The Late Great Claudia Cardinale

Legendary Italian movie star Claudia Cardinale died on September 23, 2025, at her home in Nemours, Île-de-France at the age of 87. She starred in such films as 8 1/2 (1963), The Pink Panther(1963), and Once Upon a Time in the West (1968).

Claudia Cardinale was born on April 15, 1938, in La Goulette, French protectorate of Tunisia. Throughout her childhood, she spoke French, the Sicilian dialect of her family, and Arabic. She didn't learn Italian until she was grown up. She studied at the Saint-Joseph-de-l'Apparition School of Carthage. Planning to be a teacher, she studied at the Paul Cambon School in Tunis. It was during this period that she and some of her classmates were cast in the short "Les Anneaux d’or (1956)," directed by Mustapha Fersi and René Vautier. Director Jacques Baratier spotted her in the short film, "and cast her in a small part in his movie Goha(1958). That same year she appeared in Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958) and Three Strangers in Rome (1958). In the remainder of the Fifties, she appeared in the films Venetian Honeymoon (1959), The Magistrate (1959), The Facts of Murder (1959), Audace colpo dei soliti ignoti (1959), Upstairs and Downstairs (1959), Vento del sud (1959), Il bell'Antonio (1960), Austerlitz (1960), Rocco and His Brothers (1960), and Silver Spoon Set (1960). Il bell'Antonio (1960) was the first of several films she made with director Mauro Bolognini.

Arguably, the Sixties would mark the height of Claudia Cardinale's career. In 1963 alone, she appeared in such classic films as Federico Fellini's 8 1/2 (1963), Luchino Visconti's The Leopard (1963), and Blake Edwards's The Pink Panther (1963). Later in the decade, she appeared in Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). During the Sixties, she also appeared in such films as Auguste (1961), The Lovemakers (1961), The Lions Are Loose (1961), Cartouche (1962), Careless (1962), La ragazza di Bube (1963), Time of Indifference (1964), Circus World (1964), The Magnificent Cuckold (1964), Sandra (1965), Blindfold (1965), Lost Command (1966), The Professionals (1966), Sex Quartet (1966), A Rose for Everyone (1966), Don't Make Waves (1967), The Day of the Owl (1968), The Hell with Heroes (1968), A Fine Pair (1968), Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), Diary of a Telephone Operator (1969), The Conspirators (1969), The Red Tent (1969), and The Adventures of Gerard (1970). 

In the Seventies, she appeared on television in the mini-series Jesus of Nazareth. She appeared in the movies The Butterfly Affair (1971), A Girl in Australia (1971), The Audience (1972), The Legend of Frenchie King (1972), La Scourmone (1972), One Russian Summer (1973), Blood Brothers (1974), Conversation Piece (1974), Libera, My Love (1975), The Immortal Bachelor (1975), Blonde in Black Leather (1975), A Common Sense of Modesty (1976), I am the Law (1977), Goodbye & Amen (1977), L'arma (1978), Fire's Share (1978), Father of the Godfathers (1978), Little Girl in Blue Velvet (1978), Escape to Athena (1979), and Si salvi chi vuole (1980). 

In the Eighties, Claudia Cardinale appeared in the movies The Salamander (1981), The Skin (1981), Fitzcarraldo (1982), Trail of the Pink Panther (1982), Le Ruffian (1983), Henry IV (1984), Claretta (1984), Woman of Wonders (1985), Next Summer (1985), A Man in Love (1987), Hiver 54, l'abbé Pierre (1989), and The Battle of Three Kings (1990). She appeared in three episodes of the TV show Naso di cane, and in the TV movies  Princess Daisy, Blu elettrico, and La Révolution française.

In the Nineties, she appeared in the movies Mayrig (1991), 588 rue paradis (1992), Son of the Pink Panther (1993), Elles ne pensent qu'à ça... (1994), A Summer in La Goulette (1996), Sous les pieds des femmes (1997), Stupor mundi (1997), Riches, belles, etc. (1998), and Li chiamarono... briganti! (1999). She guest-starred on the TV shows Flash - Der Fotoreporter, 10-07: L'affaire Zeus, Nostromo, and Desert of Fire. She appeared in the TV movies Mia, Liebe meines Lebens and Élisabeth - Ils sont tous nos enfants.

In the Naughts, Miss Cardinale appeared in the movies And Now...Ladies and Gentlemen (2002), The Demon Stirs (2005), Cherche fiancé tous frais payés (2007), The String (2009), Signora Enrica (2010), and A View of Love (2010). She appeared in the TV movies Hold-up à l'italienne and Il giorno della Shoah.

In the Teens, she appeared in the movies Father (2011), Gebo and the Shadow (2012), The Artist and the Model (2012), Joy de V. (2013), The Silent Mountain (2014), Les Francis (2014), Effie Gray (2014), Ultima fermata (2015), All Roads Lead to Rome (2016), Una gita a Roma (2016), Nobili bugie (2016), Rudy Valentino: Divo dei divi (2017), and Rouge City (2020). She guest-starred on the TV shows The Law of and Il bello delle donne… alcuni anni dopo. She appeared in the mini-series Bulle. Her final film role was in the movie The Island of Forgiveness (2022). 

In 8 1/2, Claudia Cardinale played Claudia,  the Ideal Woman, both an actual actress that Guido (Marcello Mastrioianni) knows and the idealized vision of a woman that Claudia sees in the movie. In many ways, it was the perfect role for Claudia Cardinale. She was beautiful, intelligent, charming, and extremely talented. The Fifties and Sixties saw multiple Italian actresses rise to international stardom, and I must confess that Claudia Cardinale has always been my favourite. I have had a crush on her since I first saw her in The Pink Panther when I was a lad.

Of course, it would not be until adulthood that I realized how talented Miss Cardinale was. She played a wide variety of roles beyond Claudia in 8 1/2 and Princess Dala in The Pink Panther. In The Leopard, she played the daughter of a prominent citizen who falls in love with Prince Tancredi Falconeri (Alain Delon). In Once Upon a Time in the West, she played Jill McBain, the widow of a murdered rancher who fights against the railroad to keep her land. In A Girl in Australia, she played Carmela, A Calabrian prostitute who migrates to Australia as a mail order bride. Claudia Cardinale could be good even when a particular film was not. Don't Make Waves (1967) received mixed to negative reviews, but she gave a fine performance as artist Laura Califatti. Claudia Cardinale was one of the most famous Italian stars of her era, and that fame was due to much more than her beauty. Claudia Cardinale was an extraordinarily talented actress who consistently gave good performances.