Sadly Italian actress Claudia Cardinale, known for her roles in "The Leopard" and "Once upon a time in the West" has died in Nemours near Paris. She was 87.
Claudia was born on April 15, 1938 in Tunis, Tunisia, to Sicilian parents.
Her career as a teacher ended when she won first prize in the competition for 'The Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia' in 1957.
The prize she won also offered a trip to Venice where she immediately caught the eye of the Italian film industry.
After attending the "Experimental Center of Cinematography" in Rome for 2 months, she was given a 7-year contract with Vides Films, which led to her screen debut in "Goha" (1958), and soon after a role in the international hit "Big Deal on Madonna Street".
In the film "Il bell Antonio" in 1960, she had an important role playing alongside Marcello Mastroianni, an actor with whom she worked in many films.
In the same year, she worked with renowned director Luchino Visconti on his neo-realist film "Rocco and his brothers". He then gave her a leading role in the film "The Leopard" (1963) where she starred alongside cinema giants Burt Lancaster and Alain Delon.
Federico Fellini gave him a role in what many consider one of the masterpieces of cinema, "8 and a Half".
Her second role in the western genre was the one that brought her international fame.
This was Sergio Leone's epic homage to "Once upon a time in the West" (1968) - an Italian production that transcended the usual boundaries of the Western all'Italiana and a masterpiece that, over the years, has come to be appreciated as it deserves.
Farewell Claudia, one of the last great star of Italian cinema.
RIP!!!
