Farewell to Claudia Cardinale, Visconti's Angelica

Claudia Cardinale has died in Nemours, France, at the age of 87. A nonconformist diva, an iconic beauty with a strong, independent personality, she was born in Tunis in 1938 to Sicilian parents and happened into the world of cinema after winning a beauty contest.

She made her screen debut in Italy in 1958, cast by Mario Monicelli in his Big Deal on Madonna Street, as Sicilian Carmelina, the buxom sister of Tiberio "Ferribotte" Murgia.

She worked with Pietro Germi (A Damned Swindle, 1959), Mauro Bolognini (Bell'Antonio, 1960), and often with Luchino Visconti, who made her a household name with Rocco and His Brothers (1960) and, most notably, The Leopard (1963), where she played Angelica alongside Burt Lancaster and her friend Alain Delon, who also recently passed away. She also worked with Federico Fellini, who cast her in his masterpiece 8 ½ (1963), and with Sergio Leone in Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). It's impossible to list all the films – over 150 – of her formidable career that spanned Italy, France, and Hollywood.

That long career is studded with awards, including five David di Donatello Awards, as many Silver Ribbons, and the Pasinetti Award for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for Claretta by Pasquale Squitieri (1984). She was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival in 1993, and the Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement in Berlin in 2002.

The symbol of beauty and talent combined, Claudia Cardinale has spanned generations, defying definition with her smile and unmistakable voice and leaving an indelible mark on world cinema.