Claude Joséphine Rose "Claudia" Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938) is an Italian actress. She has starred in some of the most iconic European films of the 1960s and 1970s, acting in Italian, French, and English.
Born and raised in
La Goulette
La Goulette (, it, La Goletta), in Arabic Halq al-Wadi ( '), is a municipality and the port of Tunis, Tunisia.
La Goulette is located at around on a sandbar between Lake Tūnis and the Gulf of Tunis. The port, located 12km east of Tunis, is th ...
, a neighbourhood of
Tunis
''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois
, population_note =
, population_urban =
, population_metro = 2658816
, population_density_km2 =
, timezone1 = CET
, utc_offset1 ...
, Cardinale won the "Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia" competition in 1957, the prize being a trip to Italy, which quickly led to film contracts, due above all to the involvement of
Franco Cristaldi
Franco Cristaldi (3 October 1924 – 1 July 1992) was an Italian film producer, credited with producing (or co-producing) feature films from the 1950s to the 1990s.
Career
In 1946 Cristaldi founded ''Vides Cinematografica'' in Turin. This product ...
, who acted as her mentor for a number of years and later married her. After making her debut in a minor role with the Egyptian star
Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif ( ar, عمر الشريف ; born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub , 10 April 193210 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the ...
in ''
Goha
''Goha'' is a 1958 French-Tunisian film. It starred Omar Sharif and it was the cinema debut of Claudia Cardinale. At the 1958 Cannes Film Festival it was awarded with the Jury Prize and it had been nominated for the Palme d'Or. It was shown as pa ...
'' (1958), Cardinale became one of the best-known actresses in Italy with roles in films such as ''
Rocco and His Brothers
''Rocco and His Brothers'' ( it, Rocco e i suoi fratelli) is a 1960 drama film directed by Luchino Visconti and starring Alain Delon, Annie Girardot, Renato Salvatori, Katina Paxinou, Roger Hanin, Paolo Stoppa, and Claudia Cardinale in one of h ...
'' (1960), ''
Girl with a Suitcase
''Girl with a Suitcase'' ( it, La ragazza con la valigia) is a 1961 cinema of Italy, Italian romantic drama film by Valerio Zurlini starring Claudia Cardinale as a spirited but naive young woman who lives on the fluctuating good will of others. It ...
'' (1961), ''
Cartouche
In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is an oval with a line at one end tangent to it, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name. The first examples of the cartouche are associated with pharaohs at the end of the Third Dynasty, but the fea ...
'' (1962), ''
The Leopard
''The Leopard'' ( it, Il Gattopardo ) is a novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa that chronicles the changes in Sicilian life and society during the ''Risorgimento''. Published posthumously in 1958 by Feltrinelli, after two rejections by the ...
'' (1963), and
Fellini
Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most i ...
's ''
8½
' (Italian title: , ) is a 1963 surrealist comedy-drama film directed and co-written (with Tullio Pinelli, Ennio Flaiano and Brunello Rondi) by Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini. The metafictional narrative centers on Guido Anselmi, played by M ...
'' (1963).
From 1963, Cardinale appeared in ''
The Pink Panther
''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the classic film '' The Pi ...
'' opposite
David Niven
James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in ''Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other roles ...
. She went on to appear in the Hollywood films ''
Blindfold
A blindfold (from Middle English ') is a garment, usually of cloth, tied to one's head to cover the human eye, eyes to disable the wearer's visual perception, sight. While a properly fitted blindfold prevents sight even if the eyes are open, a ...
'' (1965), ''
Lost Command
''Lost Command'' (aka ''Les Centurions'') is a 1966 American war film directed and produced by Mark Robson and starring Anthony Quinn, Alain Delon, George Segal, Michèle Morgan, Maurice Ronet and Claudia Cardinale. It is based on the best-sel ...
'' (1966), ''
The Professionals
A professional is someone who is skilled in a profession.
Professional or professionals may also refer to:
* Professional sports
Music
*The Professionals (band), a British punk rock band formed in 1979
* ''The Professionals'' (The Professionals ...
'' (1966), ''
Don't Make Waves
''Don't Make Waves'' is a 1967 American sex comedy (with elements of the beach party genre) starring Tony Curtis, Claudia Cardinale, Dave Draper and Sharon Tate. Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film was directed by Alexander Mackendrick a ...
'' (1967) with Tony Curtis, ''
The Hell with Heroes
''The Hell with Heroes'' (''A Time for Heroes'' and ''Run Hero Run'') is a 1968 American drama film directed by Joseph Sargent (his first feature directorial effort) set in Africa immediately after World War II. The film stars Rod Taylor, Claudia ...
'' (1968), and the
Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cin ...
Western ''
Once Upon a Time in the West
''Once Upon a Time in the West'' ( , "Once upon a time (there was) the West") is a 1968 epic Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone, who co-wrote it with Sergio Donati based on a story by Dario Argento, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Leone ...
'' (1968), a joint US-Italian production, in which she was praised for her role as a former prostitute opposite
Jason Robards
Jason Nelson Robards Jr. (July 26, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American actor. Known as an interpreter of the works of playwright Eugene O'Neill, Robards received two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the Cannes ...
,
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique," he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, Western, and war ...
, and
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics.
Born and rai ...
.
Jaded with the Hollywood film industry and not wanting to become a cliché, Cardinale returned to Italian and French cinema, and garnered the
David di Donatello for Best Actress
The David di Donatello Award for Best Actress ( it, David di Donatello per la migliore attrice protagonista) is a film award presented annually by the Accademia del Cinema Italiano (ACI, ''Academy of Italian Cinema'') to recognize the outstanding ...
award for her roles in ''
Il giorno della civetta'' (1968) and as a prostitute alongside
Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi (15 June 1920 – 24 February 2003) was an Italian actor, voice actor, singer, comedian, director and screenwriter.
Early life
Born in Rome to a schoolteacher and a musician and the last of five children, Sordi was named in hon ...
in ''
A Girl in Australia
''A Girl in Australia'' ( it, Bello onesto emigrato Australia sposerebbe compaesana illibata andsome honest emigrant in Australia would marry chaste fellow-countrywoman}) is a 1971 Italian comedy film directed by Luigi Zampa, with stars Alberto ...
'' (1971). In 1974, Cardinale met director
Pasquale Squitieri
Pasquale Squitieri (27 November 1938 – 18 February 2017) was an Italian film director and screenwriter.
Life and career
Born in Naples, Squitieri graduated in law, then was briefly involved in stage, as author ("''La battaglia''") and even a ...
, who would become her partner, and she frequently featured in his films, including ''
I guappi
''I guappi'' (internationally released as ''Blood Brothers'') is a 1974 Italian historical drama film with "poliziotteschi" and " noir" elements. This film marks the meeting between Claudia Cardinale and the director Pasquale Squitieri, who soon b ...
'' (1974), ''
Corleone
Corleone (; scn, Cunigghiuni or ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' of roughly 11,158 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, in Sicily.
Several Mafia bosses have come from Corleone, including Tommy Gagliano, Gaetano Reina, Jack Dragn ...
'' (1978) and ''
Claretta
''Claretta'' (English title ''Claretta Petacci'') is a 1984 Italian historical drama film directed and written by Pasquale Squitieri.
The film entered the competition at the 41° Venice International Film Festival. For her role of Claretta Petac ...
'' (1984), the last of which won her the
Nastro d'Argento Award for Best Actress. In 1982, she starred in
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with un ...
's ''
Fitzcarraldo
''Fitzcarraldo'' () is a 1982 West German epic adventure-drama film written, produced and directed by Werner Herzog, and starring Klaus Kinski as would-be rubber baron, Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, an Irishman known in Peru as Fitzcarraldo, who is ...
'' as the love interest of
Klaus Kinski
Klaus Kinski (, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski 18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor, equally renowned for his intense performance style and notorious for his volatile personality. He appeared in over 130 film roles in a c ...
, who raises the funds to buy a steamship in
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
. In 2010, Cardinale received the Best Actress Award at the
47th Antalya "Golden Orange" International Film Festival for her performance as an elderly Italian woman who takes in a young Turkish exchange student in ''
Signora Enrica
''Signora Enrica'' ( tr, Sinyora Enrica ile İtalyan Olmak) is a 2010 Italo-Turkish comedy-drama film, written and directed by Ali İlhan, starring Claudia Cardinale as an elderly Italian woman who takes in a young Turkish exchange student. The fil ...
''.
Outspoken on
women's rights
Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
causes over the years, Cardinale has been a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
goodwill ambassador for the Defense of Women's Rights since March 2000. In February 2011, the ''
Los Angeles Times Magazine
The ''Los Angeles Times Magazine'' (also shortened to just ''LA'') was a monthly magazine which supplemented the Sunday edition of the ''Los Angeles Times'' newspaper on the first Sunday of the month. The magazine focused on stories and photos of ...
'' named Cardinale among the 50 most beautiful women in film history.
Early life
Claudia Cardinale was born Claude Joséphine Rose Cardinale in
La Goulette
La Goulette (, it, La Goletta), in Arabic Halq al-Wadi ( '), is a municipality and the port of Tunis, Tunisia.
La Goulette is located at around on a sandbar between Lake Tūnis and the Gulf of Tunis. The port, located 12km east of Tunis, is th ...
, a neighbourhood of
Tunis
''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois
, population_note =
, population_urban =
, population_metro = 2658816
, population_density_km2 =
, timezone1 = CET
, utc_offset1 ...
,
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
, on 15 April 1938. Her mother, Yolande Greco like her was born in Tunisia to
Sicilian emigrants from
Trapani
Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an impor ...
. Her maternal grandparents had a small shipbuilding firm in Trapani, but later settled in La Goulette, where a large Italian community existed. Her father, Francesco Cardinale, was a railway worker, born in
Gela
Gela (Sicilian and ; grc, Γέλα) is a city and (municipality) in the Autonomous Region of Sicily, Italy; in terms of area and population, it is the largest municipality on the southern coast of Sicily. Gela is part of the Province of Cal ...
, Sicily. Her native languages were French,
Tunisian Arabic
Tunisian Arabic, or simply Tunisian, is a set of dialects of Maghrebi Arabic spoken in Tunisia. It is known among its over 11 million speakers aeb, translit=Tounsi/Tounsiy, label=as, تونسي , "Tunisian" or "Everyday Language" to distingu ...
, and the
Sicilian language
Sicilian ( scn, sicilianu, link=no, ; it, siciliano) is a Romance language that is spoken on the island of Sicily and its satellite islands. A variant, ''Calabro-Sicilian'', is spoken in southern Calabria, where it is called Southern Calabro ...
of her parents. She did not learn to speak Italian until she had already begun to be cast for Italian films.
Cardinale was educated at the Saint-Joseph-de-l'Apparition school of
Carthage
Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...
, which she attended along with her younger sister Blanche. She then studied at the Paul Cambon School, where she graduated with the intention of becoming a teacher. As a teenager, she was described as "silent, weird, and wild", and like other girls of her generation, was fascinated by
Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot ( ; ; born 28 September 1934), often referred to by her initials B.B., is a former French actress, singer and model. Famous for portraying sexually emancipated characters with hedonistic lifestyles, she was one of the ...
