothing in the family that should have given me my craze for acting,” she told the Daily News in 1974. “My father had a plastic company, and my mother is just ‘mom.’ I have two sisters and two brothers, all younger.”
Sydne attended high school in Ohio, where she began to develop a strong interest in acting. She had initially planned to move to Illinois, but after talking to people close to her, she changed her course and moved to Pennsylvania to attend the prestigious Carnegie Tech School of Acting at Pittsburgh University.
#2. First shot at Hollywood fame
“I planned to enter Northwestern University after finishing high school, but I was advised that if I was serious about acting, I should study at Tech. So I did, and I’m glad I did,” Sydne told The Pittsburgh Press.
At the Carnegie Tech School of Acting, Sydne honed her craft under the guidance of respected vocal coach and voice actress Edith Skinner, as well as film executive Bern Stearn, whose daughter she would later become close to. During her time there, she played Tania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Nina in Anton Chekhov’s The Sea Gull.
After completing her studies in Pennsylvania, Sydne set her sights on California. She joined the Pasadena Playhouse, where she continued to excel on stage.
Despite her experience with renowned playwrights like Shakespeare, Chekhov, and Tennessee Williams, her first attempt at Hollywood fame was a setback. She missed out on a significant role in the film Candy, which had been sent to her by her agent. After another year at the Pasadena Playhouse, Sydne decided to try her luck in Europe once again.
There was no denying that Sydne Rome was a beautiful woman, but in her time, simply looking good wasn’t enough.
“I had a terrible time in Rome with young Italian directors who wanted me to perform nude,” she shared with the Daily News. “I didn’t want to do it. Now my view is different. Playing in the nude has become part of our trade. As long as it’s necessary for the script and doesn’t involve brutal love scenes, it’s fine by me.”
As she entered the 1970s, Sydne primarily starred in smaller Italian films.
#3. Compared to Birgitte Bardot
In 1972, Sydne Rome got her big break when she worked with director Roman Polanski on the film What?. While critics panned the movie, it marked a significant step forward in her career. The following year, she married photographer and cameraman Emilio Lari.
By this time, Sydne was being compared to stars like Brigitte Bardot. In 1979, The Sunday Telegraph even called her “the up-and-coming Jean Harlow or Raquel Welch, the ticking Sex Bomb of the nineteen-eighties.”
Such comparisons could have put a lot of pressure on a young actress, but Sydne took it all in stride. “Brigitte is wonderful, exciting, very open, terribly available. She is everyman’s dream. Perhaps at first look, I seem less available. But I think audiences will take a second look and think differently. And I am a better actress than Bardot,” she remarked.
Despite having the looks and talent to succeed in Hollywood, Sydne struggled to take that final leap. Her first film, Some Girls Do, released in 1969, didn’t boost her career as she had hoped. So, she turned her attention to Europe, starring in numerous French, Italian, and German films.
As the 1970s came to a close, she landed a role in David Hemmings’s film Just a Gigolo, where she starred alongside the legendary David Bowie.
“We were friends. When I was going to Berlin for the first script readings, I was told they hadn’t found the leading man. He had an interest in that period of Germany, between the two world wars, so I thought maybe David would like to do this part. I called him and asked if I could send him the script. We did so, and he accepted,” she shared with NME in 2021.
#4. Romance with David Bowie
It was rumored that Sydne Rome and David Bowie were dating at one point, which she later confirmed in an Italian television interview. “I met him because he called me to accompany him to Paris for the premiere of his film, and I accepted [the offer for Just a Gigolo] immediately,” Sydne said. “We were together for a year. He was so much fun and appetizing.”
Sydne made Rome her home for over ten years. As the 1980s arrived, she ventured into music, releasing several albums, but unfortunately, none of them gained traction.
She starred in various productions, including the 1980 film L’uomo puma (The Pumaman), which received a disappointing rating of 2.2 out of 10 on the Internet Movie Database, highlighting its lack of success. Sydne also began working on documentaries, including one about Formula 1, filmed in Rio de Janeiro.
While Sydne still dreamed of becoming a big star, she felt troubled by how the film industry had evolved. “I’m well-known worldwide except in America,” she remarked. “I love creative work, but I hate the business side of my ‘career.’ An actress can start to feel like just a business asset – that no one cares about her, only what she represents in terms of a deal.”
“Being in films can be terrible for a woman – it’s not just about dealing with passes; I can handle that,” Sydne continued. “It’s the years you have to slog through before anyone really respects you. Actresses are not supposed to have any brains.”
She concluded, “Maybe that’s why so many actors and actresses feel insecure – women more than men. I have several actress friends, and we cry on each other’s shoulders. Actually, actors make friends easily because they don’t belong to any particular class – they’re not aristocrats, middle-class, or lower-class. They can fit in anywhere.”
#5. Car crash left Sydne Rome scarred for life
Sydne Rome’s marriage to Emilio Lari unfortunately didn’t last. She later married Dr. Roberto Bernabei, and together they adopted two sisters, Vanessa and Jesse, from the favelas of São Paulo, Brazil. Dr. Bernabei became a respected medical professional and was appointed the personal physician of Pope Francis in 2021.
Throughout her career, Sydne starred in various productions, but she never achieved the big breakthrough she hoped for in the U.S. Despite this, she found greater fulfillment in life through her peaceful and loving family.
Then, in 2009, Sydne’s life took a dramatic turn. While driving with one of her eight-year-old daughters in the car, she was involved in a serious accident. In an interview on the Italian talk show Vieni da Me, Sydne explained that she was driving for the first time after her car had been in the garage for three weeks.
While driving, she veered off the road and hit a tree. The airbag deployed and caused significant damage to her face. “I went to the hospital and they stitched up my skin,” Sydne said. However, the doctors didn’t realize that her facial muscles had also been injured in the accident. “That part of my face eventually became paralyzed, and so ten years ago I had physical therapy, and today I’m a little bit better.”
Looking at old photos, Sydne sadly admitted that she didn’t recognize her face because of the changes on the right side.
#6. Sydne Rome today
“I know it’s me, but it’s like seeing another person again,” Sydne said, reflecting on the changes to her appearance.
Despite her serious injury, Sydne Rome didn’t let it deter her. She continued to work in the entertainment industry and most recently starred in the Italian film La Quattordicesima Domenica Del Tempo Ordinario, released in 2023.
At 72 years old, Sydne also had a recurring role in the Italian television series Don Matteo, appearing in 53 episodes between 2021 and 2022.
Although Sydne didn’t become the next Brigitte Bardot, she has always pursued what she loves. Despite the challenges of her accident, she continues to follow her passion.
#7.
