Claudia Cardinale, the Tunisian-born Italian luminary who graced the silver screen in classics such as "The Leopard," "8 1/2," and "The Pink Panther," has passed away at the age of 87. Her illustrious career spanned six decades, catapulting her to stardom during the golden era of Italian cinema, where she was guided by the visionary hands of masters like Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti.
According to her agent, Laurent Savry, the actress breathed her last in Nemours, France, surrounded by her children. "She leaves behind the enduring legacy of a woman who was both free-spirited and inspiring, in her essence as a woman and as an artist," Savry shared with the AFP news agency.
Born in Tunisia to Sicilian parents in April 1938, Cardinale's star began to rise when she clinched the title of "the most beautiful Italian woman in Tunis" in a beauty contest at the tender age of 16. The prize? A trip to the Venice Film Festival, where she caught the eye of directors and producers, who beckoned her into the world of filmmaking. She later recounted her hesitation to abandon her dreams of becoming a teacher to "give this cinema thing a go," as her father had put it.
Her early years in the industry were fraught with challenges. As a teenager juggling minor roles, she endured the trauma of rape at the hands of an unknown assailant. While filming, she discovered she was seven months pregnant, prompting a mentor to persuade her to give birth in secret abroad in London. For years, she introduced her son, Patrick, as her younger brother. In a 2017 interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, she confessed that he was the driving force behind her film career, as she sought to "earn a living and be independent."
Her multilingual upbringing—fluent in French, Arabic, and her parents' Sicilian dialect—rendered her accent unsuitable for the Italian screen, leading to her voice being dubbed by other actors. Yet, her star ascended in 1963 when she shone in Fellini's Oscar-winning "8 1/2" and the epic historical drama "The Leopard," which became a Visconti masterpiece.
While filming both simultaneously, Cardinale juggled commutes between Sicily and Rome, frequently dyeing her hair to meet the contrasting demands of her directors. "Visconti wanted me brunette with long hair. Fellini wanted me blonde," she recalled.
Her Hollywood foray in the 1960s saw her star in Blake Edwards' "The Pink Panther" and Sergio Leone's "Once Upon A Time In the West," sharing the screen with legends like Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson. During her time in the US, Cardinale once spoke of feigning a romantic relationship with actor Rock Hudson to shield his homosexuality from public scrutiny. "Back then in America, if your sexuality was known, you couldn't work in Hollywood," she told Variety in 2017.
Critics hailed her as the "epitome of postwar European glamour." Reflecting on her career, Cardinale remembered, "The best compliment I ever received was from actor David Niven while filming 'The Pink Panther.' He said, 'Claudia, along with spaghetti, you're Italy's greatest invention.'"
After parting ways with film producer Franco Cristaldi in the early 70s, she embarked on a lifelong partnership with Neapolitan director Pasquale Squitieri, with whom she had a daughter, also named Claudia. She continued to grace the screen well into her 80s, featuring in the Swiss TV series "Bulle" in 2020.
In 2000, Cardinale was honored as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in recognition of her advocacy for women's rights. Two years later, she received a lifetime achievement award at the Berlin Film Festival. "I've lived more than 150 lives: prostitute, saint, romantic, every kind of woman. It's marvelous to have this opportunity to transform yourself," she reflected.
Italy's Culture Minister, Alessandro Giuli, hailed her as "one of the greatest Italian actresses of all time," embodying "the grace and elegance of Italy."
