Claudia Cardinale is a timeless icon of cinema. Recognized worldwide for her exceptional career, she has starred in numerous masterpieces of world cinema. Having worked for the greatest directors of her time, she has embodied dozens of characters and played roles that all correspond, in some way, to her multiple facets. If we have chosen her as the muse of La Reine Capricieuse, it is because she perfectly embodies the authenticity, simplicity and exceptional strength of self-affirmation that have allowed her to reach heights in the field she had chosen.
Who is Claudia Cardinale: her biography
Claudia Cardinale was born on April 15, 1938 in Tunis, Tunisia. Coming from a modest background, she is the eldest of four children (Blanche, Bruno and Adrien). Her mother tongue is Sicilian because her paternal and maternal grandparents are from Sicily. While Sicilian is the language Claudia speaks at home, she quickly learned French during her schooling. Thus, although of Italian nationality, she only learned to speak Italian at the age of twenty when she began acting in films.
A tomboy, often called "Claude" rather than Claudia, she was fascinated during her adolescence by the women's liberation movement led by idols like Brigitte Bardot, four years her senior.
Her life changed when she became a mother at the age of 20, following a tragedy whose violence would haunt her for the rest of her life. She gave birth to her first child, Patrick, on October 19, 1958, in London. Her producer at the time, Franco Cristaldi, advised her to pass her son off as her little brother so as not to harm her reputation and career. It was only seven years later that she revealed this heavy secret to a journalist.
After a first marriage with Franco Cristaldi, her producer, which lasted from 1966 to 1975, the director Pasquale Squitieri became her companion. Pasquale was the great love of her life, with whom she would have a second child, her daughter Claudia.
Claudia Cardinale's Life as an Actress
A large part of her biography obviously concerns her passion for cinema, which she quickly made her profession by becoming an actress. Her meteoric career began at the intersection of modeling and cinema. Indeed, she immersed herself in the world of cinema for the first time in 1955. She was then 17 years old and went to Venice, during the Biennale, on a trip offered as a reward for her first prize in the election of a beauty contest organized by the Italian film office, where she won the prize for "the most beautiful Italian woman in Tunis." However, she initially refused all the role offers made to her, making only a cameo in René Vautier's short film, Anneaux d'or (1956).
It was in Goha by Jacques Baratier (1957) and Le Pigeon by Mario Monicelli in 1958 that she first came to public attention. This was followed by her role in The Girl with the Suitcase by Valerio Zurlini in 1960, which truly marked the beginning of her career. She thus became "the little fiancée of Italy" in the words of Olivier Rajchman ("Claudia Cardinale, belle du seigneur" (l'Express, March 12, 2016).
Systematically dubbed in her early roles because of her hoarse voice and her still imperfect Italian, it was Solvejg D'Assunta, for example, who dubbed her character in the original Italian version of Luchino Visconti's The Leopard (1963). Audiences only discovered her voice in cinema for the first time with Federico Fellini's Eight and a Half (1963).
Adored by Luchino Visconti, her appearance alongside Alain Delon in the film Rocco and His Brothers (1960) and her appearance with Jean-Paul Belmondo in Cartouche (1962), a Franco-Italian adventure film directed by Philippe de Broca, made her known to French audiences. Her international success gradually grew in the 1960s and peaked in 1968 with the release of Sergio Leone's film Once Upon a Time in the West, which established her status as a global star.
During the 1970s, Claudia Cardinale takes a step outside the world of cinema by offering a discography, which has earned her great success in Europe and also in Japan. She is widely broadcast on the airwaves in France, with her titles such as Love affair and Sun… I love you, both of which have been ranked in the charts.
In the 2000s, Claudia Cardinale reduced the number of film shoots to devote more time to theater or writing. She notably went on stage in Paris in 2000, performing The Venetian Woman, then Sweet Birds of Youth by Tennessee Williams in 2005.
