Born: 22 April 1909 · Died: 30 December 2012 · Age at death: 103
How old was Rita Levi-Montalcini when she died?
Rita Levi-Montalcini died aged 103. She was born on 22 April 1909 and died on 30 December 2012.
Nobel Prize-winning Italian neurobiologist who discovered nerve growth factor
Did you know?During the Second World War, she set up a secret laboratory in her bedroom to continue her research after being banned from academia.
Quick facts
Date of birth22 April 1909
Date of death30 December 2012
Age at death103
Cause of deathCardiac arrest
NationalityItalian
BirthplaceTurin, Italy
Occupationneurologist, neuroscientist, biochemist
Editor's Take:
Rita Levi-Montalcini refused to let persecution stop her science. Barred as a Jew under Mussolini's racial laws, she studied chick embryos in a home-made laboratory. Later, in the United States, she discovered a protein that makes nerve cells grow. It opened a whole field of research into how the body builds its nervous system. She kept working into her old age. She also used her fame to support education for girls in Africa.
Key Milestones
1938: Barred from academic work under Fascist racial laws
1952: Discovers nerve growth factor
1986: Wins the Nobel Prize in Medicine
2001: Named a senator for life
Rita Levi-Montalcini (born Rita Levi; 22 April 1909 – 30 December 2012) was an Italian neurobiologist. She was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with colleague Stanley Cohen for the discovery of nerve growth factor (NGF).
Rita Levi-Montalcini's birthday is April 22. She was born on April 22, 1909 in Turin, Italy.
How old was Rita Levi-Montalcini when she died?
Rita Levi-Montalcini died on December 30, 2012, aged 103.
Who shares a birthday with Rita Levi-Montalcini?
Famous people who share Rita Levi-Montalcini's April 22 birthday include Vladimir Lenin, Immanuel Kant, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Jack Nicholson and Donald Tusk.
