Claudia Cardinale
Date of birth: 1938-04-15
Place of birth: Tunis, Tunisia
Known for: Acting
Also known as: Claude Joséphine Rose Cardinale
Biography
Claude Joséphine Rose "Claudia" Cardinale (15 April 1938 – 23 September 2025) was an Italian actress. Regarded as one of the leading figures of Italian cinema, alongside Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida, she achieved international recognition during a career spanning more than six decades. Celebrated in the 1960s as "the most beautiful woman in the world" and widely considered a sex symbol of the era, Cardinale appeared in more than 175 films, primarily in Italy and France, across genres including comedy, drama, spaghetti westerns, and historical epics. She collaborated with acclaimed directors such as Federico Fellini, Sergio Leone, and Werner Herzog, and several of her films are regarded as significant works in the history of cinema. At the time of her death, she was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of European cinema. Born and raised in La Goulette, a municipality in Tunisia near Tunis, Cardinale won the "Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia" competition in 1957, the prize being a trip to Italy, which quickly led to film contracts, due above all to the involvement of producer Franco Cristaldi, who acted as her mentor for a number of years and later married her. After making her debut in a minor role with Egyptian star Omar Sharif in Goha (1958), Cardinale became one of the best-known actresses in Italy, with roles in films such as Rocco and His Brothers (1960), Girl with a Suitcase (1961), Cartouche (1962), The Leopard (1963) and Federico Fellini's 8½ (1963). From 1963, Cardinale appeared in The Pink Panther opposite David Niven. She went on to appear in the Hollywood films Blindfold (1966), Lost Command (1966), The Professionals (1966), Don't Make Waves (1967) with Tony Curtis, The Hell with Heroes (1968), The Red Tent (1969), A Fine Pair (1968), The Salamander (1981), and the Sergio Leone Western Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), a joint U.S.–Italian production, in which she was praised for her role as a former prostitute opposite Jason Robards, Charles Bronson and Henry Fonda. Jaded with Hollywood and not wanting to become a cliché, Cardinale returned to Italian and French cinema and garnered the David di Donatello for Best Actress award for her roles in The Day of the Owl (1968) and as a prostitute alongside Alberto Sordi in A Girl in Australia (1971).[1] In 1974, Cardinale met director Pasquale Squitieri, who would become her partner. She frequently featured in his films, including Blood Brothers (1974), Father of the Godfathers (1978) and Claretta (1984), the last of which won her the Nastro d'Argento Award for Best Actress. In 1982, she starred in Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo as the love interest of Klaus Kinski, who raises the funds to buy a steamship in Peru. In 2010, Cardinale received the Best Actress Award at the 47th Antalya "Golden Orange" International Film Festival for her performance as an elderly Italian woman who takes in a young Turkish exchange student in Signora Enrica. Over the years, Cardinale was outspoken about women's rights and became a UNESCO goodwill ambassador for the Defence of Women's Rights beginning in March 2000. In February 2011, the Los Angeles Times Magazine named Cardinale among the 50 most beautiful women in film history. ... Description above from the Wikipedia article Claudia Cardinale, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Movie Credits
8½
1963-02-14
Guido Anselmi, a film director, finds himself creatively barren at the peak of his career. Urged by
The Pink Panther
1963-12-18
The trademark of The Phantom, a renowned jewel thief, is a glove left at the scene of the crime. Ins
The Leopard
1963-03-27
As Garibaldi's troops begin the unification of Italy in the 1860s, an aristocratic Sicilian family g
Don't Make Waves
1967-06-20
Carlo Cofield vacations to Southern California, where he quickly becomes immersed in the easy-going
The French Revolution
1989-05-10
A history of the French Revolution beginning from the decision of the king to convene the Etats-Gene
Blood Brothers
1974-02-23
In Naples at the end of the 19th century, Nicola Bellizzi dreams of becoming a lawyer. However, when
Famous T & A
1982-01-01
A collection of nude and/or topless scenes from various films featuring actresses who were either fa
The Professionals
1966-11-01
An arrogant Texas millionaire hires four adventurers to rescue his kidnapped wife from a notorious M
Claudia Cardinale, la créature du secret
2019-12-31
How a young and wild tomboy Tunisian girl became a great actress by accident. Claudia Cardinale : th
Once Upon a Time: Sergio Leone
2000-01-01
A short documentary based on Sergio Leone's life and career, and the making of the film "Once Upon a
The Red Tent
1969-12-23
Torn by personal guilt, Italian General Umberto Nobile reminisces about his 1928 failed Arctic exped
Rocco and His Brothers
1960-10-07
When a impoverished widow’s family moves to the big city, two of her five sons become romantic rival
Big Deal on Madonna Street
1958-07-26
Best friends Peppe and Mario are thieves, but they're not very good at it. Still, Peppe thinks that
My Best Fiend
1999-05-17
A film that describes the love-hate relationship between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski, the deep tr
The Facts of Murder
1959-10-24
A police inspector comes into contact with people of all types and dispositions during a grueling mu
Fitzcarraldo
1982-03-02
Fitzcarraldo is a dreamer who plans to build an opera house in Iquitos, in the Peruvian Amazon, so,
The Magic of Fellini
2002-01-27
Documentary with interviews and clips of Fellini's movies.
