Claudia Cardinale

Claudia Cardinale, formerly known as Claude Joséphine Rose Cardinale, is an Italian actress. She was born on April 15, 1938, in La Goulette, Tunis. Cardinale received her school education from the Saint-Joseph-de-l'Apparition school of Carthage. She then sought her graduation from the Paul Cambon School, intending to become a teacher in the future. To direct her towards a dazzling career in movies, in 1957, Cardinale won the "Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia.” The prize of the pageant was a trip to Italy, which led her to land film contracts. Cardinale began her career with Italian cinema. She made her on-screen debut with a small role in the Goha (1958), She received critical acclaim and fame for her roles in the outstanding movies Rocco and His Brothers (1960), Girl with a Suitcase (1961), The Leopard, etc.

This made her the most renowned Italian actresses of her time. It was in 1963 when Cardinale gained recognition in the United States and Britain for her role in one of the most successful movies of its time, The Pink Panther. For the next few years, Cardinale appeared in several Hollywood movies. Her most praise role was about a former prostitute in the epic US-Italian production, Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). But after some time, Cardinale returned to her native cinema. After returning to Italian cinema, Cardinale received the David Di Donatello for Best Actress award. She received this award for her roles in the movies Il Giorno Della Civetta (the film was a mafia thriller and released in 1968), and A Girl in Australia, (an Italian comedy which released in 1971).

In 1984, Cardinale acted in the successful movie Claretta because of which she won the Nastro d'Argento Award for Best Actress. In 2010, for her highly renowned performance in the role of an elderly Italian woman in Signora Enrica, Cardinale jubilantly received the Actress Award at the 47th Antalya "Golden Orange" International Film Festival. She has been highly active and vocal about women's rights and has been a UNESCO goodwill ambassador for the Defense of Women's Rights since March 2000. The Los Angeles Times Magazine in 2011 named Cardinale among the list of 50 most beautiful women in Hollywood industry. Claudia Cardinale married Italian film producer Franco Cristaldi in 1966, but the couple divorced in 1975. Since the divorce, Cardinale has been living with Pasquale Squitieri, an Italian film director. She is also a mother of two children, Patrick, and Claudia. Cardinale is a very politically liberal figure who has been supportive of feminist causes for years and still is. Cardinale had her autobiography published titled, Io Claudia, Tu Claudia in 1995.