Recommendations of the Editorial team
Claudia Cardinale, the Italian film icon, known for her impressive appearances in “The Leopard”, “Eight and a half” and “Play me the song of death”, died at the age of 87.
From Tunis to Venice
She died in Nemours, France, in the presence of her children. Her agent Laurent Savry confirmed the news on Tuesday to the Agence France press. A cause of death was initially not announced.
Claudia Cardinale was born on April 15, 1938 in Tunis as the daughter of Francesco Cardinale and Yolanda Greco, both Sicilian immigrants. It grew up with French, Arabic and Sicilian dialect.
At the age of 18, she won the title “The most beautiful Italian girl in Tunisia” and a trip to Venice’s film festival in a beauty competition. There she immediately attracted the attention of Italian media and directors.
A difficult start
As a teenager, Cardinale was raped by a film producer and was pregnant, as she later reported in a French magazine. She never called the father. In 1957 she gave birth to her son Patrick in London. In order to be able to take care of him, she signed a long -term contract with the producer Franco Cristaldi, who became her husband in 1966 (divorce 1975). Her life was strictly monitored under his control. Patrick was initially spent on her younger brother, a lie that he only experienced at the age of eight.
Career with over 150 films
During her decades of career, Cardinale participated in more than 150 films – from comedies and crime novels to historicalisms and romances. She became world famous for her leading roles in Federico Fellini’s Oscar-winning masterpiece “eight and a half” and in Luchino Viscontis film adaptation of the history novel “The Leopard”.
She also turned in Hollywood: among others in Blake Edwards’ comedy “The Rosarote Panther” with Peter Sellers.
Cooperation with large directors
However, their passion was mainly European projects. So she played in Sergio Leone’s Western classic “Play me the song of death” (1968) and in Werner Herzog’s adventure epic “Fitzcarraldo” (1982).
In 2013 she said in an interview with “The Guardian”, 74 years old and still in front of the camera: “I don’t want to stop! This is fantastic to continue working. It is important.”