Cartouche
1962-03-07
In the 18th century, Louis de Bourguignon is working with the Malichot's gang, but their ways are to
Luchino Visconti
2002-06-23
A chronological look at the creative life of Luchino Visconti (1906-1976). It examines his theatrica
Escape to Athena
1979-05-21
During the World War II, the prisoners of a German camp in a Greek island are trying to escape. They
Burden of Dreams
1982-10-01
The Amazon rain forest, 1979. The crew of Fitzcarraldo (1982), a film directed by German director We
The Last Sequence
2003-04-22
A documentary on Fellini’s lost alternate ending for 8½
Circus World
1964-06-25
Circus owner Matt Masters is beset by disasters as he attempts a European tour of his circus. At the
A Girl in Australia
1971-12-22
The film is about an old fashioned Italian with moral values of the 1930/40's , who has to find a wi
The Legend of Frenchie King
1971-12-16
Outlaw sisters in the old West inherit a ranch and try to settle down and develop relationships with
Son of the Pink Panther
1993-08-27
The illegitimate son of Inspector Clouseau is on the case of the kidnapped Princess Yasmin.
Girl with a Suitcase
1961-02-09
Lorenzo, who's 16 and born to a wealthy family in Parma, tries to make things right toward a showgir
Gina, Sophia, Claudia, trois symboles de la féminité à l'italienne
2019-01-13
Claudia la mystérieuse
2022-03-07
Bankers Also Have Souls
1982-03-24
A bank clerk is given an unusual retirement gift, a high class call girl. Unaware that he has been '
The Battle of Austerlitz
1960-06-17
Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself emperor and fights the English, Austrians and Russians in 1802.
The String
2009-05-12
Malik has a lot on his plate when he returns home to Tunisia after living in France. He's processing
Il giorno della Shoah
2010-01-27
The Audience
1972-03-31
Caustic satire on bureaucracy of the Vatican authority and a simple Italian who wants to achieve the
Cherche fiancé tous frais payés
2007-06-27
Alexandra, trente ans, s'apprête à passer les vacances d'été en famille. Au moment de prendre la rou
Blonde in Black Leather
1975-09-17
Two racy women decide to chuck their mundane lives and go on a wild adventure.
The Ruffian
1983-01-12
The adventures of a group of friends who plan to recover crates full of gold from a fall in Canada.
A Man in Love
1987-05-07
An American film-star and an unknown British actress meet on set in Rome. She is angry when he refus
Marcello Mastroianni, latin lover
2015-01-01
A documentary about Marcello Mastroianni.
A View of Love
2010-12-15
Happily married with a daughter, Marc is a successful real estate agent in Aix-en-Provence. One day,
A Common Sense of Modesty
1976-03-09
The film is divided into four episodes that blends sex and comedy.
Conversation Piece
1974-12-20
A retired professor of American origin lives a solitary life in a luxurious palazzo in Rome. He is c
Sandra
1965-09-16
Sandra returns to her hometown to take care of family business, but childhood memories and secrets s
The Pariah
1972-12-12
For more than 15 years, two Marseille friends and criminals battle the law, rival gangs, prison auth
Man & Wife, Cop & Crook
2008-05-28
Marion is a high-powered cop. Luc is a gentleman thief. He thinks she's a lawyer, she thinks he's in
Il bell'Antonio
1960-03-04
Problems arise for Antonio Magnano when he is unable to consummate his marriage to the beautiful Bar
The Lions Are Loose
1961-09-20
A young woman leaves her hometown and husband to explore Paris, where she becomes entangled in a riv
Li chiamarono... briganti!
1999-05-28
The story of a group of brigands who fought against Victor Emmanuel II during Italian unification.
