Franco-Italian actress Claudia Cardinale, a legend of 1960s cinema, has passed away at the age of 87, her agent announced. She died peacefully surrounded by her children in Nemours, near Paris, where she had been living.
Born in Tunis, Cardinale worked with some of the greatest filmmakers of her era, including Luchino Visconti, Federico Fellini, Richard Brooks, Henri Verneuil, and Sergio Leone.
“She leaves us the legacy of a free and inspired woman, both in her life and as an artist,” her agent Laurent Savry told AFP.
Like many Italian film stars of her generation, Cardinale’s entry into cinema began with a beauty contest. At just 17, while studying in Rome, she participated in the competition, which quickly led to small film roles.
Her portrayals of Sicilian women soon caught the attention of Italian producers, and her striking beauty, luminous dark eyes, magnetic sensuality, and undeniable acting talent secured her stardom.
Cardinale’s most celebrated films include Visconti’s Rocco and His Brothers (1960) and The Leopard (1963), Fellini’s surreal masterpiece 8½ (1963), and Sergio Leone’s epic western Once Upon a Time in the West (1968).
Other notable works include the spy comedy The Pink Panther (1963) and Werner Herzog’s acclaimed Fitzcarraldo (1982).
