Ilona Staller Biography, Life, Interesting Facts

Early life And Career 

Ilona Staller was born on November 26, 1951 in Budapest, Hungary. When she was young, her father left the family and Ilona was raised by her mother and her stepfather. Her mother was a midwife, but her stepfather, an official in Hungarian Ministry of the Interior. 

In 1964, Staller began working as a model at M.T.I.-a Hungarian news agency. She later claimed that while she was serving at a hotel in Budapest, she provided Hungarian authorities with information about American diplomats. When she was 25 years old, she met Salvatore Martini, who she later married. 

Show Business Career

After her marriage, Staller was naturalized and settled in Italy. In the early 1970s, she met pornographer Riccardo Schicchi. With his help, she became famous in 1973 on the radio show Voules-Vous Coucher Avec Moi?. She adopted the name, Cicciolina, referring to her clients- mostly members of the Italian parliament as “little tubby boys.” Staller made her on-screen porn debut in 1975, appearing with Gloria Guida in La Liceale. 

In 1978, Staller became the first woman to be bare-breasted life on Italian TV. Her first hardcore porn film was Telefono Rosso (Red Telephone) in 1983. In 1987, she publicized her memoirs Erotic Confessions of Cicciolina. The same year, she appeared in Carne bollente, co-starring John Holmes. The film created a scandal when it turned out that Holmes had tested positive for HIV before filming. Stellar has also appeared nude in several Playboy editions in different counties. Stellar also had a role in the 1996 film Replikator and the Brazilian soap opera Xica de Silva. 

Political Activism 

Despite her porn career, Staller has been a political activist. She began her political aspirations in 1979 when she was presented as the candidate to the Italian parliament in Italy’s first Green party. In 1985, she switched to the liberal PratitoRadicale. She was against nuclear energy and membership in NATO. In 1987, she was elected to the Italian parliament. Her term ended in 1991, and she was not re-elected. One of the most scandalous moments of her political career was when before the onset of Gulf War, she offered to have sex with Saddam Hussein in return for peace in the region.

After her term in the parliament ended, Staller became the founder of the political movement Partitodell’Amore (Party of Love). In 2002, she began campaigning to represent Budapest’s industrial district Kobanya in the Hungarian parliament. She failed to collect enough signatures to be a non-partisan candidate. In 2002, she again made the same offer to have sex with Saddam Hussein, and in 2006, made the same offer to Osama bin Laden. 

In 2011, it was found that Staller is eligible to receive a yearly pension of 39,000 euros from Italian state for her five years in the parliament. The announcement draws a lot of controversial media attention, but Staller announced that she earned it and is proud of it. In 2012, Staller created the Democracy, Nature and Love Party. The party’s objectives included legalization of same-sex marriage, reopening of brothels and wage guarantees for young people. 

Personal Life

Besides her porn and political career, Staller has also tried out her hand in music. She has recorded several songs, mostly for her live performances. One of her most famous songs “Musculo Rosso” was dedicated entirely to ilcazo- the dick. The song featured an extensive amount of swear words and could not be released in Italy, but it became majorly popular in France and other countries. 

In 1991, Staller married artist Jeff Koons. He produced a series of sculptures and photos of them having sex in different positions and settings. His works were exhibited under the title “Made in Heaven.” Koons wanted them to be monogamous, but Staller wanted to continue her porn career. This led to the couple divorcing in 1994. Staller left the United States with their then 2-year-old son. The custody trial was lengthy, and finally, Koons was awarded the custody of his son Ludwig. However, the boy remained in Italy with his mother. Staller later sued Koons for not paying child support.