The Day of the Owl
1968-02-17
Set in Sicily, this violent crime drama tells the tale of an Italian cop who heads to a small island
Monicelli: La versione di Mario
2012-01-30
The life and work of master Italian filmmaker Mario Monicelli (1915-2010).
The Demon Stirs
2005-06-22
Anne Cestac accepts the obvious: her husband Julien, in his forties, has fallen madly in love with a
A Summer in La Goulette
1996-12-25
Summer, 1967. La Goulette, the touristic beach of Tunisi, is the site where three nice seventeen-yea
Midnight Pleasures
1975-02-19
Tina is on trial for the murder of her lover, Gino. The violent nature of their relationship, reveal
Time of Indifference
1964-09-24
A penniless countess falls in love with a cad, unaware that he is also involved on the side with her
Gebo and the Shadow
2012-09-10
Despite his age and general weariness, Gebo keeps on working as an accountant to provide for his fam
I Am the Law
1977-09-23
Sicily, Fascist Italy, 1925. Dictator Benito Mussolini appoints Cesare Mori, a man as tough as he is
An Opera of Violence
2003-11-18
First part of a three-part documentary series on the making of Once Upon a Time in the West, Italian
Mother
1991-11-27
Henri Verneuil was born Achod Malakian of Armenian parentage on October 15, 1920, in Rodosto, Turkey
588 rue Paradis
1992-01-14
A successful playwright reflects on his journey from his Armenian roots to adapting in France, forty
Becoming Italian with Signora Enrica
2011-02-18
A shy Turkish student, Ekin, goes to Italy for his studies. There, he meets Signora Enrica, a strong
Effie Gray
2014-03-08
A look at the mysterious relationship between Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his teenage bride
The Artist and the Model
2012-09-28
In occupied France in summer 1943, a world-weary famous sculptor finds the desire to work again with
Libera, My Love
1975-03-21
A strong-willed woman risks everything to support the cause of anti-fascism in World War II Italy.
Second to Nun
A second take in life, with nun of the regrets.
The Salamander
1981-04-25
An Italian policeman investigates a series of murders involving people in prominent positions. Left
Belmondo, itinéraire...
2011-05-18
Documentary on the career of Jean-Paul Belmondo.
The Lovemakers
1961-06-13
The death of a wealthy patriarch in 1885 sets off an interfamily power struggle. Son Ferdinando buys
Joy de V.
2013-01-20
A con-artist feigning illness to live off of disability checks finds his scam unraveling when his wi
The Magnificent Cuckold
1964-10-19
Andrea Artusi is a successful businessman with a beautiful wife, Maria, and a happy marriage - until
Stupor Mundi
1997-09-15
Corleone
1978-11-10
Two friends grow up together in the Sicily of the '50s. Two different destiny, two different way of
Upstairs and Downstairs
1959-11-02
On marrying the boss's daughter, Richard takes his father-in-law's advice to hire a live-in domestic
Cinéma Jacques Perrin
2014-12-31
This is the story of a cinema adventurer, but also that of a free man with convictions. The entertai
Blindfold
1966-05-23
A patient being psychoanalyzed by Dr. Snow is a government scientist. General Pratt hides him in a s
Diary of a Telephone Operator
1969-11-06
Marta works as a telephone operator for a telephone company. She lives with her friend Nanda in Nand
The Queens
1966-04-21
Four comedic shorts explore quirky relationships and misadventures: a teenage girl's journey home, a
Hiver 54, l'abbé Pierre
1989-10-31
Postwar France was slow to recover from the after-effects of the World War Two. The economy was doin
Woman of Wonders
1985-09-06
In a straightforward yet unexceptional rendering of the life and loves of Alberto (Ben Gazzara), a w
Careless
1962-03-08
Emilio Brentani leads a peaceful and uneventful life with his older sister Amalia. Until he meets An
The Adventures of Gerard
1970-07-03
Based on satirical short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle about a vain, egotistical Etienne Gerard,
The Silent Mountain
2014-03-14
A young Austrian soldier in World War I fights his way through the Alps to rescue his Italian girlfr
Act of Sorrow
1990-08-30
In this painful melodrama, an aging mother (Claudia Cardinale) attempts to cope with the progressive
La Folle Histoire de Jean-Paul Belmondo
2017-01-01
The Conspirators
1969-10-24
Rome, 1825. Bishop Rivarola and Colonel Nardoni are in charge of suppressing the liberal revolution.
The Dolphins
1960-10-05
An acid portrait of Italian youth at the time, I DELFINI follows a dreary season of discontent and v
Little Girl in Blue Velvet
1978-08-23
An ageing surgeon falls in love with a thirteen-year-old girl.
