Claude Joséphine Rose "Claudia" Cardinale (15 April 1938 – 23 September 2025) was an Italian actress. Regarded as one of the leading figures of Italian cinema, alongside Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida, she achieved international recognition during a career spanning more than six decades. Celebrated in the 1960s as "the most beautiful woman in the world" and widely considered a sex symbol of the era, Cardinale appeared in more than 175 films, primarily in Italy and France, across genres including comedy, drama, spaghetti westerns, and historical epics. She collaborated with acclaimed directors such as Federico Fellini, Sergio Leone, and Werner Herzog, and several of her films are regarded as significant works in the history of cinema. At the time of her death, she was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of European cinema.
Born and raised in La Goulette, a municipality in Tunisia near Tunis, Cardinale won the "Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia" competition in 1957, the prize being a trip to Italy, which quickly led to film contracts, due above all to the involvement of producer Franco Cristaldi, who acted as her mentor for a number of years and later married her. After making her debut in a minor role with Egyptian star Omar Sharif in Goha (1958), Cardinale became one of the best-known actresses in Italy, with roles in films such as Rocco and His Brothers (1960), Girl with a Suitcase (1961), Cartouche (1962), The Leopard (1963) and Federico Fellini's 8½ (1963).
From 1963, Cardinale appeared in The Pink Panther opposite David Niven. She went on to appear in the Hollywood films Blindfold (1966), Lost Command (1966), The Professionals (1966), Don't Make Waves (1967) with Tony Curtis, The Hell with Heroes (1968), The Red Tent (1969), A Fine Pair (1968), The Salamander (1981), and the Sergio Leone Western Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), a joint U.S.–Italian production, in which she was praised for her role as a former prostitute opposite Jason Robards, Charles Bronson and Henry Fonda.
Jaded with Hollywood and not wanting to become a cliché, Cardinale returned to Italian and French cinema and garnered the David di Donatello for Best Actress award for her roles in The Day of the Owl (1968) and as a prostitute alongside Alberto Sordi in A Girl in Australia (1971).[1] In 1974, Cardinale met director Pasquale Squitieri, who would become her partner. She frequently featured in his films, including Blood Brothers (1974), Father of the Godfathers (1978) and Claretta (1984), the last of which won her the Nastro d'Argento Award for Best Actress. In 1982, she starred in Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo as the love interest of Klaus Kinski, who raises the funds to buy a steamship in Peru. In 2010, Cardinale received the Best Actress Award at the 47th Antalya "Golden Orange" International Film Festival for her performance as an elderly Italian woman who takes in a young Turkish exchange student in Signora Enrica.
Over the years, Cardinale was outspoken about women's rights and became a UNESCO goodwill ambassador for the Defence of Women's Rights beginning in March 2000. In February 2011, the Los Angeles Times Magazine named Cardinale among the 50 most beautiful women in film history. ...
| 2025 | A Vida dos Espelhos |
| 2022 | جزيرة الغفران as Agostina |
| 2022 | Claudia la mystérieuse as Self |
| 2021 | Noi siamo cinema as Self (archive footage) |
| 2021 | Fellinopolis as Self - Actress (archive footage) |
| 2020 | Bronx as Catarina Bastiani |
| 2020 | Nana Mouskouri, Momente ihres Lebens as Self (archive footage) |
| 2019 | Claudia Cardinale, la créature du secret as Self (archive footage) |
| 2019 | Gina, Sophia, Claudia, trois symboles de la féminité à l'italienne as Self |
| 2018 | Sergio Leone, une Amérique de légende as Self (archive footage) |
| 2018 | Rudy Valentino as Zia Rosa |
| 2018 | Dios de monoambiente as Self (archive footage) |
| 2017 | La Loi de Julien, Le bon fils as Irène Delamarche |
| 2017 | An Italian Indian: The Pink Panther Princess With Claudia Cardinale as Self |
| 2017 | Una gita a Roma as Marguerite |
| 2017 | Nobili bugie as Duchess |
| 2017 | La Folle Histoire de Jean-Paul Belmondo as Self |
| 2017 | Niente di serio as Angela |
| 2016 | Luchino Visconti, entre vérité et passion as Self (archive footage) |
| 2016 | L'aveugle et la Cardinale as 'La Cardinale' |
| 2016 | Belmondo par Belmondo as Self (archive footage) |
| 2016 | Roma'da Aşk Başkadır as Carmen |
| 2015 | Имало едно време един уестърн as Claudia |
| 2015 | Marcello Mastroianni, latin lover as Self |
| 2014 | Cinéma Jacques Perrin as Self |
| 2014 | Ultima Fermata as Rosa |
