Claudia Cardinale, One of Italy's Most Famous Stars, Dies at 87
She exuded glamour effortlessly, but wanted more (and achieved it)
September 23, 2025
Claudia Cardinale, the Italian bombshell referred to as “Italy’s girlfriend” in her youth, has died at 87.
She died near Paris in her adoptive country of France, which had bestowed upon her its Legion of Honor in 2008.
Cardinale was born in Tunis on April 15, 1938. She didn’t even learn to speak Italian until she began making movies, which came after winning a beauty contest in 1957. It doesn’t seem her rivals in that pageant had a fighting chance.
Though her looks led every conversation, she became an accomplished (and tireless — 65 years, 130 credits) actor who appeared in such consequential films as Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958); Il bell’Antonio (1960); Rocco and His Brothers (1960) and The Leopard (1963) for Luchino Visconti; Girl with a Suitcase (1961), Federico Fellini’s enduring 8-1/2 (1963), consistently put forth as one of the best films ever made; and Sergio Leone’s sprawling One Upon a Time in the West (1968).
As her fame soared, she was immediately in the same league as Sophia Loren, Anna Magnani and Gina Lollobrigida, a European star rising at a time when the United States was hungry from imported fare, which tended to be simultaneously racier and more artful than Hollywood concoctions.
On working with Visconti and Fellini, she said in 2017 to Le Monde:
“Visconti was precise and meticulous, spoke to me in French and wanted me to have long brown hair. Fellini was chaotic and didn’t have a script; he spoke Italian to me, cut my hair short and dyed it blond. Those were the two most important films of my life.”
Her career was guided by her lover and husband, Italian producer Franco Cristaldi, who went so far as to adopt her son, a child of rape she decided to keep in spite of the potential for scandal.
It was he who advised her on which parts to accept, and he also guided her during her stint in American films, including 1963’s The Pink Panther. Her leading man, David Niven, ranked Cardinale as Italy’s best export since … spaghetti.
While in Hollywood, she made less distinguished but high-budget fare, including Circus World (1964) as Rita Hayworth’s daughter, The Professionals (1967) with Burt Lancaster, and Don’t Make Waves (1967) with Tony Curtis.
She went on to work extensively with the love of her life, Italian producer Pasquale Squitieri, with whom she was involved from 1975 until his 2017 death. They made the films I guappi (1974), Corleone (1977), Claretta (1984) and Atto di dolore (1990).
Some of her other distinguished films: L’udienza (1972), Visconti’s Conversation Piece (1974), Fitzcarraldo (1982), Henry IV (1984) and Effie Gray (2014).
She took home two di Donatellos, was every bit as adept as a stage actor, dabbled in disco in the ‘70s and retired from screen acting only in 2022.
Though her sex kitten aura bored her as a feminist, it should be noted she graced the gatefold of Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde (though it was without permission and the release was updated).
She was also known for her work as a UNESCO goodwill ambassador.
Though she was speaking of how to handle oppressive film-industry people and trends, her advice “You need to fight!” could be applied to almost anything in life.
Cardinale is survived by her two children. ⚡️