Actor Bruce Willis to head Miss Italy Jury

| Thu, 09/08/2005 - 05:49

(ANSA) - American actor Bruce Willis has agreed to head the jury at this year's Miss Italy beauty pageant.

The 50-year-old 'Die Hard' star will be on hand for the final night of the pageant which will be broadcast live by Italian state television on Monday, September 19. The whole event will span four days starting September 15.

"Each year we look for a big name that is attractive to the public and pleasant for the girls," Marcello Cambi, spokesman for the national beauty contest, said Wednesday.

Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, Catherine Deneuve, Alain Delon and Gerard Depardieu have headed previous juries for the pageant, which takes place each year in the northern spa town of Salsomaggiore Terme.

Sophia Loren was once one of the contestants - in 1950 -but was judged too tall to represent Italian beauty and was awarded the specifically created title of Miss Elegance.