Anthony Quinn said in an interview a few years before his death that he originally accepted a deal that would have paid him a percentage of the profits this film generated instead of an upfront salary. When his agent found out about it, the agent changed the deal and insisted an upfront salary and no percentage. Quinn said that decision cost him several million dollars.
Director Bille August cites "La Strada" as the film that first made him want to work in film when he saw it while still in school.
Won the first ever Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.