Iconic Italian actress Claudia Cardinale, a prominent figure in 20th-century cinema, died Tuesday at 87. The actress died at Nemours in France, on September 23, in the company of her children, according to her agent Laurent Savry. “She leaves us the legacy of a free and inspired woman both as a woman and as an artiste,” Savry told AFP news agency.
Born in Tunisia to Sicilian parents on April 15, 1938, Cardinale won a beauty contest at 16 that saw her declared “the most beautiful Italian woman in Tunis.” The prize was a trip to the Venice film festival, where she was approached by directors and producers to become involved in filmmaking.
Originally with dreams to be a teacher, her father said years later, Cardinale later gave that up “give this cinema thing a go.” Her career began in 1957 when she won a beauty contest for the “Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia.” The prize was a trip to the Venice Film Festival, where her striking looks garnered the attention of film producers. Although she initially rejected their offers, she was eventually convinced to pursue acting, signing a seven-year contract with producer Franco Cristaldi’s company, Vides.
Because she had grown up speaking French and a Sicilian dialect, her Italian was not fluent, and her voice was often dubbed in her early roles. Her film debut was a minor role in the 1958 film Goha. The same year, she had a small but memorable part in the crime comedy Big Deal on Madonna Street, which was a huge success and made her instantly recognizable in Italy.
In 1959, she appeared in other films, including Vento del sud, Il magistrato, and Pietro Germi’s crime film The Facts of Murder. Her role in The Facts of Murder was a significant one, which she considered her first real test as an actress. Her career in the late 1950s laid the groundwork for her international success in the 1960s, a period often referred to as the golden age of Italian cinema.
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