Acclaimed Italian actress Claudia Cardinale, who captivated audiences in classic films including “8½” and “The Leopard,” died Tuesday at age 87 in Nemours, France, surrounded by her children, according to her agent Laurent Savry.
Cardinale starred in more than 100 films and television productions during her six-decade career, rising to fame during the golden age of Italian cinema. She worked with legendary directors Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti, becoming one of the most prominent Italian stars alongside Sophia Loren and Anna Magnani.
Born Claude Joséphine Rose Cardinale on April 15, 1938, in Tunis, Tunisia, to Sicilian parents who had emigrated to North Africa, she grew up speaking French, Arabic, and her parents’ Sicilian dialect. She did not learn Italian until she began acting in Italian films.
Her path to stardom began at age 16 when she won a beauty contest in Tunisia, earning the title “Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia.” The prize included a trip to the Venice Film Festival, where Italian film producers discovered her. Before entering the contest, she had expected to become a schoolteacher.
Cardinale’s early career was marked by personal challenges. As a teenager, she was raped by a film producer and became pregnant. A mentor convinced her to secretly give birth in London, and she introduced her son Patrick as her younger brother for seven years to protect her career and avoid scandal.
Producer Franco Cristaldi signed her to a seven-year exclusive contract and managed her early career. They married in 1966 and remained together until 1975. Her first significant role came in Mario Monicelli’s 1958 heist comedy “Big Deal on Madonna Street,” starring alongside Vittorio Gassman and Marcello Mastroianni.
The year 1963 proved pivotal for Cardinale’s international recognition. She simultaneously filmed Fellini’s “8½” and Visconti’s “The Leopard,” often shuttling between the two sets. She recalled having to dye her hair weekly, as Visconti wanted her brunette with long hair while Fellini preferred her blonde.
In “8½,” she played Claudia, the ethereal muse of Marcello Mastroianni’s existentially challenged director character. The film won Academy Awards for foreign-language film and black-and-white costume design. In “The Leopard,” she portrayed Angelica Sedara, a beautiful Sicilian who falls in love with Alain Delon’s aristocratic character during Italy’s political upheaval in the 1860s. The film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes.
Cardinale also achieved success in Hollywood during the 1960s, starring in Blake Edwards’ “The Pink Panther” as Princess Dala alongside David Niven and Peter Sellers. She later appeared in Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in the West” and Richard Brooks’ “The Professionals,” which she considered her best Hollywood film.
Despite opportunities in Hollywood, Cardinale remained committed to European cinema. Her husky voice was often dubbed in her early Italian films due to her accent, until Fellini insisted she use her own voice in “8½.”
After separating from Cristaldi in the early 1970s, she began a lifelong relationship with Neapolitan director Pasquale Squitieri, with whom she had a daughter also named Claudia. Squitieri died in 2017.
Throughout her later career, Cardinale continued working steadily, appearing in Werner Herzog’s “Fitzcarraldo” in 1982 and Marco Bellocchio’s adaptation of Pirandello’s “Henry IV” in 1984. She performed into her 80s, appearing in the Swiss television series “Bulle” in 2020.
Cardinale received numerous honors for her contributions to cinema. She won three David di Donatello Awards, Italy’s equivalent of the Oscar, and received an honorary Golden Lion from the Venice Film Festival in 1993. The Berlin Film Festival awarded her a lifetime achievement recognition in 2002.
Beyond her film career, Cardinale served as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the defense of women’s rights beginning in 2000, reflecting her advocacy for women’s causes throughout her life.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised her impact, stating that France would always carry the Italian and global star in their hearts. Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli called her one of the greatest Italian actresses of all time, noting that her beauty and exceptional talent inspired milestones in Italian cinema.
Reflecting on her career at the Berlin Film Festival in 2002, Cardinale said: “I’ve lived more than 150 lives, totally different women.”
Cardinale is survived by her two children, Patrick and Claudia.
