11. Ingrid Bergman and her public censure by a United States Senator
In the 1940s the Swedish-born actress Ingrid Bergman displayed her versatility as a performer with roles as Ilsa in Casablanca, a near saintly nun in Bells of St. Mary’s, and an actual saint, as well as virgin, in the title role in Joan of Arc. She entertained American troops during the Second World War, protested against segregation in the US Armed Forces, and was generally regarded as one of the leading actresses of her generation. In 1949 the married Bergman (her husband was neurosurgeon Petter Lindstrom) began an affair with Italian director Roberto Rossellini (an earlier affair she had with American actor Gregory Peck was kept hidden at the time). The married Bergman became pregnant with Rosellini’s child, and the resulting scandal was huge, at least in the United States.
After their child was born, Bergman obtained a divorce from her husband, and within a week married the Italian director, though she had to travel to Mexico to do so. Public outcry in America was strong, and Senator Edwin Jackson railed against her in the US Senate. He called Rossellini “vile and unspeakable” and demanded that the couple, “not set foot on American soil under our immigration laws”. The scandal, which was fed by the Catholic Legion of Decency, numerous newspapers and magazines, and from the pulpits of churches across the country drove Bergman from the United States. Bergman chose to remain away from America for many years. Hollywood studios did not again employ her until 1956, six years after the scandal, when she appeared in the film, Anastasia. Though made by an American studio, it was filmed entirely in Europe.