Fellinopolis
2021-06-10
Ferruccio Castronuovo was the only authorized eye, between 1976 and 1986, to film the brilliant Ital
Goodbye & Amen
1977-12-23
As John Dannahay, a CIA agent stationed in Rome, plans the overthrow of an African government, he di
Popsy Pop
1971-03-10
Claudia Cardinale is Popsy, who double-crosses her older partner Silva (Stanley Baker). Silva has ar
The Magistrate
1959-10-07
Emilia Bonelli is an overly ambitious and driven woman. This dominant personality trait has its effe
The Gun
1978-09-07
Luigi, a middle-aged engineer who, getting increasingly worried about the rising crime rate in his s
Bebo's Girl
1964-01-24
At the end of World War II, shallow, self-centered Mara is the prettiest girl in her small Italian v
Riches, belles, etc.
1998-01-21
During her rich and famous mother's absence, a little girl, alone in a big hotel, tries to understan
Desert of Fire
1997-01-01
A helicopter crashes in the Sahara Desert. The entire crew are killed - only a small infant miraculo
An Italian Indian: The Pink Panther Princess With Claudia Cardinale
2017-06-27
Claudia Cardinale offers her reflections on her acting role and American debut in "The Pink Panther"
Henry IV
1984-05-24
Deranged after a fall from a horse, a man has lived for twenty years in a castle laboring under the
All Roads Lead to Rome
2016-01-14
Maggie is an uptight, single mother and college writing teacher from New York City. In an effort to
Drums of Fire
1990-12-21
In 1568, Saadi prince Abdelmalek is exiled from Morocco by his brothers, an event that is only the b
3 Strangers in Rome
1958-11-02
Three girls from Milan dreaming of a holiday in Rome arrive in the city by train and decide to prete
Venetian Honeymoon
1959-02-27
There is a lot of excitement in the high society of Venice: An Arab prince, who always travels incog
Next Summer
1985-01-09
Edouard is patriarch of a large family: his second wife, Jeanne, has just had a baby and finally had
Piccolina bella
One Russian Summer
1973-01-01
Based on Mikhail Lermontov's novel Vadim, this costume drama, set in Russia during the 1700s, chroni
The Hell with Heroes
1968-08-28
In 1946 North Africa, two former US Air Force pilots are forced to work for an international smuggle
The Skin
1981-08-27
Based on the memoirs of author Curzio Malaparte, diplomatic liaison between the Allied and Italian f
Si salvi chi vuole
1980-04-04
The daughter of a bourgeoisified Communist MP and a permissive housewife brings home her latest boyf
Luchino Visconti: Between Truth and Passion
2016-11-15
Forty years after his death, this documentary pays tribute to one of the major filmmakers of Italian
The Years of Lost Images
2012-07-12
A documentary about director Valerio Zurlini. The "lost images" of the title are the movies Zurlini
We Are Cinema
2021-12-16
An Italian documentary about Italian cinema.
Fire's Share
1978-01-04
Real estate developer Bob Hansen discovers that his wife Catherine is cheating on him with his partn
Night of 100 Stars II
1985-03-10
This special is the second "Night of 100 Stars" to benefit The Actors Fund of America. Edited from a
A Rose for Everyone
1967-01-18
A vivacious woman tries to please all of her lovers but finds she can't handle the jealousy that eru
Goha
1959-05-06
As far as can be determined, Goha was Tunisia's first entry in the Cannes Film Festival. Omar Sharif
Lost Command
1966-05-01
After being freed from a Vietnamese war prison, French Lt. Col. Pierre Raspeguy is sent to help quel
South Wind
1959-01-01
Antonio Spagara, a young Sicilian worker, has been assigned by the Mafia to murder a nobleman, Marqu
Visconti: La verdad del melodrama
2001-03-12
Nobili bugie
2017-04-24
In the 1940s Italy, a ruined noble family agrees to hide a Jewish family from the Nazis in exchange
Claretta
1984-05-31
A journalist wants to make a film about the life and death of Claretta Petacci, the mistress of Beni
La Traversée du désir
2009-03-16
What was your first desire? What did you long for most? Arielle Dombasle put these questions to a wi
Elles ne pensent qu'à ça...
1994-03-16
Arrived in New York, Margaux went to the bedside of her daughter Jess, who tried to commit suicide.
