Joshua Goldman
Joshua Goldman
min read · September 23, 2025 · Entertainment

Claudia Cardinale: The Italian Screen Siren Who Captivated the World

Italian actress Claudia Cardinale has died at 87, following a glittering decades-long film career in both Hollywood and Europe

Italian Siren Claudia Cardinale Dies at 87: A Life of Passion, Drama, and Glamour

The world of cinema has lost a legend with the passing of Italian actress Claudia Cardinale at the age of 87. With a career spanning over six decades, Cardinale left an indelible mark on the industry, captivating audiences with her luminous performances in some of the most iconic films of all time.

Born in French Tunisia to a Sicilian family in 1938, Cardinale's early life was marked by tragedy when she was raped at the age of 19 and became pregnant with her son Patrick. Despite the scandal surrounding her out-of-wedlock birth, Cardinale persevered, signing with Italian producer Franco Cristaldi and embarking on a showbiz career in Rome to support her child.

In English, her best-loved roles include reformed prostitute Jill in the 1968 spaghetti western Once Upon a Time in the West

However, Cardinale's decision to conceal her pregnancy from producers was no easy feat. She recalled in an interview, "I filmed pregnant, but no one noticed, because the waistbands of dresses at the time were right under the bust." The secrecy surrounding her personal life would become a recurring theme throughout her career, as she navigated the complexities of Hollywood's golden age.

Cardinale's breakthrough role came in 1963 with Blake Edwards' comedy The Pink Panther, where she played the exiled Princess Dala opposite Peter Sellers. Her performance was met with critical acclaim, but it was her subsequent roles in Luchino Visconti's sweeping epic The Leopard and Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical masterpiece 8½ that cemented her status as a leading lady.

In The Leopard, Cardinale embodied the aristocratic Angelica, whose tumultuous romance with Alain Delon's Tancredi was both captivating and heartbreaking. Meanwhile, in 8½, she delivered a nuanced performance as one of Guido Anselmi's mistresses, amidst an all-star cast that included Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimée, and Sandra Milo.

She is pictured leaning on French heartthrob Alain Delon in Luchino Visconti's sweeping 1963 period drama The Leopard, which was a major influence on The Godfather

Cardinale's collaborations with Visconti would prove to be some of the most memorable moments of her career. In The Leopard, she shared a chemistry-laden dance scene with Burt Lancaster, who played Don Fabrizio, Angelica's godfather. The moment was both nostalgic and poignant, capturing the decaying world of the nobility.

However, Cardinale's personal life remained complicated. She had a tumultuous relationship with Cristaldi, whom she eventually extricated herself from in 1975. Her subsequent romance with Italian filmmaker Pasquale Squitieri would last until his death in 2017.

Cardinale's later years saw her take on more mature roles, including the 1984 film Claretta, where she played Benito Mussolini's mistress. She also appeared in Werner Herzog's epic Fitzcarraldo and the Turkish movie Signora Enrica, for which she won best actress at a now-defunct film festival in Antalya.

Her major roles include an exiled princess who owns the world's biggest diamond in the 1963 comedy The Pink Panther with David Niven (left)

But Cardinale's life was not without controversy. She recalled an infamous encounter with Marlon Brando, who had "knocking on my door" in Hollywood to try his luck. However, Cardinale politely declined, and Brando eventually left. "He quickly understood," she said wryly. "OK. You're an Aries like me, aren't you?" And he left."

Cardinale's relationships with other leading men were also well-documented. Marcello Mastroianni was reportedly smitten with her in the 1960s, but Cardinale rejected his advances. However, she did admit to walking "arm in arm" with Rock Hudson to give the public the impression of a romance. "Being gay in the cinema was the equivalent of poison," she explained.

In her later years, Cardinale became an advocate for young actresses, cautioning them against getting lost in their characters and mixing professional and private life. Her advice was born out of personal experience, having navigated the cutthroat world of Hollywood with both strength and vulnerability.

Cardinale is pictured at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival where she presented the Federico Fellini movie 8½, one of her many collaborations with Marcello Mastroianni

Cardinale is survived by her son Patrick, whom she had with Cristaldi, as well as her daughter Claudia, whom she welcomed with Squitieri. As a testament to her enduring legacy, Cardinale's family has announced plans to establish a foundation in her name, supporting young actresses and filmmakers around the world.

Thescholarlynote.com reported that Cardinale passed away surrounded by her loved ones at her home in Nemours, near Paris, on Tuesday. Her passing leaves an unfillable void in the world of cinema, but her remarkable life and career will continue to inspire generations of actors, writers, and filmmakers for years to come.

In a statement released by her agent Laurent Savry, Cardinale's family said, "She leaves us the legacy of a free and inspired woman both as a woman and as an artiste." As we bid farewell to this cinematic legend, let us remember Claudia Cardinale's unwavering spirit, unshakeable talent, and unforgettable performances that will forever be etched in our collective memory.

In 1958 in Rome she she entered the Italian film industry with another minor role in the classic comedy caper Big Deal on Madonna Street, in which she is pictured with Renato Salvatori

Also in 1960, she acted in Luchino Vischonti's social drama Rocco and His Brothers, marking her first collaboration with the director and with heartthrob Alain Delon

In 1961, she finally attained recognition as not only a bona fide star but also a well-regarded serious actress, thanks to Valerio Zurlini's film Girl with a Suitcase

In a top-flight cast including Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson and Jason Robards, Cardinale was a standout in Once Upon a Time in the West as a widowed rancher

The year 1963 also saw Cardinale featured in Federico Fellini's opus 8½, a semi-autobiographical piece about a movie director haunted by memories of the women in his past

She is pictured in 1965 during the height of her career, amid a decade when French and Italian cinema exploded dazzlingly across the world stage

Although she was Sicilian by ethnicity, her upbringing in Tunisia meant that she grew up speaking French and Arabic and had to be dubbed in her early Italian films; pictured 1966

One of her Hollywood pictures was the 1964 feature Circus World, starring Cardinale (right) with John Wayne (left) and Rita Hayworth

In 1969 she was part of an all-star international cast in Soviet director Mikhail Kalatozov's adventure drama The Red Tent, along with Sean Connery (left) and Peter Finch

Despite rumors attaching her to stars like Mastroianni, Delon, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Steve McQueen, she insisted she 'never wanted to mix my work and my private life'; pictured 1961

In The Leopard, Cardinale played the the beautiful aristocrat Angelica, who becomes involved with Alain Delon's Tancredi (left)

Cardinale is pictured with Delon and his daughter Anouchka at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, for the premiere of a restoration of The Leopard

She remained unsentimental about the 'cannibalistic and thankless profession' of moviemaking, particularly, she said, for actresses over 60; pictured in 2018 in Budapest

Marcello Mastroianni Mastroianni meanwhile remained infatuated with Cardinale for years after she rejected him back in 1960; pictured in 1959