Pia Zadora worked as a child actress on Broadway and in regional theater. She came to national attention in 1981 when, following her starring role in Butterfly, she won a Golden Globe Award as New Star of the Year. Zadora was born Pia Alfreda Schipani in Hoboken, New Jersey. Her mother, Saturnina "Nina" (née Zadorowski), was a theatrical wardrobe supervisor for Broadway productions, the Metropolitan Opera, and the New York City Opera, and her father, Alphonse Schipani, a violinist.