, who came to prominence in the 1956 film ''
And God Created Woman'', directed by
Roger Vadim
Roger Vadim Plemiannikov (; 26 January 1928 – 11 February 2000) was a French screenwriter, film director and producer, as well as an author, artist and occasional actor. His best-known works are visually lavish films with erotic qualities, su ...
.
Career
1950s
Cardinale's first film work was participating, along with classmates, in a short film by French director
René Vautier
René Vautier (; 15 January 1928 – 4 January 2015) was a French film director. His films, which were often controversial with French authorities, addressed many issues, such as the Algerian War, French colonialism in Africa, pollution, raci ...
, ''Anneaux d'or'', successfully presented at the
Berlin Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
. The film made her a minor local celebrity, and led to her being spotted by
Jacques Baratier
Jacques Baratier (8 March 1918 – 27 November 2009) was a French film director and screenwriter. He directed 21 films. His film ''Goha'' won the Jury Prize at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival. His 1962 film ''La poupée (film), La poupée'' wa ...
, who offered her a minor role in ''
Goha
''Goha'' is a 1958 French-Tunisian film. It starred Omar Sharif and it was the cinema debut of Claudia Cardinale. At the 1958 Cannes Film Festival it was awarded with the Jury Prize and it had been nominated for the Palme d'Or. It was shown as pa ...
''. She accepted it reluctantly after Baratier explained he wanted a Tunisian actress rather than an Italian to star in the main role opposite the Egyptian actor
Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif ( ar, عمر الشريف ; born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub , 10 April 193210 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the ...
. The appearance nonetheless marked her feature-film debut. The turning point came in 1957 during the Italian Cinema Week in Tunis, when she won a competition for the "Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia", with a trip to the
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...
as first prize. After being spotted by several film producers at the event, she was invited to study at the
Experimental Cinematography Center in Rome under
Tina Lattanzi
Tina Lattanzi (born Annunziata Concetta Costantini; 5 December 1897 – 25 October 1997) was an Italian actress and voice actress.
Biography
A native of Licenza and the daughter of Ercole Costantini and Geltrude Montori, Lattanzi began her actin ...
. She attended briefly as, despite her extremely photogenic looks, she had trouble with her acting assignments (partly owing to her difficulties with the Italian language). She left at the end of her first term and decided to return home, earning herself a cover story in the popular weekly ''
Epoca'' triggered by her unexpected decision to turn her back on a career as a film star.
Back in Tunis, however, Cardinale discovered unexpectedly that she was pregnant, the result of what she later described as a "terrible" relationship with a Frenchman, some 10 years her senior, which began when she was only 17 and lasted for about a year. On this discovery, he wanted her to have an abortion, but she decided to keep the child. She solved her problems by signing a seven-year exclusive contract with
Franco Cristaldi
Franco Cristaldi (3 October 1924 – 1 July 1992) was an Italian film producer, credited with producing (or co-producing) feature films from the 1950s to the 1990s.
Career
In 1946 Cristaldi founded ''Vides Cinematografica'' in Turin. This product ...
's production company Vides. Cristaldi largely managed her early career, and she was married to him from 1966 until 1975.
Under the new contract, in 1958, Cardinale was given a minor role with Italian actors
Vittorio Gassman
Vittorio Gassman (; born Gassmann; 1 September 1922 – 29 June 2000), popularly known as , was an Italian actor, director and screenwriter.
He is considered one of the greatest Italian actors, whose career includes both important productions ...
,
Totò
Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi de Curtis di Bisanzio (15 February 1898 – 15 April 1967), best known by his stage name Totò (), or simply as Antonio de Curtis, and nicknamed ''il Principe della risata ...
,
Marcello Mastroianni
Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni (28 September 1924 – 19 December 1996) was an Italian film actor, regarded as one of his country's most iconic male performers of the 20th century. He played leading roles for many of Italy's top di ...
, and
Renato Salvatori
Renato Salvatori (20 March 1933 – 27 March 1988) was an Italian actor.
Born in Seravezza, Province of Lucca, Salvatori began his career in his teens playing juvenile, romantic roles. After working with directors such as Luchino Visconti, Rob ...
in
Mario Monicelli
Mario Alberto Ettore Monicelli (; 16 May 1915 – 29 November 2010) was an Italian film director and screenwriter and one of the masters of the ''Commedia all'Italiana'' (Comedy Italian style). He was nominated six times for an Oscar, and was awa ...
's internationally successful criminal comedy ''
Big Deal on Madonna Street
''Big Deal on Madonna Street'' ( it, I soliti ignoti; released in the UK as ''Persons Unknown'') is a 1958 Italian comedy caper film directed by Mario Monicelli and considered to be among the masterpieces of Italian cinema. Its original Italian t ...
'' (''I soliti ignoti''). She portrayed Carmelita, a Sicilian girl virtually imprisoned in her home by her overpowering brother. The comedy was a huge success, making Cardinale instantly recognizable. Some newspapers were already referring to her as "la fidanzata d'Italia" (Italy's sweetheart). Later that year, she had a leading role opposite
Yvonne Monlaur
Yvonne Monlaur (born Yvonne-Thérèse-Marie-Camille Bédat de Monlaur; 15 December 1939 – 18 April 2017) was a French film actress of the late 1950s and 1960s best known for her roles in the Hammer horror films.
Early years
Monlaur was born ...
in
Claudio Gora
Claudio Gora, '' Emilio Giordana '' (27 July 1913 – 13 March 1998) was an Italian actor and film director.
He was particularly prolific, making some 155 appearances in film and television over nearly 60 years (from 1939 to 1997). In the 1950s ...
's romantic comedy ''
Three Strangers in Rome
''Tre straniere a Roma'', also known as ''Three Strangers in Rome'', is a 1958 Italian romantic comedy film directed by Claudio Gora starring Claudia Cardinale. The film was one of the first movies with Cardinale in a leading role.
Cast
*Yvonne ...
''.
![Maledettoimbroglio-trio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Maledettoimbroglio-trio.jpg)
Although she worked well into her seventh month, Cardinale's pregnancy was kept a tight secret. Tormented by thoughts of suicide, she fell into a state of depression. When she thought she could no longer hide her condition, she asked Cristaldi to terminate her contract. Understanding her predicament, he sent her to London for the birth, far away from the press. He simply explained that she had gone to England to learn English for a film. Cristaldi told Cardinale not to reveal her condition as she would be betraying the public and it would put an end to her career. So as to maintain the secret, he drew up a detailed American-style contract covering every little detail of her life, depriving her of any possibility of acting on her own behalf. Cardinale explained: "I was no longer master of my own body or thoughts. Even talking with a friend about anything that could make me look different from my public image was risky, as if it had been publicized, I would have been in trouble. Everything was in the hands of Vides". For seven years, Cardinale kept her secret, not only from the public but also from her own son, Patrick, who grew up in the family with her parents and sister more or less as a brother until the day
Enzo Biagi
Enzo Biagi (; 9 August 1920 – 6 November 2007) was an Italian journalist, writer and former partisan.
Life and career
Biagi was born in Lizzano in Belvedere, and began his career as a journalist in Bologna. In 1952, he worked on the screenpla ...
, a journalist, discovered the truth. After Cardinale decided to tell him everything, he published her story in ''
Oggi'' and ''
L'Europeo
''L'Europeo'' was a prominent Italian weekly news magazine launched on 4 November 1945, by the founder-editors Gianni Mazzocchi and Arrigo Benedetti. ''.
In 1959, she appeared opposite Salvatori in the mafia film ''
Vento del sud
''Vento del sud'' also known as ''South Wind'' is a 1959 Italian mafia crime thriller film directed by Enzo Provenzale starring Claudia Cardinale and Renato Salvatori.
Cast
*Renato Salvatori ... Antonio Spagara
*Claudia Cardinale ... Grazia M ...
'', and played the wife of
Maurizio Arena
Maurizio Arena (26 December 1933 – 21 November 1979) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1952 and 1978.
Life and career
Born in Rome as Maurizio Di Lorenzo, Arena made his film debut at nineteen years old, ...
in
Luigi Zampa
Luigi Zampa (2 January 1905 – 16 August 1991) was an Italian film director.
Biography
Son of a worker, Zampa studied filmmaking from 1932 to 1937 at the Italian film school Centro sperimentale di cinematografia in Rome.
He directed several ...
's ''
Il magistrato''. Cardinale also starred opposite
Pietro Germi
Pietro Germi (; 14 September 1914 – 5 December 1974) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor, noted for his development of the neorealist and commedia all'Italiana genres.
His 1961 film ''Divorce Italian Style'' earned him a Be ...
in his crime film ''
The Facts of Murder'', an important assignment for her in mastering the craft of acting while learning to feel at ease in front of the camera. Cardinale considered it to have been her first real test as an actress. She then played the role of Maria in
Ralph Thomas
Ralph Philip Thomas Military Cross, MC (10 August 1915 – 17 March 2001) was an English film director. He is perhaps best remembered for directing the ''Doctor Series, Doctor'' series of films.
His brother, Gerald Thomas, was also a film dire ...
's British film ''
Upstairs and Downstairs
''Upstairs and Downstairs'' is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Michael Craig (actor), Michael Craig, Anne Heywood, Mylène Demongeot, Claudia Cardinale, James Robertson Justice, Joan Sims, Joan Hickson and Sid ...
'', which starred
Michael Craig and
Anne Heywood
Anne Heywood (born 11 December 1931) is a British retired film actress, who is best known for her Golden Globe-nominated performance in ''The Fox''.
Early life and career
Born as Violet Joan Pretty in 1931 to Harold and Edna E. ( Lowndes) Pre ...
. In her early roles, she was usually
dubbed, as producers considered her voice too hoarse.
1960s
![Bellantonio-1960-Cardinale](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Bellantonio-1960-Cardinale.png)
In 1960, Cardinale starred opposite Marcello Mastroianni in
Mauro Bolognini
Mauro Bolognini (28 June 1922 – 14 May 2001) was an Italian film and stage director of literate sensibility, known for his masterly handling of period subject matter.
Early years
Bolognini was born in Pistoia, in the Tuscany region of Italy. ...
's
Golden Leopard
The Golden Leopard () is the top prize at the Locarno International Film Festival, an international film festival held annually in Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. Directors in the process of getting an international reputation are allowed to be ...
-winning drama film ''
Il bell'Antonio
''Il bell'Antonio'' ("Handsome Antonio") is a 1960 Italian-French drama film directed by Mauro Bolognini. The film is based on a novel by Vitaliano Brancati and adapted for the screen by Pier Paolo Pasolini and Gino Visentini. It stars Marcello ...
''. The film marked the start of a fruitful partnership. Cardinale stated that her films with Bolognini were among the most joyful of her career, considering him to be "a great director, a man of rare professional capability, great taste and culture. Beyond that, for me personally, a sensitive and sincere friend."
