Claudia Cardinale, Star of ‘8½’ and ‘The Leopard,’ Dies at 87
Acclaimed Italian actor Claudia Cardinale, who starred in some of the most celebrated european films of the 1960s and 1970s, has died in France, her agent said Wednesday. She was 87.
Cardinale died in Nemours, France, surrounded by her children, her agent Laurent Savry told The Associated Press.
Praise for Cardinale’s talent, beauty and impact on European cinema poured in on Wednesday, with French president Emmanuel Macron saying, “We French will always carry this Italian and global star in our hearts, in the eternity of cinema.”
cardinale starred in more than 100 films and made-for-television productions, but she was best known for embodying youthful purity in Federico Fellini’s 8½, in which she co-starred with Marcello Mastroianni in 1963.
Cardinale also won praise for her role as Angelica Sedara in Luchino Visconti’s award-winning screen adaption of the historical novel The Leopard that same year and a reformed prostitute in Sergio Leone’s spaghetti western Once Upon a Time in the West in 1968.
acting career an ‘accident’
Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli offered condolences to Cardinale’s family and hailed Cardinale’s beauty and “exceptional talent” that inspired “milestones” of Italian cinema.
“With the death of Claudia Cardinale, one of the greatest Italian actresses of all time has passed away,” he said in a statement late Tuesday.
Cardinale began her movie career at 17 after winning a beauty contest in Tunisia,where she was born of Sicilian parents who had emigrated to North Africa. The contest brought her to the Venice Film Festival, where she came to the attention of the Italian movie industry.
Claudia Cardinale, Iconic Italian Actress, Dies at 87
Claudia Cardinale, the captivating Italian actress renowned for her roles in films like 8½, The Leopard, and Once Upon a Time in the West, has died at the age of 87. She passed away in Paris on September 17, 2024, according to her agent. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/sep/17/claudia-cardinale-dies-italian-film-star-pink-panther
Born Claudia Mariella Fabrizi on April 15, 1938, in Tunis, then a French protectorate, Cardinale’s father was an Italian railway worker and her mother a French teacher. She began her acting career in Italian films, initially facing challenges due to her voice. She had a deep voice and spoke Italian with a noticeable French accent, leading to her voice being dubbed in many of her early movies.
Cardinale rose to international prominence with her performance in Federico Fellini’s 8½ (1963). https://www.britannica.com/biography/Claudia-Cardinale She followed this with a starring role in Luchino Visconti’s epic The Leopard (1963), cementing her status as a major star. Her striking beauty and talent quickly made her a sought-after actress in European cinema.
While she pursued opportunities in Hollywood, Cardinale remained committed to European filmmaking.She appeared alongside Peter Sellers and David Niven in the first Pink Panther film (1963), and later starred with Rock Hudson in the comedy-thriller Blindfold (1965) and with Tony Curtis in the comedy Don’t Make Waves (1967). However, she resisted signing exclusive contracts with Hollywood studios, preferring the artistic freedom offered by European productions.
Cardinale considered Richard Brooks’ 1966 Western The Professionals, co-starring Burt Lancaster, Jack Palance, Robert Ryan, and Lee Marvin, to be her best Hollywood film. In a 2002 interview with The Guardian, she explained her reluctance to fully embrace Hollywood, stating, “The Hollywood studio wanted me to sign a contract of exclusivity, and I refused. Because I’m a European actress and I was going there for movies.” https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/jul/27/interview.features
Throughout her prolific career, Cardinale starred in numerous acclaimed films, including Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), and Henri Verneuil’s The Ostrich Feather (1968).She continued to work steadily in both Italian and international productions for decades.
Cardinale received a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival, recognizing her significant contributions to cinema. She also served as a goodwill ambassador for UNESCO, advocating for the defense of women’s rights, beginning in 2000.https://www.unesco.org/en/news/claudia-cardinale-unesco-goodwill-ambassador
She had two children: Patrizio, with her first partner, Franco Cristaldi, and Leonardo, with Italian director Pasquale Squitieri, her companion of many years.