Alex et Marie
1994-01-01
Fiasco in Milan
1959-12-19
The usual gang of robbers are hired by a thief from Milan to steal a suitcase full of money, but tro
Una gita a Roma
2017-05-04
A poetic adventure of two children who arrive from a small village in outing to Rome and, in front o
Rudy Valentino
2018-05-24
Last Stop
2014-06-16
A man, after many years, returns to his home village following the death of his father, a beloved lo
The Wages of Sin
2003-11-18
Second part of a three-part documentary series on the making of Once Upon a Time in the West, Italia
Belmondo by Belmondo
2016-05-05
Jean-Paul Belmondo returns to the settings of a fantastic career, accompanied by his son Paul. Over
Sergio Leone, une Amérique de légende
2018-12-16
The destiny of Sergio Leone from his poor childhood in a neighborhood under fascism in Rome until hi
Sergio Leone: The Way I See Things
2006-03-08
Documentary about Sergio Leone
Alberto il grande
2013-02-16
Docu-film directed by Carlo and Luca Verdone realized on 2013 in occasion of the tenth anniversary f
Auguste
1961-10-24
Auguste is about an eponymous bank clerk who finds fame and fortune. Auguste happens to be in the ri
A Dying Breed: The Making of 'The Leopard'
2004-06-08
An hour-long documentary featuring interviews with Claudia Cardinale, screenwriter Suso Ceccho D’Ami
Il gattopardo: Viaggio della memoria
1994-01-01
A short documentary about The Leopard.
Nonnas on the Run
2017-01-01
Angela and Franca decide to take the dream trip of their lives. They run away from their boring reti
Hollywood Invasion
2011-09-01
Italy, Europe and America during the 'Dolce Vita' years narrated with unseen and rare footage from N
Twice Upon a Time in the West
2015-10-07
A girl on the run, a villain in the making, a faux cowboy, and Claudia Cardinale as Claudia Cardinal
Rumore
A Fine Pair
1968-09-27
A detective gets involved with the beautiful daughter of an old friend. The daughter turns out to be
Il falso bugiardo
2008-07-03
Based upon Vincenzoni's biography, "Pane e cinema", the documentary traces the story of the screen p
Kolossal - The Magnificent Macisti
1977-01-01
A documentary on the history of Italy's peplum genre.
Les Anneaux d'Or
1956-01-01
At the time of Tunisian independence, owners of large boats decide to sell, while many small fisherm
The Man with the Cigar in His Mouth
1997-08-06
Naso di cane
1986-12-11
Por un puñado de sueños
2004-01-01
In the 60s and half of the 70s, Almeria was the Hollywood of the South Europe.
Once Upon a Time in the West
1968-12-21
As the railroad builders advance unstoppably through the Arizona desert on their way to the sea, Jil
Fellini: I'm a Born Liar
2003-04-02
A look at Fellini's creative process. In extensive interviews, Fellini talks a bit about his backgro
And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen...
2002-05-29
A jazz singer and a British jewel thief are brought together by their mutual desire to forget the pa
Rogue City
2020-10-30
Caught in the crosshairs of police corruption and Marseille’s warring gangs, a loyal cop must protec
La Loi de Julien, Le bon fils
2017-08-29
Marcello, una vita dolce
2006-05-21
After shooting to fame with Federico Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” (1960), actor Marcello Mastroianni (1
Something to Do with Death
2003-11-18
Third part of a three-part documentary series on the making of Once Upon a Time in the West, Italian
The Blind and the Cardinal
2016-11-01
Thomas is seduced by Julie and tells her stories in which he was involved or that he witnessed. All
Father
2011-01-25
Dios de monoambiente
2018-01-01
In some way, this furiously independent film works as a visual extension of the book “Subjetiva de n
Pietro Germi - The Good, The Beautiful and The Bad
2009-12-06
This portrait of the Italian director & actor, Pietro Germi, explores his work, from Italian neoreal
The Island of Forgiveness
2022-11-17
Andrea Licari, a Tunisian of Italian descent now 60 years of age, has become an accomplished author,
Nana Mouskouri, Momente ihres Lebens
2020-04-03
Nana Mouskouri is the voice of the century. An internationally renowned personality and artist who s
The Life of Mirrors
2025-07-13
The Life of Mirrors is one of the sections of the exhibition Luis Miguel Cintra - Small Theatre of t
Algeria in Flames
1958-01-02
These are the first images shot in the ALN maquis, camera in hand, at the end of 1956 and in 1957. T
Heart of the Festival
2002-04-16
A short film containing some of the highlights of the Cannes Film Festival's storied history.
Hollywood sul Tevere
2009-09-07
Biggest Hollywood stars in Italy from 1950 to 1970 through Cinecittà Luce's archives.