Claudia Cardinale, the Italian actress renowned for her roles in The Pink Panther and Once Upon a Time in the West, has passed away.
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Cardinale died Tuesday in Nemours, near Paris, with her children by her side, her agent told the French news agency AFP, per France 24. She was 87.
Claudia Cardinale was born in Tunis on April 15, 1938, to Sicilian parents. She grew up in the Tunisian capital, speaking French, Arabic, and the Sicilian dialect. In 1957, she won the “Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia” contest, according to Deadline. The prize included a trip to the Venice Film Festival, where she attracted the notice of several film producers, launching her career.
Per IMDb, Cardinale debuted in the 1958 film Goha with Omar Sharif. She quickly became a prominent European star in the 1960s, appearing with Alain Delon in Luchino Visconti’s Rocco and His Brothers (1960) and The Leopard (1963).
She also appeared in Valerio Zurlini’s Girl With A Suitcase (1961), Philippe de Broca’s adventure film Cartouche (1962) with Jean-Paul Belmondo, and Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2 (1963).
Meanwhile, Cardinale’s personal life became complicated by an unplanned pregnancy just as her career was taking off. The actress wanted to keep both the child and her career. Producer Franco Cristaldi, to whom she was under contract, sent her to London to give birth. He publicly announced that she had gone to the UK to learn English for an upcoming role.
Patrick, her son, lived with her parents and sister, not knowing Cardinale was his mother until age seven.
Claudia Cardinale Spent Most of the 1960s Making Films in Hollywood
Cardinale’s career also took off internationally. She appeared opposite David Niven in The Pink Panther (1963) and spent most of the decade in Hollywood. She starred in films such as Blindfold (1965) with Rock Hudson, Lost Command (1966) alongside Anthony Quinn and Alain Delon, The Professionals (1966) with her The Leopard co-star Burt Lancaster, and Don’t Make Waves (1967) with Tony Curtis.
During this time, she also starred in Sergio Leone’s Western masterpiece, Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). She played Jill McBain, a widowed homesteader, opposite Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, and Charles Bronson.
In the 1970s, Cardinale returned to Europe. Her notable films included Luigi Zampa’s romantic comedy A Girl In Australia (with Alberto Sordi), the crime drama Hit Man (reuniting her with Belmondo), Pasquale Squitieri’s Mafia drama Corleone, and the WWII adventure Escape To Athena (with Roger Moore and Niven).
In the 1980s, she earned acclaim for her role as Claretta Petacci in Squitieri’s Claretta (1984) and appeared as Klaus Kinski’s love interest in Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo.
Throughout her career, Cardinale earned 128 credits. Her most recent film role was in Ridha Behi’s 2022 Italian-Tunisian drama The Island of Forgiveness.
A committed feminist, Cardinale served as a UNESCO goodwill ambassador for Women’s Rights starting in 2000. In 2011, The Los Angeles Times Magazine also listed her as one of the 50 most beautiful women in cinema history.