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Claudia Cardinale's awards and distinctions
Her international filmography, which reaches about one hundred and thirty films, has earned her numerous prizes and awards such as the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1993, recognizing her contribution to the world cinematographic heritage. This award marks the beginning of a succession of awards recognizing her entire film career. During that same year, she was also a member of the jury of the official selection at the Cannes Film Festival. She is adored in Italy, receiving successively the David di Donatello Prize in 1997, the Flaiano Prize in 1998, the Silver Ribbon of Honor of the National Union of Italian Film Journalists in 2000.
In 2002, Claudia Cardinale received the Honorary Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and the Platinum Award from the Viareggio Europa Cinema. In 2003, she won the European Actors Award at the Ludwigsburg Film Festival. Then France took over: in 2006, she was awarded the Henri-Langlois Prize, and in 2008 was appointed Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor. In 2013, she received the Lumières Award for Lifetime Achievement. Finally, in 2009, her home country awarded her the insignia of the Grand Cordon of the National Order of Merit (Tunisia).
Until 2015, she received around ten other awards at international festivals around the world.
Claudia Cardinale's Life as a Woman
A true idol of the 1960s, Claudia Cardinale exudes a natural charm and a singular beauty that did not leave indifferent the greatest directors of the golden age of Italian cinema with whom she worked. Highlighted for her beauty, at once delicate and incisive, solar and nocturnal, enigmatic and disturbing, she was often described by the international press as the most beautiful woman in the world during this decade.
The singularity in her expression and facial features attract the eye, hold the attention. She is a simple beauty, who does not need superfluous things to show herself in full light.
Claudia Cardinale embodies the image of a strong woman, who has managed to carve out a place for herself in a world of cinema still largely dominated by men. Her personality made her memorable and made her a symbol, following Brigitte Bardot, of women's liberation. In 2004, the then president Jacques Chirac appointed her president of the committee planned for the entry into the Pantheon of the writer George Sand on the occasion of the bicentenary of her birth (a Pantheonization which ultimately did not take place). She also received a Women's World Award in Vienna in 2009.
Throughout her life, Claudia has been involved in the defense of women's rights. She has also been involved in the fight against AIDS and the recognition of rights for homosexuals. Furthermore, her commitment to several humanitarian causes led her to receive the title of "goodwill ambassador" awarded by UNESCO in 1999. The Claudia Cardinale Foundation created in 2022 with the support of her daughter aims precisely to perpetuate this tradition of strong commitment that characterizes her.
Claudia Cardinale's filmography
Claudia Cardinale is famous for having starred in numerous successful films, often playing the lead role. Here is the exhaustive list of the feature films and short films in which she appears:
- 1958: The Golden Rings (short film) by René Vautier
- 1958: Goha by Jacques Baratier: Amina
- 1958: The Stranger in Rome (Tre straniere a Roma) by Claudio Gora: Marisa
- 1958: The Pigeon (I soliti ignoti) by Mario Monicelli: Carmelina
