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Claudia Cardinale, Legendary Italian Actress of The Leopard and 8½, Dies Aged 87

Claudia Cardinale Dies Aged 87
Image Source: By Getty Images

Claudia Cardinale, one of the brightest stars of postwar European cinema and a symbol of Italian screen glamour, has died at the age of 87.

A Star of Italy’s Golden Age

Cardinale, who was born in Tunisia to Sicilian parents in 1938, rose to fame during the golden era of Italian film. She became a defining presence in works by Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti, starring in The Leopard (1963) and Fellini’s 8½, both regarded as masterpieces of 20th-century cinema.

Her agent, Laurent Savry, confirmed she died in Nemours, France, surrounded by her children. “She leaves us the legacy of a free and inspired woman, both as a woman and as an artiste,” he told AFP.

From Tunis to Venice

Cardinale’s path to cinema was unexpected. At 16, she won a beauty contest in Tunis, earning the title of “the most beautiful Italian woman in Tunis” and a trip to the Venice Film Festival. Film directors quickly took notice, though she initially hesitated to abandon her ambition to become a teacher.

Her early years were shaped by both hardship and resilience. She revealed later in life that she had been raped as a teenager and gave birth to a son, Patrick, in secret. For years she introduced him as her brother while she built her career, motivated, she said, by the need “to earn a living and be independent”.

International Recognition

By the early 1960s, Cardinale had become a fixture of international cinema. In The Leopard, Visconti cast her as the radiant Angelica, a role that cemented her stardom. At the same time, Fellini directed her in 8½, where she embodied the dreamlike ideal of womanhood opposite Marcello Mastroianni.

Hollywood soon beckoned. Cardinale starred in Blake Edwards’ The Pink Panther (1963) and Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), working alongside Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson. Critics celebrated her as “the embodiment of postwar European glamour”.

David Niven once told her during filming: “Claudia, along with spaghetti, you’re Italy’s greatest invention.”

Defying Boundaries

Cardinale’s multilingual background posed challenges in her early career. Having grown up speaking French, Arabic and Sicilian, her accent led Italian studios to dub her lines. But she persisted, carving out an international reputation not only for her beauty but also for her fierce independence.

She also used her profile to shield others. While in the US, she claimed to have staged a romance with actor Rock Hudson to help protect him from the stigma of being openly gay in Hollywood at the time.

Later Life and Advocacy

After her marriage to producer Franco Cristaldi ended, Cardinale began a lifelong partnership with director Pasquale Squitieri, with whom she had a daughter. She continued acting well into her later years, appearing in the Swiss television series Bulle in 2020.

Her contributions went beyond the screen. In 2000, she was named a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for her advocacy of women’s rights. She was later honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the Berlin Film Festival in 2002.

Reflecting on her six-decade career, Cardinale once said: “I’ve lived more than 150 lives: prostitute, saint, romantic, every kind of woman. That is marvellous – to have the opportunity to change yourself.”

National Tributes

Tributes poured in from Italy and beyond. Alessandro Giuli, Italy’s culture minister, hailed her as “one of the greatest Italian actresses of all time”, praising her as a symbol of “Italian grace”.

Cardinale’s legacy endures in her unforgettable performances, her resilience in the face of adversity, and her ability to embody the spirit of an era that shaped modern cinema.

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