In Bolognini's films, thanks to her aesthetic femininity, Cardinale took roles of manipulative women who lead men to
perdition
Perdition may refer to:
* Hell in Christianity
Music
* '' Perdition City'', an album by Norwegian band Ulver
* '' The Perdition EP'', an album by Norwegian band Enslavement of Beauty
* "Perdition", a song from the album ''In Consequence'' by Gree ...
. During the filming of ''Il bell'Antonio'', her co-star Marcello Mastroianni fell in love with her, but she rejected him, as she did not take his love seriously, considering him to be one of those actors who cannot help but fall in love with their co-stars. Mastroianni insisted that his feelings were genuine, even after many years. The genuine empathy between the two actors proved to be ideal for reproducing the tension between the characters in the film. Cardinale next portrayed Pauline Bonaparte in
Abel Gance
Abel Gance (; born Abel Eugène Alexandre Péréthon; 25 October 188910 November 1981) was a French film director and producer, writer and actor. A pioneer in the theory and practice of montage, he is best known for three major silent films: ''J ...
's French film ''
Napoleone ad Austerlitz'', and after appearing opposite Gassman and Salvatori in the sequel to ''Big Deal on Madonna Street'', ''
Audace colpo dei soliti ignoti
''Audace colpo dei soliti ignoti'' (also known as ''Fiasco in Milan'' or ''Hold-up à la milanaise'') is a 1959 Italian comedy crime film directed by Nanni Loy. The film stars Vittorio Gassman, Renato Salvatori and Claudia Cardinale.
It is the s ...
'', she portrayed Ginetta, the fiancée of
Spiros Focás
Spiros Focás ( el, Σπύρος Φωκάς; born 17 August 1937) is a Greek actor.
Selected filmography
* (1959) - Giannos
* (1959) - Tasos Lygos
* (1959) - Alekos
* '' Death of a Friend'' (1959) - Bruno
* (1960) - Lucio Massimo
* '' Rocco ...
, alongside Salvatori and
Alain Delon
Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon (; born 8 November 1935) is a French actor and filmmaker. He was one of Europe's most prominent actors and screen sex symbols in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In 1985, he won the César Award for Best Actor for h ...
in
Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, stage director, and screenwriter. A major figure of Italian art and culture in the mid-20th century, Visconti was one of the fat ...
's critically acclaimed ''
Rocco and His Brothers
''Rocco and His Brothers'' ( it, Rocco e i suoi fratelli) is a 1960 drama film directed by Luchino Visconti and starring Alain Delon, Annie Girardot, Renato Salvatori, Katina Paxinou, Roger Hanin, Paolo Stoppa, and Claudia Cardinale in one of h ...
''. However, her leading performance in
Francesco Maselli
Francesco Maselli or Citto Maselli (born 9 December 1930, in Rome) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. He has directed 38 films since 1949.
Biography
Maselli graduated at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, National Film School ...
's ''
Silver Spoon Set
''Silver Spoon Set'' ( it, I Delfini, also known as ''The Dauphins'') is a 1960 in film, 1960 Italy, Italian and France, French drama film directed and written by Francesco Maselli. The film stars Claudia Cardinale. Shot in Ascoli Piceno, Italy.
...
'' gained her most attention during this period. Francesco Freda felt the film paved her way "to great success", noting the "sweetness of her smile" which struck a chord with the public.
![La ragazza della valigia Cardinale](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/La_ragazza_della_valigia_Cardinale.jpg)
In 1961, Cardinale portrayed a sultry
nightclub singer
A nightclub act is a production, usually of nightclub music or comedy, designed for performance at a nightclub, a type of drinking establishment, by a nightclub performer such as a nightclub singer or nightclub dancer, whose performance may ...
and young mother in
Valerio Zurlini
Valerio Zurlini (19 March 1926 – 26 October 1982) was an Italian film director, stage director and screenwriter.
Biography
During his law studies in Rome, he started working in the theatre. In 1943, he joined the Italian resistance. Zurlin ...
's ''
Girl with a Suitcase
''Girl with a Suitcase'' ( it, La ragazza con la valigia) is a 1961 cinema of Italy, Italian romantic drama film by Valerio Zurlini starring Claudia Cardinale as a spirited but naive young woman who lives on the fluctuating good will of others. It ...
''. As a result of her own experience of early motherhood, Cardinale naturally conveyed the concerns of a teenaged mother, identifying fully with the character of Aida. Such was her psychological involvement that she needed several months to overcome her apprehensions and prepare for the part. Zurlini chose her for such a difficult role against everyone's advice, as she was not yet considered a "real" actress, nor was she (yet) one of the most celebrated Italian beauties. However, he was very close and supportive of Cardinale during the production, and a true friendship developed between the two, based on a deep mutual understanding. Cardinale remarked: "Zurlini was one of those who really love women: he had an almost feminine sensitivity. He could understand me at a glance. He taught me everything, without ever making demands on me. ... He was really very fond of me." Cardinale was warmly praised by the critics for her performance in ''Girl with a Suitcase'', Dennis Schwartz considering her to have been at her "charming best". Later in 1961, Cardinale starred as a prostitute opposite
Jean-Paul Belmondo
Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor and producer. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward. His best known credits ...
in Bolognini's ''
La Viaccia
''The Lovemakers'' ( it, La viaccia) is a 1961 Italian drama film directed by Mauro Bolognini based on a novel by Mario Pratesi. The film which stars Claudia Cardinale and Jean-Paul Belmondo, was entered into the 1961 Cannes Film Festival.
Plot ...
''. Both ''Girl with a Suitcase'' and ''La Viaccia'' were presented at the
1961 Cannes Film Festival
The 14th Cannes Film Festival was held from 3 to 18 May 1961. The Palme d'Or went to the ''Une aussi longue absence'', directed by Henri Colpi and ''Viridiana'', directed by Luis Buñuel. The festival opened with ''Che gioia vivere'', directed by ...
. At the time, Cardinale was not considered comparable to the two divas of Italian cinema,
Sophia Loren
Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...
and
Gina Lollobrigida
Luigia "Gina" Lollobrigida (born 4 July 1927) is an Italian actress, photojournalist, and politician. She was one of the highest-profile European actresses of the 1950s and early 1960s, a period in which she was an international sex symbol. As o ...
, but several newspapers and magazines including ''
Paris Match
''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly news magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features.
History and profile
A sports news magazine, ''Match l'intran'' (a play on ''L'Intransigeant' ...
'' began to consider her to be a credible young rival to Brigitte Bardot. Cardinale's 1961 appearances also included
Henri Verneuil
Henri Verneuil (; born Ashot Malakian; 15 October 1920 – 11 January 2002) was a French-Armenian playwright and filmmaker, who made a successful career in France. He was nominated for Oscar and Palme d'Or awards, and won Locarno International Fi ...
's French comedy ''
Les Lions sont lâchés
''Les Lions sont lâchés'' (US title: ''The Lions Are Loose'') is a 1961 French comedy film directed by Henri Verneuil, and written by France Roche and Michel Audiard (dialogue). The music score was by Georges Garvarentz and the cinematography by ...
'', and ''
Auguste'' in which she had a cameo role.
The following year, Cardinale starred opposite Jean-Paul Belmondo as Vénus in the 18th-century set adventure ''
Cartouche
In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is an oval with a line at one end tangent to it, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name. The first examples of the cartouche are associated with pharaohs at the end of the Third Dynasty, but the fea ...
'', which made her a major star in France. She also played Angiolina, the romantic interest of
Anthony Franciosa
Anthony George Franciosa (né Papaleo; October 25, 1928 – January 19, 2006) was an American actor most often billed as Tony Franciosa at the height of his career. He began his career on stage and made a breakthrough portraying the brother of t ...
in Bolognini's ''
Senilità
''Senilità'', translated into English as ''As a Man Grows Older'' or ''Emilio's Carnival'', is Italo Svevo's second novel, first published in 1898. The novel's protagonist is Emilio Brentani, a failed writer torn between his longing for love and ...
'', a character which film writer Jacek Klinowski describes as "a spirited and strikingly beautiful twenty-year-old". In 1962, Cardinale was interviewed by the writer
Alberto Moravia
Alberto Moravia ( , ; born Alberto Pincherle ; 28 November 1907 – 26 September 1990) was an Italian novelist and journalist. His novels explored matters of modern sexuality, social alienation and existentialism. Moravia is best known for his d ...
, who focused exclusively on her sexuality and body image in films, treating her as an object. Cardinale remarked to him: "I used my body as a mask, as a representation of myself". The interview was published in ''
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title.
In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'' under the title "The Next Goddess of Love". Cardinale was amused to discover that the interview had inspired the writer to publish ''La dea dell'amore'' ("Goddess of Love") the following year, in which one of the characters, with her fine physical appearance and natural curves, closely resembled Cardinale. Just a few years later, she played a similar character in a film based on another novel by Moravia, ''
Time of Indifference
''Time of Indifference'' ( it, Gli indifferenti) is a 1964 Italian film directed by Francesco Maselli and based on the novel '' Gli indifferenti'' by Alberto Moravia. It stars Claudia Cardinale.
Plot
A penniless countess falls in love wit ...
''.
The finest and most prolific year of her career was 1963, when she appeared in a number of leading productions. She starred alongside
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...
in
Visconti
Visconti is a surname which may refer to:
Italian noble families
* Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447
** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan
* Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...
's ''The Leopard'' (1963) (''Il Gattopardo''), portraying a village girl who married a progressive young aristocrat (Alain Delon), and played a film actress cast by a director (Marcello Mastroianni) in
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most i ...
's ''8½''. Both films were critically acclaimed and are often cited by critics and scholars as among the greatest films ever made. She participated in the two films during exactly the same period, frequently moving from one to the other and experiencing the strictly planned approach of Visconti which contrasted strongly with Fellini's much more relaxed style and his almost total reliance on improvisation.
[ Cardinale remembered Visconti's set as having an almost religious atmosphere, everything focused on the film, far removed the outside world. Visconti needed silence for his work while Fellini preferred noise and confusion.
Prior to this period, Cardinale's own voice had not been used in her Italian films, as it was considered too hoarse, and owing to her French accent, insufficiently Italian.] Not until ''8½'' was she allowed to use her own voice. Cardinale explained: "When I arrived for my first movie, I couldn't speak a word. I thought I was on the moon. I couldn't understand what they were talking about. And I was speaking in French; in fact I was dubbed. And Federico Fellini was the first one who used my voice. I think I had a very strange voice." With her portrayal of Angelica in ''The Leopard'' and her brief appearance as herself in ''8½'', Cardinale achieved the definitive status of a top-ranking star.
The same year, Cardinale starred as Mara in ''La ragazza di Bube
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...
'' or ''Bebo's Girl'', in which she also used her own voice. For her performance in the film, she received her first Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress
The ''Nastro d'Argento'' (Silver Ribbon) is a film award assigned each year, since 1946, by ''Sindacato Nazionale dei Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani'' ("Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists") the association of Italian film critics. ...
in 1965. Cardinale acted in her first American film (although it was produced in Italy) when she played Princess Dala, a wealthy aristocratic woman who is the love and jewellery interest of David Niven
James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in ''Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other roles ...
in the Cortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina d'Ampezzo (; lld, Anpezo, ; historical de-AT, Hayden) is a town and ''comune'' in the heart of the southern (Dolomitic) Alps in the Province of Belluno, in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Situated on the Boite river, in an alp ...