- 1959: South Wind (Vento del Sud) by Enzo Provenzale: Grazia Macri
- 1959: Italian Murder (Un maledetto imbroglio) by Pietro Germi: Assuntina
- 1959: We Are All Guilty (Il magistrato) by Luigi Zampa: Orlando's wife
- 1959: Milanese hold-up (Audace colpo dei soliti ignoti) by Nanni Loy: Carmela Nicosia
- 1959: The Venetian Wedding (La prima notte) by Alberto Cavalcanti: Angelica
- 1959: Service Entrance (Upstairs and Downstairs) by Ralph Thomas: Maria
- 1960: The Girl with the Suitcase (La ragazza con la valigia) by Valerio Zurlini: Aïda Zepponi
- 1960: The Dolphins (I delfini) by Francesco Maselli: Fedora Santini
- 1960: Rocco and his brothers (Rocco ei suoi fratelli) by Luchino Visconti: Ginetta
- 1960: Le Bel Antonio by Mauro Bolognini: Barbara Puglisi
- 1960: Austerlitz by Abel Gance: Pauline Bonaparte
- 1961: The Wrong Way (La viaccia), by Mauro Bolognini: Bianca
- 1961: The Lions Are Unleashed by Henri Verneuil: Albertine
- 1961: Auguste by Pierre Chevalier: herself (appearance)
- 1962: Cartouche by Philippe de Broca: Venus
- 1962: When the flesh succumbs (Senilità) by Mauro Bolognini: Angiolina Zarri
- 1963: Eight and a Half (Otto e mezzo) by Federico Fellini: Claudia
- 1963: The Leet (Il gattopardo) by Luchino Visconti: Angelica Sedara/Bertiana
- 1963: The Pink Panther by Blake Edwards: Princess Dala
- 1964: The Magnificent Cuckold (Il magnifico cornuto) by Antonio Pietrangeli: Maria Grazia
- 1964: The Two Rivals (Gli indifferenti) by Francesco Maselli: Carla
- 1964: Circus World by Henry Hathaway: Toni Alfredo
- 1964: La Ragazza by Luigi Comencini: Mara
- 1965: Sandra (Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa) by Luchino Visconti: Sandra
- 1965: Blindflod by Philip Dunne: Vicky Vincenti
- 1966: The Ogresses (Le fate) by Mauro Bolognini: Armenia
- 1966: Lost Command by Mark Robson: Aïcha
- 1966: The Professionals by Richard Brooks: Mrs. Maria Grant
- 1967: Don't Make Waves by Alexander Mackendrick: Laura Califatti
- 1967: A Rose for All (Una rosa per tutti) by Franco Rossi: Rosa
- 1968: La amante estelar by Antonio de Lara (short film)
- 1968: The Mafia makes the law (Il giorno della civetta) by Damiano Damiani: Rosa Nicolosi
- 1968: The Hell With Heroes by Joseph Sargent: Elena
- 1968: Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) by Sergio Leone: Jill McBain
- 1968: An unusual couple (Ruba al prossimo tuo) by Francesco Maselli: Esmeralda Marini
- 1969: The Conspirators (Nell'anno del Signore) by Luigi Magni: Giuditta Di Castro
- 1969: The Red Tent (Krasnaya palatka) by Mikhail Kalatozov: Nurse Valeria
- 1969: Certainly, certainly (Certo, certissimo anzi probabile) by Marcello Fondato: Marta Chiaretti
- 1970: The Adventures of Brigadier Gérard by Jerzy Skolimowski: Téresa, Countess of Moralès
- 1971: The Audience (L'Udienza) by Marco Ferreri: Aïche
- 1971: Bello, onesto, emigrato Australia sposerebbe compaesana illibata by Luigi Zampa: Carmela
- 1971: Popsy Pop by Jean Herman: Popsy
- 1971: The Oil Girls by Christian-Jaque: Marie Sarrazin
- 1972: La Scoumoune by José Giovanni: Georgia Saratov
- 1973: Freedom, my love! (Libera, amore mio…) by Mauro Bolognini: Libera Valente
- 1973: Lucia and the Groups (I guappi) by Pasquale Squitieri: Lucia Esposito
- 1973: Red April (Il giorno del furore) by Antonio Calenda: Anya
- 1974: Violence and Passion (Gruppo di famiglia in un interno) by Luchino Visconti: the professor's wife
- 1975: History of love (A mezzanotte va la ronda del piacere) by Marcello Fondato: Gabriella Sansoni
