La Ragazza Cardinale

Italian film star Claudia Cardinale (1938-2025) once was chosen the most beautiful Italian girl in her homeland Tunesia. Her prize was a trip to the Venice Film Festival, and that experiences awakened her ambition to become an actress. Cardinale was embraced as the Italian answer to bombshell Brigitte Bardot, and soon gained the international label of sex symbol. But Cardinale was far more than just her personable beauty. The talented actress collaborated during her long career with renowned directors from all over the world.

In 1963, Cardinale achieved her most praised success as ideal of Marcello Mastroianni’s fantasies in Federico Fellini’s masterpiece 8½ (OTTO E MEZZO). The same year, she made her Hollywood debut in Blake Edward’s detective parody THE PINK PANTHER as Princess Dala, opposite Peter Seller’s Inspector Jacques Clouseau. With the title role in Luchino Visconti’s SANDRA, Cardinale showed her talent for dramatic roles as a young woman out for revenge after her father’s death. Critic Alan Schertuhl praised her performance in The Village Voice: “Cardinale’s tear-blotted face in SANDRA is Italy’s most beautiful ruin”. A couple of years later, her performance in Sergio Leone’s ultimate spaghetti western ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST confirmed Cardinale’s status as top actress and super star.