-set ''The Pink Panther
''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the classic film '' The Pi ...
''. Cardinale's voice in the film was dubbed by Gale Garnett
Gale Zoë Garnett (born 17 July 1942) is a New Zealand–born Canadian singer best known in the United States for her self-penned, Grammy Award, Grammy-winning folk music, folk chart-topper, hit "We'll Sing in the Sunshine". Garnett has since c ...
, who went uncredited. Niven raved about working with the actress, telling her, "After spaghetti, you're Italy's happiest invention."
In 1964, Cardinale starred alongside Rod Steiger
Rodney Stephen Steiger (; April 14, 1925July 9, 2002, aged 77) was an American actor, noted for his portrayal of offbeat, often volatile and crazed characters. Cited as "one of Hollywood's most charismatic and dynamic stars," he is closely assoc ...
and Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters (born Shirley Schrift; August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades. She appeared in numerous films. She won Academy Awards for ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and ''A Patch o ...
in Francesco Maselli
Francesco Maselli or Citto Maselli (born 9 December 1930, in Rome) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. He has directed 38 films since 1949.
Biography
Maselli graduated at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, National Film School ...
's Italian-made ''Time of Indifference
''Time of Indifference'' ( it, Gli indifferenti) is a 1964 Italian film directed by Francesco Maselli and based on the novel '' Gli indifferenti'' by Alberto Moravia. It stars Claudia Cardinale.
Plot
A penniless countess falls in love wit ...
''. Thereafter, she spent three years in the United States, where she starred in several Hollywood films. She told of how she benefited from the arrangement, explaining it was an American initiative at a time when they invited all the successful European actresses to perform in their pictures, hoping to create a monopoly. Many suffered from the experience, but she was able to hold her own: "I took care of my own interests, blankly refusing to sign an exclusive contract with Universal Studios
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
. I only signed for individual films. In the end, everything worked out fine for me.
She first starred in the Henry Hathaway
Henry Hathaway (March 13, 1898 – February 11, 1985) was an American film director and producer. He is best known as a director of Westerns, especially starring Randolph Scott and John Wayne. He directed Gary Cooper in seven films.
Backgro ...
's Hollywood picture '' Circus World'' (1964) opposite John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...
and Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer and producer. She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. The press coined th ...
, playing the daughter of Hayworth, who performs with her as a mother-daughter circus act. By the end of the decade, she had returned to making films primarily in Italy, accepting a pay cut, turning her back on Hollywood stardom. Cardinale has further said, "I don't like the star system. I'm a normal person. I like to live in Europe. I mean, I've been going to Hollywood many, many times, but I didn't want to sign a contract." Film writer David Simpson notes that as a result, "Cardinale never achieved the same level of fame as Loren and Gina Lollobrigida", although she appeared in a higher number of decent films.
In 1964, she also played the lead role in ''The Magnificent Cuckold
''The Magnificent Cuckold'' or ''Il magnifico cornuto'' is a 1964 Italian sex comedy film directed by Antonio Pietrangeli and based on the Belgian play '' Le Cocu magnifique'' written by Fernand Crommelynck.
Plot
''The Magnificent Cuckold'' is ...
'', based on the Belgian play '' Le Cocu magnifique''. She was at the height of her sensuality at the time, but later the film only brought back unpleasant memories for her as she experienced little empathy with the director Antonio Pietrangeli
Antonio Pietrangeli (19 January 191912 July 1968) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He was a major practitioner of the Commedia all'italiana genre.
Biography
Pietrangeli was born in Rome. He started in the film industry by writing ...
, while the male star Ugo Tognazzi
Ugo Tognazzi (23 March 1922 – 27 October 1990) was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter.
Early life
Tognazzi was born in Cremona, in northern Italy but spent his youth in various localities as his father was a travelling clerk fo ...
tried to seduce her. In 1965, Cardinale appeared in Visconti's '' Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa'', known as ''Sandra (Of a Thousand Delights)'' in the US and ''Of These Thousand Pleasures'' in the UK, playing a Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
survivor who may have had an incest
Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adoption ...
uous relationship with her brother. Later that year, she starred opposite Rock Hudson in Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
's ''Blindfold
A blindfold (from Middle English ') is a garment, usually of cloth, tied to one's head to cover the human eye, eyes to disable the wearer's visual perception, sight. While a properly fitted blindfold prevents sight even if the eyes are open, a ...
'', the last film to be directed by Philip Dunne. Filming began on 22 February 1965 on location in Ocala, Florida
Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County within the northern region of Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 63,591, making it the 54th most populated city in Florida.
Home to ...
. Diane Bond
Diane Loretta Bond (born September 25, 1945, in Los Angeles) is an American former actress and feminist artist and writer, best known for her minor roles in movies during the 1960s. She appeared in films like ''In Like Flint'' (1967), '' House o ...
doubled for Cardinale in the film. Cardinale became good friends with Hudson, who proved to be very protective of her, knowing her discomfort outside of Italy. While in Hollywood, Cardinale also became friends with Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...
, Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould (; né Goldstein; born August 29, 1938) is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s.
Elliott's breakthrough role was in the ''Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'' (1969), for which he received a nomination f ...
, and Steve McQueen
Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...
, but she never managed to feel at home there.
By 1966, Cardinale was being cited as the most popular film star in Italy, even more than Mastroianni and Loren. ''Life'' stated that "the Cardinale appeal is a blend of solid simplicity and radiant sensuality. It moves men all over the world to imagine her both as an exciting mistress and wife." However, following her success in Hollywood, she began to express concerns about the direction of her career. In a July 1966 interview with ''Life'', she confessed her fear of being over-glamourized and exploited, like Sophia Loren, and although she had several further U.S. films lined up, stated: "If I have to give up the money, I give it up. I do not want to become a cliché."
In 1966, a photograph of Cardinale was featured in the original gatefold artwork to Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
's album ''Blonde on Blonde
''Blonde on Blonde'' is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released as a double album on June 20, 1966, by Columbia Records. Recording sessions began in New York in October 1965 with numerous backing musicians, ...
'' (1966), but it was used without Cardinale's permission and removed from later pressings. That year, she starred in Mark Robson's war picture ''Lost Command
''Lost Command'' (aka ''Les Centurions'') is a 1966 American war film directed and produced by Mark Robson and starring Anthony Quinn, Alain Delon, George Segal, Michèle Morgan, Maurice Ronet and Claudia Cardinale. It is based on the best-sel ...
'' for Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
opposite Anthony Quinn
Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental v ...
, Alain Delon, and George Segal
George Segal Jr. (February 13, 1934 – March 23, 2021) was an American actor. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. After first rising to prominence with roles in acclaimed films such as ''Ship o ...
. Quinn expressed his love of working with Cardinale, stating that although he adored Cardinale and Loren equally, "I relate easier to Claudia, Sophia creates an impression of something larger than life, something unobtainable. But Claudia – she's not easy, still she's within reach". She also played a Mexican marquessa in Richard Brooks
Richard Brooks (May 18, 1912 – March 11, 1992) was an American screenwriter, film director, novelist and film producer. Nominated for eight Academy Awards, Oscars in his career, he was best known for ''Blackboard Jungle'' (1955), ''Cat on a ...
' Western ''The Professionals
A professional is someone who is skilled in a profession.
Professional or professionals may also refer to:
* Professional sports
Music
*The Professionals (band), a British punk rock band formed in 1979
* ''The Professionals'' (The Professionals ...
'', uniting her on screen once again with Burt Lancaster in what she considered to be her best American film. The following year, she appeared in ''Una rosa per tutti
''A Rose for Everyone'' ( it, Una rosa per tutti) is a 1967 Italian film. It stars Claudia Cardinale.
Cast
*Claudia Cardinale : Rosa
*Nino Manfredi : The doctor
*Mario Adorf : Paolo
* Lando Buzzanca : Lino
* Akim Tamiroff : Basilio
*Milton Rodr ...
'' (''A Rose for Everyone'') and in Alexander Mackendrick
Alexander Mackendrick (September 8, 1912 – December 22, 1993) was an American-born director and professor, long based in Scotland. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and later moved to Scotland. He began making television commercials befor ...
's sex farce ''Don't Make Waves
''Don't Make Waves'' is a 1967 American sex comedy (with elements of the beach party genre) starring Tony Curtis, Claudia Cardinale, Dave Draper and Sharon Tate. Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film was directed by Alexander Mackendrick a ...
'' opposite Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...
. Although occasional funny moments were noted, ''Don't Make Waves'' was generally panned by the critics and the lack of chemistry with co-star Curtis was highlighted. Leonard Maltin
Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fil ...
, though, described the film as "a gem".
At the beginning of 1967, Cristaldi joined her in the United States. While the two were staying in Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, he surprised her by taking her to their wedding ceremony which he had arranged without her knowledge. She went ahead with the ceremony but was concerned about sacrificing the rights she had to her child Patrick. She also realized she was increasingly unable to make decisions about her own life. The marriage was never made official in Italy.
In 1968, Cardinale featured opposite Franco Nero
Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero (born 23 November 1941), known professionally as Franco Nero, is an Italian actor, producer, and director. His breakthrough role was as the title character in the Spaghetti Western film '' Django'' (1966), ...
in ''The Day of the Owl
''The Day of the Owl'' ( it, Il giorno della civetta ) is a crime novel about the Sicilian Mafia by Leonardo Sciascia, finished in 1960 and published in 1961.
As the author wrote in his preface of the 1972 Italian edition, the novel was writ ...
'', in a David di Donatello for Best Actress
The David di Donatello Award for Best Actress ( it, David di Donatello per la migliore attrice protagonista) is a film award presented annually by the Accademia del Cinema Italiano (ACI, ''Academy of Italian Cinema'') to recognize the outstanding ...
-winning performance. She reunited with Rock Hudson in the Italian-made criminal comedy ''A Fine Pair
''A Fine Pair'' (original title ''Ruba al prossimo tuo'') is a 1968 Italian crime-comedy film directed by Francesco Maselli. It stars Rock Hudson and Claudia Cardinale, who had co-starred together two years earlier in the romantic drama, ''Blindfo ...
'' under director Francesco Maselli. She also appeared alongside Rod Taylor
Rodney Sturt Taylor (11 January 1930 – 7 January 2015) was an Australian actor. He appeared in more than 50 feature films, including ''The Time Machine'' (1960), ''One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1961), '' The Birds'' (1963), and ''In ...
in ''The Hell with Heroes
''The Hell with Heroes'' (''A Time for Heroes'' and ''Run Hero Run'') is a 1968 American drama film directed by Joseph Sargent (his first feature directorial effort) set in Africa immediately after World War II. The film stars Rod Taylor, Claudia ...
'' and starred in one of her best-known roles as former prostitute Jill McBain in Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cin ...
