Claudia Cardinale dies at 87
Claudia Cardinale, one of the most iconic figures of post-war Italian cinema whose career spanned more than six decades on film and stage, has died at the age of 87.
Born in Tunis in 1938 to a Sicilian family, Cardinale was thrust into the movie world after winning a beauty contest in 1957 that sent her to the Venice Film Festival. Educated in French and speaking Sicilian dialect at home, her first Italian screen roles were dubbed, but she quickly became a rising star, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Her early career was marked by personal struggle, including a secret pregnancy following an abusive relationship. She gave birth to her son Patrick in 1958, initially presenting him as her younger brother while he was raised by her parents.
International fame arrived in 1963, when Cardinale starred in Federico Fellini’s 8½ and Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard, alongside Burt Lancaster. She later broke into Hollywood with roles in Blake Edwards’ The Pink Panther and Sergio Leone’s classic western Once Upon a Time in the West (1968).
Cardinale’s private life often intertwined with her career. After ending her marriage to producer Franco Cristaldi to be with filmmaker Pasquale Squitieri, she was ostracised by parts of the Italian film industry. “It was a very delicate moment. I discovered I had no money in my bank account,” she later recalled. Director Franco Zeffirelli revived her career by casting her in Jesus of Nazareth (1977).
Known for her husky voice and free-spirited independence, Cardinale once defied Vatican protocol by meeting Pope Paul VI in a miniskirt. She remained active in European cinema and theatre well into her later years, appearing in the Swiss TV series Bulle in 2020.
Honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the Berlin Film Festival in 2002, she reflected on her long career:
“I’ve lived more than 150 lives — prostitute, saint, romantic, every kind of woman. That is marvellous, to have the opportunity to change yourself. I’ve worked with the most important directors. They gave me everything.”
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