- 1975: A blonde, a brunette and a motorcycle (Qui comincia l'avventura) by Carlo Di Palma: Claudia
- 1976: Italian modesty (Il comune senso del pudore) by Alberto Sordi: Armida Ballarin
- 1977: The Mori Affair (Il prefetto di ferro) by Pasquale Squitieri: Anna Torrisi
- 1978: Goodbye and Amen (Goodbye e Amen) by Damiano Damiani: Aliki
- 1978: Corleone by Pasquale Squitieri: Rosa Accordino
- 1978: Voluntary homicide (L'arma) by Pasquale Squitieri: Marta Compagna
- 1978: The Share of Fire by Étienne Périer: Catherine Hansen
- 1978: Escape to Athena by George Cosmatos: Eleana
- 1979: Little Girl in Blue Velvet by Alan Bridges: Francesca Modigliani
- 1980: Si salvi chi vuole by Roberto Faenza: Luisa
- 1981: The Salamander by Peter Zinner: Elena Leporello
- 1981: La Peau (La Pelle) by Liliana Cavani: Princess Consuelo Caracciolo
- 1982: Fitzcarraldo by Werner Herzog: Molly
- 1982: The Gift of Michel Lang: Antonella Dufour
- 1983: The Ruffian by José Giovanni: the baroness
- 1984: Claretta by Pasquale Squitieri: Clara “Claretta” Petacci
- 1984: Henry IV, the Mad King (Enrico IV) by Marco Bellocchio: Matilda
- 1985: La donna delle meraviglie by Alberto Bevilacqua: Maura
- 1985: Next Summer by Nadine Trintignant: Jeanne
- 1986: La storia by Luigi Comencini (theatrical release in France): Ida
- 1987: A Man in Love with Diane Kurys: Julia Steiner
- 1989: The French Revolution by Robert Enrico and Richard T. Heffron: Yolande-Gabrielle de Polastron, Duchess of Polignac
- 1989: Winter 54, Abbé Pierre by Denis Amar: Hélène
- 1989: Act of love (Atto di dolore) by Pasquale Squitieri: Elena
- 1990: The Horsemen of Glory (La Batalla de los tres reyes) by Souheil Ben Barka and Uchkun Nazarov: Roxelane
- 1991: Mayrig by Henri Verneuil: Araxi (Mayrig)
- 1991: 588, rue Paradis d'Henri Verneuil: Araxi (Mayrig)
- 1993: Son of the Pink Panther by Blake Edwards: Maria Gambrelli
- 1994: They only think about that… by Charlotte Dubreuil: Margaux
- 1996: A Summer in La Goulette by Férid Boughedir: herself
- 1997: Under the feet of women by Rachida Krim: Aya
- 1997: Rich, Beautiful, etc. by Bunny Godillot (aka Bunny Schpoliansky): Baroness Mitsy
- 1999: A coffee… the bill by Félicie Dutertre and François Rabes (short film): Madame Gigi
- 1999: Li chiamarono… briganti! by Pasquale Squitieri: Donna Assunta
- 2001: And Now… Ladies and Gentlemen by Claude Lelouch: Madame Falconetti
- 2005: The Midday Demon by Marie Pascale Osterrieth: Claudia Cardinale
- 2007: Looking for a fiancé with all expenses paid by Aline Issermann: Elisabeth
- 2009: The Thread of Mehdi Ben Attia: Sara
- 2010: A balcony on the sea by Nicole Garcia: Marc’s mother
- 2010: Sinyora Enrica ile Italyan Olmak by Ali Ilhan: Signora Enrica
- 2011: Father of Pasquale Squitieri: Elvira
- 2012: Gebo and the Shadow by Manoel de Oliveira: Doroteia
- 2012: The Artist and his model by Fernando Trueba: Léa
- 2013: Joy de V. by Nadia Szold: Signora Morosini
- 2014: Silent Mountain by Ernst Gossner: Nuria Calzolari
- 2014: Effie Gray by Richard Laxton: The Viscountess
- 2014: Ultima fermeta by Giambattista Assanti: Rosa
- 2014: The Francis by Fabrice Begotti: Mina
- 2015: The Blind Man and the Cardinal by Frédérick Laurent (short film): The Cardinal
- 2015: Twice upon a Time in the West by Boris Despodov: Claudia
- 2015: All Roads Lead to Rome by Ella Lemhagen: Carmen
- 2017: Niente di Serio by Laszlo Barbo: Angela
- 2017: Nobili bugie by Antonio Pissu: Duchessa
- 2017: Una gita a Roma by Karin Proia: Marguerite
- 2020: The Island of Forgiveness by Ridha Béhi: Agostina
- 2020: Bronx by Olivier Marchal: Catarina Bastiani