's epic Western ''Once Upon a Time in the West
''Once Upon a Time in the West'' ( , "Once upon a time (there was) the West") is a 1968 epic Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone, who co-wrote it with Sergio Donati based on a story by Dario Argento, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Leone ...
''. Such was the power of her performance as the whore that Leone's biographer Robert C. Cumbow described her as "permanently engraved in cinematic history" and noted how suited to the role she was: "Her sex-goddess appearance combines with her more mystical iconographic associations to ease the progress of Jill from tart to town builder, from harlot to earth mother, from sinner to symbol of America—the apotheosis of the harlot with a heart of gold." In 1969, Cardinale starred opposite Nino Manfredi
Saturnino "Nino" Manfredi (22 March 1921 – 4 June 2004) was an Italian actor, voice actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, comedian, singer, author, radio personality and television presenter.
He was one of the most prominent Italian a ...
in Luigi Magni
Luigi Magni (21 March 1928 – 27 October 2013) was an Italian screenwriter and film director.
Life and career
Born in Rome, Magni started his career as a screenwriter, in 1956, with ''Tempo di villeggiatura''. In 1968 he collaborated wi ...
's ''Nell'anno del Signore
''The Conspirators'' (Italian: ''Nell'anno del Signore'') is a 1969 Italian historical film, historical comedy drama film written and directed by Luigi Magni and starring Nino Manfredi, Enrico Maria Salerno and Claudia Cardinale. It is based on th ...
'', based on the actual story of the capital execution of two ''carbonari
The Carbonari () was an informal network of secret revolutionary societies active in Italy from about 1800 to 1831. The Italian Carbonari may have further influenced other revolutionary groups in France, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Uruguay and Ru ...
'' in papal Rome. This was followed by a role as a telephone operator in '' Certo certissimo ... anzi probabile'', and as a nurse opposite Sean Connery
Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...
and Peter Finch
Frederick George Peter Ingle Finch (28 September 191614 January 1977) was an English-Australian actor of theatre, film and radio.
Born in London, he emigrated to Australia as a teenager and was raised in Sydney, where he worked in vaudeville ...
in Mikhail Kalatozov
Mikhail Konstantinovich Kalatozov ( ka, მიხეილ კალატოზიშვილი, russian: Михаил Константинович Калатозов; 28 December 1903 – 26 March 1973), born Mikheil Kalatozishvili, was a So ...
's '' The Red Tent'', based on the story of the mission to rescue Umberto Nobile
Umberto Nobile (; 21 January 1885 – 30 July 1978) was an Italian aviator, aeronautical engineer and Arctic explorer.
Nobile was a developer and promoter of semi-rigid airships in the years between the two World Wars. He is primarily remembe ...
and the other survivors of the crash of the Airship Italia
The ''Italia'' was a semi-rigid airship belonging to the Italian Air Force. It was designed by Italian engineer and General Umberto Nobile who flew the dirigible in his second series of flights around the North Pole. The ''Italia'' crashed in ...
.
1970s
In 1970, Cardinale starred opposite Peter McEnery
Peter Robert McEnery (born 21 February 1940) is a retired English stage and film actor.
Early life
McEnery was born in Walsall, Staffordshire, to Charles and Ada Mary (née Brinson) McEnery. He was educated at Ellesmere College, Shropshire.
Hi ...
and Eli Wallach
Eli Herschel Wallach (; December 7, 1915 – June 24, 2014) was an American film, television, and stage actor from New York City. From his 1945 Broadway debut to his last film appearance, Wallach's entertainment career spanned 65 years. Origina ...
in Jerzy Skolimowski
Jerzy Skolimowski (, born 5 May 1938) is a Polish film director, screenwriter, dramatist and actor. A graduate of the prestigious National Film School in Łódź, Skolimowski has directed more than twenty films since his 1960 début ''Oko wykol' ...
's comedy film ''The Adventures of Gerard
''The Adventures of Gerard'' is a 1970 British-Italian-Swiss adventure comedy film directed by Jerzy Skolimowski and starring Peter McEnery, Claudia Cardinale, Eli Wallach and Jack Hawkins. It was based on the 1896 collection '' The Exploits of ...
'', based on '' The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard'' by Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...
. In 1971, she formed a duo with Brigitte Bardot in the French Western-comedy ''The Legend of Frenchie King
''The Legend of Frenchie King'' (french: Les Pétroleuses) or Petroleum Girls is a 1971 French, Spanish, Italian and British international co-production western comedy film directed by Christian-Jaque and starring Claudia Cardinale and Brig ...
'', and appeared as a prostitute opposite Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi (15 June 1920 – 24 February 2003) was an Italian actor, voice actor, singer, comedian, director and screenwriter.
Early life
Born in Rome to a schoolteacher and a musician and the last of five children, Sordi was named in hon ...
in Luigi Zampa's comedy ''A Girl in Australia
''A Girl in Australia'' ( it, Bello onesto emigrato Australia sposerebbe compaesana illibata andsome honest emigrant in Australia would marry chaste fellow-countrywoman}) is a 1971 Italian comedy film directed by Luigi Zampa, with stars Alberto ...
''. The film, shot on location in February and March 1971, earned Cardinale a Best Actress award at the David di Donatello Awards
The David di Donatello Awards, named after Donatello's ''David'', a symbolic statue of the Italian Renaissance, are film awards given out each year by the ''Accademia del Cinema Italiano'' (The Academy of Italian Cinema). There are 26 award cat ...
the following year. In 1972, Cardinale appeared in Marco Ferreri
Marco Ferreri (11 May 1928 – 9 May 1997) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and actor, who began his career in the 1950s directing three films in Spain, followed by 24 Italian films before his death in 1997. He is considered one of t ...
's ''L'udienza
''L'udienza'' is a 1972 Italian-French drama film directed by Marco Ferreri. It was entered into the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival.
Cast
* Enzo Jannacci - Amedeo
* Claudia Cardinale - Aiche
* Ugo Tognazzi - Aureliano Diaz
* Michel P ...
'', which was screened at the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival
The 22nd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 23 June to 4 July 1972. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Italian film '' I racconti di Canterbury'' directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini.
Jury
The following people were announced as ...
. She also featured in '' La Scoumoune'' with Jean-Paul Belmondo and Michel Constantin
Michel Constantin (born Constantin Hokhloff, 13 July 1924 – 29 August 2003) was a French film actor.
Biography
Born to a Russian father and a Polish mother in Billancourt (near Paris), Constantin made his first film appearance in 1956. Hi ...
. After a role as a Russian aristocrat opposite Oliver Reed
Robert Oliver Reed (13 February 1938 – 2 May 1999) was an English actor known for his well-to-do, macho image and "hellraiser" lifestyle. After making his first significant screen appearances in Hammer Horror films in the early 1960s, his ...
in ''One Russian Summer
''Il giorno del furore'' (UK title: ''Fury'', also released as ''One Russian Summer'') is a 1973 Italian film based on Lermontov's juvenile novel. It stars Oliver Reed and Claudia Cardinale.
Plot
Palizyn is the patriarch of an aristocratic famil ...
'' (1973), set in prerevolutionary Russia, Cardinale starred opposite Franco Nero
Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero (born 23 November 1941), known professionally as Franco Nero, is an Italian actor, producer, and director. His breakthrough role was as the title character in the Spaghetti Western film '' Django'' (1966), ...
in ''I guappi
''I guappi'' (internationally released as ''Blood Brothers'') is a 1974 Italian historical drama film with "poliziotteschi" and " noir" elements. This film marks the meeting between Claudia Cardinale and the director Pasquale Squitieri, who soon b ...
'' (1974), a historical drama film
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swas ...
with "poliziotteschi
Poliziotteschi (; singular ''poliziottesco'') constitute a subgenre of crime film, crime and action films that emerged in Italy in the late 1960s and reached the height of their popularity in the 1970s. They are also known as ''polizieschi all'i ...
" and " noir" elements. Cardinale and the director Pasquale Squitieri
Pasquale Squitieri (27 November 1938 – 18 February 2017) was an Italian film director and screenwriter.
Life and career
Born in Naples, Squitieri graduated in law, then was briefly involved in stage, as author ("''La battaglia''") and even a ...
met for the first time on set, and he soon became her husband.
In 1975, Cardinale played the daughter of a political exile (Adolfo Celi
Adolfo Celi (; 27 July 1922 – 19 February 1986) was an Italian film actor and director. Born in Curcuraci, Messina, Sicily, Celi appeared in nearly 100 films, specialising in international villains. Although a prominent actor in Italian ...
) in Mauro Bolognini
Mauro Bolognini (28 June 1922 – 14 May 2001) was an Italian film and stage director of literate sensibility, known for his masterly handling of period subject matter.
Early years
Bolognini was born in Pistoia, in the Tuscany region of Italy. ...
's ''Libera, My Love
''Libera, My Love'' ( it, Libera, amore mio...) is a 1975 Italian drama film directed by Mauro Bolognini and starring Claudia Cardinale.
Cast
* Claudia Cardinale as Libera Valente
* Bruno Cirino as Matteo Zanoni
* Adolfo Celi as Libera's father ...
'', a character who becomes "increasingly incensed by the fascist government of Italy and makes a number of bold and very personal gestures against it". Later that year she appeared in the comedies ''The Immortal Bachelor
''The Immortal Bachelor'' ( it, A mezzanotte va la ronda del piacere, also known as ''Midnight Pleasures'' and ''Midnight Lovers'') is a 1975 Italian film that stars Claudia Cardinale, Vittorio Gassman, Monica Vitti, and Giancarlo Giannini. It te ...
'' with Vittorio Gassman and ''Qui comincia l'avventura
''Qui comincia l'avventura'', or ''Blonde in Black Leather'' in its English-language version, is a Italian films of 1975, 1975 Italy, Italian film. It stars Claudia Cardinale and Monica Vitti.
Cast
* Monica Vitti: Miele
* Claudia Cardinale: Lau ...
'' with Monica Vitti
Monica Vitti (born Maria Luisa Ceciarelli; 3 November 1931 – 2 February 2022) was an Italian actress who starred in several award-winning films directed by Michelangelo Antonioni during the 1960s. After working with Antonioni, Vitti changed f ...
. Vitti's biographer noted how Cardinale and Vitti stood out as the female duo in a predominantly masculine cast.
In 1976, Cardinale appeared in the sex comedy '' Il comune senso del pudore'', which was directed and written by Alberto Sordi, who also co-starred. The following year, she had a biblical role as the adulteress in the ''Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
'' miniseries, which featured Robert Powell
Robert Powell (; born 1 June 1944) is an English actor who is known for the title roles in ''Mahler'' (1974) and '' Jesus of Nazareth'' (1977), and for his portrayal of secret agent Richard Hannay in '' The Thirty Nine Steps'' (1978) and its ...
as Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
, Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft (born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano; September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an American actress. Respected for her acting prowess and versatility, Bancroft received an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, tw ...
as Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cru ...
, and Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine (; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perfor ...
as Cornelius the Centurion
Cornelius ( el, Κορνήλιος, translit=Kornélios; la, Cornelius) was a Roman centurion who is considered by Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the ...
. Cardinale starred in her husband's ''Il prefetto di ferro
''Il prefetto di ferro'' (internationally released as ''I Am the Law'' and ''The Iron Prefect'') is a 1977 Italian drama film directed by Pasquale Squitieri. The film tells the story of Cesare Mori, an Italian prefect that before and during the ...
'', which tells the story of Cesare Mori
Cesare Mori (; 22 December 1871 – 5 July 1942) was a prefect (''prefetto'') before and during the Fascist period in Italy. He is known in Italy as the "Iron Prefect" (''Prefetto di Ferro'') because of his iron-fisted campaigns against the Mafia ...
(Giuliano Gemma
Giuliano Gemma (2 September 1938 – 1 October 2013) was an Italian actor. He is best known internationally for his work in Spaghetti Westerns, particularly for his performances as the title character in Duccio Tessari's ''A Pistol for Ringo'' (1 ...
), an Italian prefect that before and during the Fascist period was best known as "the Iron Prefect". The film shared the 1978 David di Donatello for Best Film award with ''In nome del Papa Re
''In the Name of the Pope King'' or ''In nome del papa re'' is a 1977 Italian drama film written, and directed by Luigi Magni. Starring Nino Manfredi, it was not released in USA until 1986. The score was composed by Armando Trovajoli.
Plot
In Oc ...
''. In 1978, Cardinale appeared in Damiano Damiani
Damiano Damiani (23 July 1922 – 7 March 2013) was an Italian screenwriter, film director, actor and writer. Poet and director Pier Paolo Pasolini referred to him as "a bitter moralist hungry for old purity", while film critic Paolo Mere ...
's political thriller, '' Goodbye & Amen – L'uomo della CIA'', and again featured alongside Gemma in her husband's gangster picture, ''Corleone
Corleone (; scn, Cunigghiuni or ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' of roughly 11,158 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, in Sicily.
Several Mafia bosses have come from Corleone, including Tommy Gagliano, Gaetano Reina, Jack Dragn ...
'', set in 1950s Sicily.
After a role in another Squitieri film in 1978, ''L'arma
''L'arma'' (released in English as ''The Gun'' and on home video as ''Sniper'') is a 1978 Italian film. It stars Claudia Cardinale and Stefano Satta Flores, and was directed by Pasquale Squitieri.
Cast
*Stefano Satta Flores: Luigi
*Claudia Card ...
'', Cardinale portrayed Eleana, a Greek "gutsy brothel madame" and the girlfriend of Telly Savalas
Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was an American actor and singer whose career spanned four decades. Noted for his bald head and deep, resonant voice, he is perhaps best known for portraying Lt. Theo Kojak on th ...
in George P. Cosmatos
George Pan Cosmatos (4 January 1941 – 19 April 2005) was a Greek-Italian film director and screenwriter. Following early success in his home country with drama films such as ''Massacre in Rome'' with Richard Burton (based on the real-life Arde ...
's adventure war film, ''Escape to Athena
''Escape to Athena'' is a 1979 British adventure comedy war film directed by George P. Cosmatos. It stars Roger Moore, Telly Savalas, David Niven, Stefanie Powers, Claudia Cardinale, Richard Roundtree, Sonny Bono and Elliott Gould. The film i ...
'' (1979). The film, shot on location in Rhodes
Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the So ...
, was poorly received; it holds a 32% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
.
1980s
After a role in '' Si salvi chi vuole'' (1980), and a smaller part in Peter Zinner
Peter Zinner (July 24, 1919 – November 13, 2007) was an Austrian-American film editor. Following nearly fifteen years of uncredited work as an assistant sound editor, Zinner received credits on more than fifty films from 1959 to 2006. His most ...
's '' The Salamander'' opposite Franco Nero, Anthony Quinn, and Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultimat ...
, Cardinale played the love interest of Marcello Mastroianni in Liliana Cavani
Liliana Cavani (born 12 January 1933, Carpi, Italy) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. She belongs to a generation of Italian filmmakers from Emilia-Romagna that came into prominence in the 1970s, including Bernardo Bertolucci, Pier Pa ...
's war picture ''The Skin
''The Skin'' ( it, La pelle) is a 1981 Italian war film directed by Liliana Cavani and starring Marcello Mastroianni, Burt Lancaster, Ken Marshall, Carlo Giuffrè and Claudia Cardinale from Curzio Malaparte's book ''La pelle'' (''The Skin''). It ...
'', a film which also reunited her with Burt Lancaster. ''The Skin'' was entered into the 1981 Cannes Film Festival
The 34th Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 27 May 1981. The Palme d'Or went to the ''Człowiek z żelaza'' by Andrzej Wajda. The festival opened with '' Three Brothers'' (''Tre fratelli'') by Francesco Rosi and closed with '' Honeysuckle R ...
. In 1982, Cardinale appeared in Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo
''Fitzcarraldo'' () is a 1982 West German epic adventure-drama film written, produced and directed by Werner Herzog, and starring Klaus Kinski as would-be rubber baron, Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, an Irishman known in Peru as Fitzcarraldo, who is ...
, playing a successful brothel owner who funds Klaus Kinski's purchase of an old steamship in South America. The film, inspired by the story of Peruvian rubber baron Carlos Fermín Fitzcarrald
Carlos Fermín Fitzcarrald López (6 July 1862 – 9 July 1897) was a Peruvian rubber baron. He was born in San Luis, Ancash.
Rubber baron
Fitzcarrald was the eldest son of an Irish-American sailor who later became a trader and married a Peruv ...
, was shot on location in Brazil and Peru. The film was critically acclaimed, with Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...
of ''The New York Times'' calling it "a fine, quirky, fascinating movie" and a "stunning spectacle", comparing the dynamic between Kinski and Cardinale to Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...
and Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...
in John Huston
John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...
's '' The African Queen''. He pointed out that although Cardinale's screen time in the film was unfortunately not substantial, she set its comic tone; he praised the way she managed to turn Kinski, renowned for his volatile temperament and portrayals of megalomaniacs and criminals, into a "genuinely charming screen presence", adding a new dimension to his acting career. Later that year, Cardinale played opposite Pierre Mondy in the sex farce '' Le Cadeau'', a role which biographers Lancia and Minelli say was played with a "mature charm and expressiveness".
In 1983, Cardinale had a role in the Waris Hussein
Waris Hussein ('' né'' Habibullah; born 9 December 1938) is a British-Indian television and film director. At the beginning of his career he was employed by the BBC as its youngest drama director. He directed early episodes of '' Doctor Who'', i ...
miniseries ''Princess Daisy
is a fictional character in the ''Mario'' series of video games. She debuted in 1989's '' Super Mario Land'' as the ruler of Sarasaland. Described as a tomboy, she used to be rumored to be Luigi's love interest, similarly to Princess Peach ...
'', and featured alongside Lino Ventura and Bernard Giraudeau
Bernard René Giraudeau (18 June 1947 – 17 July 2010) was a French actor, film director, scriptwriter, producer and writer.
Early life
He was born on 18 June 1947 in La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime. In 1963 he enlisted in the French navy as a tra ...
in the French-Canadian film '' Le Ruffian''. In 1984, she played the love interest of Marcello Mastroianni in a Marco Bellocchio
Marco Bellocchio (; born 9 November 1939) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor.
Life and career
Born in Bobbio, near Piacenza, Marco Bellocchio had a strict Catholic upbringing – his father was a lawyer, his mother a schooltea ...
production of '' Henry IV'', based on the Luigi Pirandello
Luigi Pirandello (; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power ...
play of the same name. It was entered into the 1984 Cannes Film Festival
The 37th Cannes Film Festival was held from 11 to 23 May 1984. The Palme d'Or went to the ''Paris, Texas'' by Wim Wenders.
The festival opened with ''Fort Saganne'', directed by Alain Corneau and closed with '' The Bounty'', directed by Roger D ...
. Squitieri's ''Claretta
''Claretta'' (English title ''Claretta Petacci'') is a 1984 Italian historical drama film directed and written by Pasquale Squitieri.
The film entered the competition at the 41° Venice International Film Festival. For her role of Claretta Petac ...
'' (1984), featuring Cardinale and Gemma, was entered into the competition at the 41st Venice International Film Festival
The 41st annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 1 to 11 September 1984 under the direction of Gian Luigi Rondi. No Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement was assigned. The main event of this edition was, out of competition, the pre ...
. Cardinale's powerful performance as Claretta Petacci
Clara Petacci, known as Claretta Petacci (; 28 February 1912 – 28 April 1945), was a mistress of the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. She was killed during Mussolini's execution by Italian partisans.
Early life
Daughter of Giuseppina Persich ...
garnered her the Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress
The ''Nastro d'Argento'' (Silver Ribbon) is a film award assigned each year, since 1946, by ''Sindacato Nazionale dei Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani'' ("Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists") the association of Italian film critics. ...
. In 1985, Cardinale starred opposite Ben Gazzara
Biagio Anthony Gazzara (August 28, 1930 – February 3, 2012) was an American actor and director of film, stage, and television. He received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Drama Desk Award, in addition to nominatio ...
and Lina Sastri
Pasqualina "Lina" Sastri is an Italian actress and singer.
Life and career
Born in Naples, Lina Sastri started acting in amateur dramatics at very young age. She made her professional debut with the theatrical company Teatro Libero, and had her ...
in Alberto Bevilacqua
Alberto Bevilacqua (27 June 1934 – 9 September 2013) was an Italian writer and filmmaker. Leonardo Sciascia, an Italian writer and politician, read Bevilacqua's first collection of stories, ''The Dust on the Grass'' (1955), was impressed and ...
's ''La donna delle meraviglie
''La donna delle meraviglie'' (US title: ''Woman of Wonders'') is a 1985 Italian film directed by Alberto Bevilacqua and based on a novel with the same name by him.
It entered the competition at the 1985 Venice International Film Festival.
Cast ...
''. It entered the competition at the 1985 Venice International Film Festival.
In 1986, Cardinale was involved in the making of two films for television. In Comencini's ''La storia
''History: A Novel'' ( it, La Storia) is a novel by Italian author Elsa Morante, generally regarded as her most famous and controversial work. Published in 1974, it narrates the story of a partly Jewish woman, Ida Ramundo, and her two sons Anton ...
'' (from Elsa Morante
Elsa Morante (; 18 August 191225 November 1985) was an Italian novelist, poet, translator and children's books author. Her novel '' La storia'' (''History'') is included in the Bokklubben World Library List of 100 Best Books of All Time.
Life a ...
's novel), Cardinale portrayed a widow raising a son during World War II. In her husband's ''Naso di Cane
''Naso di cane'' (also known as ''A Dog's Nose'') is a 1986 Italian crime-drama television miniseries, written and directed by Pasquale Squitieri and starring Luca De Filippo. It is loosely based on a novel of the same name written by Attilio Ver ...
'', a miniseries, Enrico Lancia and Roberto Poppi praised her for her "light comic touch". In 1987, Cardinale starred opposite Peter Coyote
Peter Coyote (born Robert Peter Cohon; October 10, 1941) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, author and narrator of films, theatre, television, and audiobooks. He worked on films such as '' E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982), '' Cr ...
, Greta Scacchi
Greta Scacchi, OMRI (; born 18 February 1960) is an Italian-Australian actress. She holds dual Italian and Australian citizenship. She is best known for her roles in the films '' White Mischief'' (1987), '' Presumed Innocent'' (1990), '' The Pla ...
, and Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22, 1958) is an American actress, producer, children's author, and activist. She came to prominence with her portrayal of Lt. Barbara Duran on the ABC sitcom '' Operation Petticoat'' (1977–78). In 1978, she m ...
in Diane Kurys
Diane Kurys (; born 3 December 1948) is a French director, producer, filmmaker and actress. Several of her films as director are semi-autobiographical.
Personal life
Kurys was born in Lyon, Rhône, France, the younger of two daughters. She is a ...
's film '' A Man in Love'' (''Un homme amoureux''), Kurys's first English-language feature. It was entered into the 1987 Cannes Film Festival
The 40th Cannes Film Festival was held from 7 to 19 May 1987 in film, 1987. The Palme d'Or went to the ''Under the Sun of Satan (film), Sous le soleil de Satan'' by Maurice Pialat, a choice which was considered "highly controversial" and the prize ...
. Cardinale's performance as Scacchi's cancer-stricken mother was praised by critics, with Desson Howe
Desson Patrick Thomson is a former speechwriter for the Obama administration and former Film criticism, film critic for ''The Washington Post''. He was known as Desson Howe until 2003 when he changed his name after reuniting with his birth fath ...
of ''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' highlighting the "warm and radiant" elements that she brought to the role, and Hal Hinson
Hal Hinson is an American film critic who wrote for ''The Washington Post'' from 1987 to 1997. As of July 2015 he has 887 reviews collected on the website Rotten Tomatoes. Hinson has been cited as a critic who is unpopular with his fellow critic ...
, also of ''The Post'', comparing Scacchi to having "the same kind of sensuality that Cardinale brought to her earlier roles". After a role in the comedy, '' Blu elettrico'' (1988), Cardinale portrayed Yolande de Polastron
Yolande Martine Gabrielle de Polastron, Duchess of Polignac (8 September 17499 December 1793) was the favourite of Marie Antoinette, whom she first met when she was presented at the Palace of Versailles in 1775, the year after Marie Antoinette be ...
, a favourite of Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...
's, in the two-part film ''La Révolution française
''La Révolution Française'' is a French rock opera by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Raymond Jeannot, book by Alain Boublil and Jean-Max Rivière, created in 1973. The show premiered at the Palais des Sports de Paris.
Synopsis
With the Frenc ...
'' in 1989. Made to celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of the French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
, the 360-minute Robert Enrico
Robert Georgio Enrico (13 April 1931 – 23 February 2001) was a French film director and scriptwriter best known for making the Oscar-winning short ''An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge'' (1961).
He was born in Liévin, Pas-de-Calais, in the north ...
and Richard T. Heffron
Richard T. Heffron (October 6, 1930 – August 27, 2007) was an American film director.
He worked on many television series such as ''The Rockford Files'' and films including '' I Will Fight No More Forever'' (1975), ''Futureworld'' (1976), ...
film was an international production, boasting a cast which included Klaus Maria Brandauer
Klaus Maria Brandauer (; born Klaus Georg Steng; 22 June 1943) is an Austrian actor and director. He is also a professor at the Max Reinhardt Seminar.
Brandauer is known internationally for his roles in ''The Russia House'' (1990), ''Mephisto'' ...
, Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was List of English consorts, Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their Wives of Henry VIII, marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen followi ...
and Peter Ustinov
Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...
.
1990s
In 1990, Cardinale starred opposite Bruno Cremer
Bruno Jean Marie Cremer (6 October 1929 – 7 August 2010) was a French actor best known for portraying Jules Maigret on French television, from 1991 to 2005.
Origins
Bruno Cremer was born in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, in the eastern suburbs ...
in Squitieri's ''Atto di dolore
''Atto di dolore'' is an Italian film released in 1990. It stars Claudia Cardinale.
Plot
In Milan, Elena (Cardinale), widowed, has to raise her two children Martina and Sandro alone. Life takes a turn for the worse when Sandro becomes a drug addic ...
'', and appeared in the Morocco-set Soviet-Italian production, '' La battaglia dei tre tamburi di fuoco''.
In 1991, Cardinale featured alongside Richard Berry and Omar Sharif in Henri Verneuil
Henri Verneuil (; born Ashot Malakian; 15 October 1920 – 11 January 2002) was a French-Armenian playwright and filmmaker, who made a successful career in France. He was nominated for Oscar and Palme d'Or awards, and won Locarno International Fi ...
's ''Mayrig
''Mayrig'' (''Mother'') is a 1991 semi-autobiographical film written and directed by French-Armenian filmmaker Henri Verneuil. The film's principal cast includes Claudia Cardinale and Omar Sharif as parents of Azad (Henri Verneuil depicted as child ...
'' (meaning "mother"), a film about the struggles of an Armenian family that emigrates to Marseilles
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
in France from Turkey after the Armenian genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...
of 1915. Such was the success of the film that Verneuil made a sequel the following year, '' 588, rue Paradis'', also featuring the cast. Cardinale was praised by critics for her role as the mother; the Armenian General Benevolent Union
The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU, Eastern Armenian: Հայկական Բարեգործական Ընդհանուր Միություն, ՀԲԸՄ, ''Haykakan Baregortsakan Endhanur Miutyun'', or hyw, Հայ Բարեգործական Ընդ ...
of America noted the "flawless performance of these intrepid actors, especially of Claudia Cardinale". In 1993, Cardinale won the Leone d'oro alla carriera award at the Venice Film Festival, in which she was honoured along with Roman Polanski, Robert De Niro, and Steven Spielberg. Cardinale agreed to reunite with Blake Edwards, Herbert Lom
Herbert Charles Angelo Kuchačevič ze Schluderpacheru (11 September 1917 – 27 September 2012), known professionally as Herbert Lom (), was a Czech-British actor who moved to the United Kingdom in 1939. In a career lasting more than 60 ye ...
, and Burt Kwouk
Herbert Tsangtse Kwouk, (; ; 18 July 1930 – 24 May 2016) was a British actor, known for his role as Cato in the ''Pink Panther'' films. He made appearances in many television programmes, including a portrayal of Imperial Japanese Army Ma ...
to celebrate the 30th anniversary of ''The Pink Panther'' by making ''Son of the Pink Panther
''Son of the Pink Panther'' is a 1993 comedy film. It is the ninth and final installment of the original '' The Pink Panther'' film series starting from the 1963 film. Directed by Blake Edwards, it stars Roberto Benigni as Inspector Clouseau's ...
''. It was Edward's last film, but was a critical and commercial failure, with critics despairing at the "painfully unfunny script" and the performance of Roberto Benigni
Roberto Remigio Benigni (; born 27 October 1952) is an Italian actor, comedian, screenwriter and director. He gained international recognition for writing, directing and starring in the Holocaust comedy-drama film ''Life Is Beautiful'' (1997), f ...
as Clouseau, which earned him the Razzie Award
The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, ...
for Worst New Star. , it has a rating of just 6% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 34 reviews.
In 1994, Cardinale had a role in Charlotte Dubreuil's '' Elles ne pensent qu'à ça...'', and the following year appeared in the French TV serial '' 10-07: L'affaire Zeus''.
In 1997, Cardinale featured in the British-Italian television drama miniseries ''Nostromo
''Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard'' is a 1904 novel by Joseph Conrad, set in the fictitious South American republic of "Costaguana". It was originally published serially in monthly instalments of '' T.P.'s Weekly''.
In 1998, the Modern Lib ...
'', directed by Alastair Reid
Alastair Reid (22 March 1926, in Whithorn – 21 September 2014, in Manhattan) was a Scottish poet and a scholar of South American literature. He was known for his lighthearted style of poems and for his translations of South American poets Jorge ...
and produced by Fernando Ghia of Pixit Productions, a co-production with Radiotelevisione Italiana
RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terr ...
, Televisión Española
Televisión Española (acronym TVE, branded tve, "Spanish Television") is Spain's national state-owned public television broadcaster and the oldest regular television service in the country. It was also the first regular television service in ...
, and WGBH Boston. It is described as "an adaptation of Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and short story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in t ...
's epic story ''Nostromo
''Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard'' is a 1904 novel by Joseph Conrad, set in the fictitious South American republic of "Costaguana". It was originally published serially in monthly instalments of '' T.P.'s Weekly''.
In 1998, the Modern Lib ...
'' of political upheaval, greed, and romance in turn-of-the-20th-century South America." Cardinale and the cast were nominated for an ALMA Award
The American Latino Media Arts Award or ALMA Award, formerly known as Latin Oscars Award, is an award highlighting the best Hispanic and Latino Americans, American Latino contributions to music, television, and film. The awards promote fair and ...
for Outstanding Latino/a Cast in a Made-for-Television Movie or Mini-Series. Later in 1997, Cardinale appeared in the films ''Sous les pieds des femmes
''Sous les pieds des femmes'' (also known as ''Under Women's Feet'') is a 1997 French drama film written and directed by Rachida Krim and starring Claudia Cardinale.
Plot
Cast
* Claudia Cardinale as Aya in 1996
* Fejria Deliba as Aya ...
'' and her husband's '' Stupor Mundi'', in which she portrayed Constance of Aragon
Constance of Aragon (1179 – 23 June 1222) was an Aragonese infanta who was by marriage firstly Queen of Hungary, and secondly Queen of Germany and Sicily and Holy Roman Empress. She was regent of Sicily from 1212 to 1220.
She was the second c ...
. In 1998, Cardinale portrayed the mother of Lola Naymark
Lola Naymark (born 5 April 1987) is a French film and television actress, writer and director.Pallister & Hottell p.45 In 2005 she was nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actress for her role in ''A Common Thread'' but lost to Sa ...
in the French picture ''Riches, belles, etc.
''Riches, belles, etc. '' (also known as ''Riches, belles et cruelles'') is a 1998 French comedy film written and directed by Bunny Schpoliansky and starring Lola Naymark, Claudia Cardinale and Marisa Berenson.
Plot
During her rich and famo ...
'', a wealthy baroness who leaves her hotel to her daughter to care for during her absence. The following year, Cardinale played the peasant mother of two children who are members of Carmine Crocco
Carmine Crocco, known as Donatello or sometimes Donatelli (Rionero in Vulture, 5 June 1830 – Portoferraio, 18 June 1905), was an Italian brigand. Initially a soldier for the Bourbons, he later fought in the service of Giuseppe Garibaldi.
...
's (Enrico Lo Verso
Enrico Lo Verso (born 18 January 1964) is an Italian actor.
He studied acting at Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and ''INDA, Istituto Nazionale del Dramma Antico''.
Filmography
* ''Atto di dolore'' (1990)
* '' A Season of Giants'' (1990) ...
's) army during the Garibaldi
Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...
era, in Cristaldi's historical film '' Li chiamarono... briganti!''. Poorly received, the film was boycotted, and the producers have since refused to assign the broadcasting rights.
2000s
In 2000, Cardinale embarked on her stage career, starring in Maurizio Scaparro
Maurizio Scaparro (born 19 January 1932) is an Italian stage and film director, playwright, journalist and author.
Born in Rome, in the early 1950s Scaparro started working as a journalist and a theatre critic for the newspaper ''L'Avanti!'' an ...
's stage production of ''La Venexiana
La Venexiana (founded 1995) is an Italian early music ensemble founded and led by Claudio Cavina, an Italian countertenor and conductor.
Cavina studied in Bologna with the American singer and musicologist Candace Smith (singer), Candace Smith, and ...
'', adapted by René de Ceccatty, at the Théâtre du Rond-Point
The Théâtre du Rond-Point is a theatre in Paris, located at 2bis avenue Franklin-D.-Roosevelt, 8th arrondissement.
History
The theatre began with an 1838 project of architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff for a rotunda in the Champs Elysees. Inau ...
in Paris.
She also appeared in her husband's television film, '' Élisabeth - Ils sont tous nos enfants''. Two years later, Cardinale went on a theatrical tour of Italy, performing in Luigi Pirandello
Luigi Pirandello (; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power ...
's '' Come tu mi vuoi'', which Squitieri directed. She appeared as what Roger Ebert described as a "faded countess" opposite Jeremy Irons
Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor and activist. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969 and has appeared in many West End theatre ...
in Claude Lelouch
Claude Barruck Joseph Lelouch (; born 30 October 1937) is a French film director, screenwriter, writer, cinematographer, actor and film producer, producer. Lelouch grew up in an Algerian Jewish Family. He emerged as a prominent director in the 1 ...
's thriller film '' And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen'', portraying a character who spends her time in Fez, Morocco
Fez or Fes (; ar, فاس, fās; zgh, ⴼⵉⵣⴰⵣ, fizaz; french: Fès) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fès-Meknès, Fès-Meknès administrative region. It is the List of cities in Morocco, second largest city i ...
, with handsome gigolo
A gigolo () is a male escort or social companion who is supported by a person in a continuing relationship, often living in her residence or having to be present at her beck and call.
The term ''gigolo'' usually implies a man who adopts a lifest ...
s. The film was screened out of competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival
The 55th Cannes Film Festival started on 15 May and ran until 26 May 2002. The Palme d'Or went to the Polish-French-German-British co-produced film '' The Pianist'' directed by Roman Polanski.
The festival opened with ''Hollywood Ending'', directe ...
. ''And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen'' received mixed reviews; A. O. Scott of ''The New York Times'' dismissed it as "sublimely silly", but praised the "impeccable CinemaScope
CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...
compositions" and the "lush, suave score" by Michel Legrand
Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many son ...
.
In 2005, Cardinale appeared in a Philippe Adrien
Philippe Adrien (19 December 1939 – 15 September 2021) was a French stage director, actor and playwright. He was associated with the La Tempete company in Paris.
Actor
Adrien appeared in the 1959 war film, '' Green Harvest''.
Playwright
A ...
stage production of Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...
's ''Sweet Bird of Youth
''Sweet Bird of Youth'' is a 1959 play by Tennessee Williams which tells the story of a gigolo and drifter, Chance Wayne, who returns to his home town as the companion of a faded movie star, Alexandra del Lago (travelling incognito as Princess ...
'', and in the 2006/2007 season also featured in another Williams play, ''The Glass Menagerie
''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his Histrionic persona ...
'', directed by Andrea Liberovici, in which she played the character of Amanda. In 2007, Cardinale appeared in the Aline Issermann
Aline Issermann (born 16 November 1948 in Paris) is a French filmmaker. She began her career as an author and illustrator of comics, then became director of feature films and television films. Among her films are '' Le Destin de Juliette'' (1983), ...
comedy film '' Cherche fiancé tous frais payés'', opposite Alexandra Lamy
Alexandra Lamy () (born 14 October 1971) is a French actress.
Early life
Lamy was born in Villecresnes, near Paris, but grew up in Languedoc-Roussillon. When she was six months old, her parents, Michel and Michèle, moved the family to La Grande ...
and Bruno Salomone
Bruno Salomone (born 13 July 1970) is a French actor and comedian.
Theater
Dubbing
He gave his voice to the following movies in their French versions.
Filmography
References
External links
*
French comedians
1970 births
People ...
, in a role which Patrick Besson
Patrick Besson (born 1 June 1956) is a French writer and journalist.
Life
Besson was born of a half Russian father and a Croatian mother. He published his first novel, ''Early Mornings of Love'', in 1974, aged 17.
A Communist sympathizer, Besson ...
described as "atrocious". After a role in the TV movie ''Hold-up à l'italienne'' (2008), the following year Cardinale starred in the critically acclaimed ''The String
''The String'' (french: Le Fil) is a 2009 French film with French and Arabic dialogue, directed by Mehdi Ben Attia and made in Belgium and Tunisia. It stars Claudia Cardinale, Antonin Stahly and Salim Kechiouche. Notably, much of the film was ...
'', playing a Tunisian mother who has a tempestuous relationship with her French-educated gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
son. Michael D. Klemm of cinemaqueer.com reflected on how the film broke many of the taboos with interracial sexuality and homosexuality. He praised Cardinale's "terrific" acting and portrayal of the "overbearing" mother, likening one scene, where she "brings home a nice girl for Malik (Antonin Stahly) to meet", to ''Harold and Maude
''Harold and Maude'' is a 1971 American romantic black comedy–drama film directed by Hal Ashby and released by Paramount Pictures. It incorporates elements of dark humor and existentialist drama. The plot follows the exploits of Harold Chasen ...
'' (1971).
2010s
In 2010, Cardinale received the Golden Orange Best Actress Award at the 47th Antalya "Golden Orange" International Film Festival for her performance as an elderly Italian woman who takes in a young Turkish exchange student in ''Signora Enrica
''Signora Enrica'' ( tr, Sinyora Enrica ile İtalyan Olmak) is a 2010 Italo-Turkish comedy-drama film, written and directed by Ali İlhan, starring Claudia Cardinale as an elderly Italian woman who takes in a young Turkish exchange student. The fil ...
''. The Turkish-Italian co-production was shot in locations in Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
and Rimini.
In 2012, Cardinale featured opposite Jeanne Moreau and Michael Lonsdale in the final feature film to be directed by Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira, ''Gebo and the Shadow''. Critically acclaimed, it has a rare List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and was shown at the 69th Venice International Film Festival. ''The Hollywood Reporter'' described it as the "ensemble of superb older performers who comprise the remainder of the dramatis personae". Another excellent film in which Cardinale acted, released in 2012, was The Artist and the Model. In this, she starred along with Jean Rochefort. In 2013, Cardinale starred alongside supporting actresses Patricia Black (actress), Patricia Black and Chloé Cunha in Nadia Szold's ''Joy de V.'', and had a role in Ernst Gossner's war drama ''The Silent Mountain'', a love story set in the Dolomite Mountains at the outbreak of World War I between Italy and Austria-Hungary in 1915. Gossner described her as "a terrific spirit on the set", and noted that Cardinale told the production team "legendary stories" about Marcello Mastroianni. In 2014, Cardinale portrayed a "sympathetic Italian chaperone" viscountess in the British period drama film ''Effie Gray (film), Effie Gray'', which was written by Emma Thompson and featured Dakota Fanning in the lead role. While promoting ''Effie Gray'', in an interview Cardinale said: "I still continue to work, it's 142 movies now. Usually when you are old you don't work any more, but I still work, which is good.... I've been very lucky because I've had many fantastic directors with me, Fellini, Visconti, Blake Edwards, lots and lots...".
On 11 October 2018 she received the Tabernas de Cine award in the Almería Western Film Festival.
2020s
In 2020, Cardinale headlined the Swiss miniseries ''Bulle''. Later that year, she had a role in the Netflix film ''Rogue City''. In its debut weekend, it was the second most-streamed film on the site.
Personal life
Claudia Cardinale met the Italian film producer Franco Cristaldi
Franco Cristaldi (3 October 1924 – 1 July 1992) was an Italian film producer, credited with producing (or co-producing) feature films from the 1950s to the 1990s.
Career
In 1946 Cristaldi founded ''Vides Cinematografica'' in Turin. This product ...
in 1958. According to Cardinale, the couple had a marriage party but did not marry, and they became increasingly detached. Cristaldi later married Zeudi Araya and had no further contractual relationships with Cardinale.
Cardinale lived with Pasquale Squitieri
Pasquale Squitieri (27 November 1938 – 18 February 2017) was an Italian film director and screenwriter.
Life and career
Born in Naples, Squitieri graduated in law, then was briefly involved in stage, as author ("''La battaglia''") and even a ...
, an Italian film director, for 42 years, from 1975 until Squitieri died on 18 February 2017, aged 78.
Cardinale has two children: Patrick, who was born when she was 19 and later adopted by Cristaldi, and Claudia, whom she had with Squitieri. Cardinale is fluent in Arabic, French language, French, Italian language, Italian, English language, English, and Spanish language, Spanish. Her niece Francesca Cardinale, Francesca is also an actress.
Cardinale is a political liberal who has supported feminist causes over the years. Although she lives in Paris, Cardinale is fiercely outspoken about being identified as an Italian. She has been a UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
goodwill ambassador for the Defence of Women's Rights since March 2000, and was a goodwill ambassador for the UNESCO World Water Day for 2006.
Cardinale published an autobiography with Anne Mori, ''Io Claudia, Tu Claudia'', in 1995. She has been a regular attendee of the Academy Awards. Her awards have included an honorary Golden Lion at the 1993 Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...
, and an Honorary Golden Bear at the 2002 Berlin Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
. The ''Los Angeles Times Magazine
The ''Los Angeles Times Magazine'' (also shortened to just ''LA'') was a monthly magazine which supplemented the Sunday edition of the ''Los Angeles Times'' newspaper on the first Sunday of the month. The magazine focused on stories and photos of ...
'', in a February 2011 online feature, named Cardinale among the 50 most beautiful women in film history. Cardinale said of her acting, "I never felt scandal and confession were necessary to be an actress. I've never revealed myself or even my body in films. Mystery is very important." In a 2014 interview, she revealed her secret of success: "If you want to practice this craft, you have to have inner strength. Otherwise, you'll lose your idea of who you are. Every film I make entails becoming a different woman. And in front of a camera, no less! But when I'm finished, I'm me again."[
]
See also
References
Notes
Citations
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cardinale, Claudia
1938 births
20th-century Italian actresses
21st-century Italian actresses
Best Actress Golden Orange Award winners
Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia alumni
David di Donatello Career Award winners
David di Donatello winners
Honorary Golden Bear recipients
Italian film actresses
Italian women writers
Italian writers
Kristián Award winners
Living people
Nastro d'Argento winners
People from Tunis
People of Sicilian descent
Pieds-Noirs
Spaghetti Western actresses
Tunisian people of Italian descent
Tunisian people of Sicilian descent
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors
Western (genre) film actresses