| 2014 | The Silent Mountain as Nuria Calzolari |
| 2014 | Effie Gray as Viscountess |
| 2013 | Alberto il grande as Self |
| 2013 | Joy de V. as Signora Morosini |
| 2012 | El artista y la modelo as Léa |
| 2012 | Gebo et l'ombre as Doroteia |
| 2012 | Gli anni delle immagini perdute as Self |
| 2012 | Monicelli: La versione di Mario as Self (archive footage) |
| 2011 | Hollywood Invasion as Self (archive footage) |
| 2011 | Belmondo, itinéraire... as Self |
| 2011 | Sinyora Enrica ile İtalyan Olmak as Signora Enrica |
| 2011 | Father as Elvira |
| 2010 | Un balcon sur la mer as La mère de Marc |
| 2010 | Il giorno della Shoah as Ester |
| 2009 | Pietro Germi - Il bravo, il bello, il cattivo as Self |
| 2009 | Hollywood sul Tevere |
| 2009 | Le fil as Sara |
| 2009 | La Traversée du désir as Self |
| 2008 | Il falso bugiardo as Self (archive footage) |
| 2008 | Hold-up à l'italienne as Cécile Deschamps |
| 2007 | Cherche fiancé tous frais payés as Elisabeth |
| 2006 | Marcello, una vita dolce as Self |
| 2006 | Sergio Leone - Il mio modo di vedere le cose as Self |
| 2005 | Le Démon de midi as Claudia Cardinale |
| 2004 | A Dying Breed: The Making of 'The Leopard' as Self |
| 2004 | Por un puñado de sueños as Self - Interviewee |
| 2003 | An Opera of Violence as Self - Actress |
| 2003 | Something to Do with Death as Self - Actress |
| 2003 | The Wages of Sin as Self - Actress |
| 2003 | L'ultima sequenza as Self |
| 2003 | Fellini: Je suis un grand menteur as Claudia (archive footage) (uncredited) |
| 2002 | Luchino Visconti as Self |
| 2002 | Bir Kadın... Bir Erkek... Ve... as Madame Falconetti |
| 2002 | Histoires de festival as Self (archive footage) |
| 2002 | The Magic of Fellini as Self (archive footage) |
| 2001 | Visconti: La verdad del melodrama as Self |
| 2000 | Once Upon a Time: Sergio Leone as Self |
| 1999 | Li chiamarono... briganti! as Donna Assunta |
| 1999 | Mein liebster Feind as Self |
| 1998 | Riches, belles, etc. as Baroness Mitsy |
| 1997 | Stupor Mundi as Costanza d'Altavilla / d'Aragona |
| 1997 | L'uomo dal sigaro in bocca as Self |
| 1997 | Deserto di fuoco as Leila |
| 1996 | Saeif Halq Al Wadi as Self |
| 1994 | Elles ne pensent qu'à ça... as Margaux |
| 1994 | Alex et Marie as Narrator (voice) |
| 1994 | Il gattopardo: Viaggio della memoria as Self |
| 1993 | Pembe Panter’in Oğlu as Maria Gambrelli |
| 1992 | 588 rue Paradis as Araxi (Mayrig) Zakarian |
| 1991 | Mayrig as Araxi (Mayrig) Zakarian |
| 1990 | La batalla de los tres reyes as Roxelane |
| 1990 | Atto di Dolore as Elena |
| 1989 | Hiver 54, l'abbé Pierre as Hélène Larmier |
| 1989 | Fransız Devrimi as Duchesse de Polignac |
| 1987 | Un homme amoureux as Julia Steiner |
| 1985 | La donna delle meraviglie as Maura |
| 1985 | Night of 100 Stars II as Self |
| 1985 | L'Été prochain as Jeanne |
| 1984 | Claretta as Miriam Petacci |
| 1984 | Enrico IV as Matilda |
| 1983 | Le Ruffian as La 'baronne' |
| 1982 | Burden of Dreams as Self - Actress |
| 1982 | Le Cadeau as Antonella Dufour |
| 1982 | Fitzcarraldo as Molly |
| 1982 | Famous T & A as (archive footage) |
| 1981 | La pelle as Principessa Consuelo Caracciolo |
| 1981 | The Salamander as Elena Leporello |
| 1980 | Si salvi chi vuole as Luisa |
| 1979 | Escape to Athena as Eleana |
| 1978 | Corleone as Rosa Accordino |
| 1978 | L'arma as Marta Compagna |
| 1978 | Kadife Mavisi Küçük Kız as Francesca Modigliani |
| 1978 | La Part du feu as Catherine Hansen |
| 1977 | Goodbye & Amen as Aliki |
| 1977 | Il prefetto di ferro as Anna |
| 1977 | Kolossal - I magnifici Macisti as Pauline Bonaparte |
| 1976 | Il comune senso del pudore as Armida Ballarin |
| 1975 | Qui comincia l'avventura as Claudia |
| 1975 | Libera, amore mio... as Libera Valente |
| 1975 | A mezzanotte va la ronda del piacere as Gabriella Sansoni |
| 1974 | Gruppo di Famiglia in un Interno as Professor's Wife (uncredited) |
| 1974 | I Guappi as Lucia Esposito |
| 1973 | Rusya'daki Adam as Anya |
| 1972 | La Scoumoune as Georgia Saratov |
| 1972 | L'udienza as Aiche |
| 1971 | Bello, onesto, emigrato Australia sposerebbe compaesana illibata as Carmela |
| 1971 | Les pétroleuses as Marie Sarrazin |
| 1971 | Popsy Pop as Popsy Pop |
| 1970 | The Adventures of Gerard as Teresa, Countess of Morales |
| 1969 | Красная палатка as Valeria |
| 1969 | Certo, certissimo, anzi... probabile as Marta Chiaretti |
| 1969 | Nell'anno del Signore as Giuditta Di Castro |
| 1968 | Batıda Kan Var as Jill |
| 1968 | Ruba al prossimo tuo as Esmeralda Marini |
| 1968 | The Hell with Heroes as Elena |
| 1968 | Il giorno della civetta as Rosa Nicolosi |
| 1967 | Don't Make Waves as Laura |
| 1967 | Una rosa per tutti as Rosa |
| 1966 | Profesyoneller as Maria |
| 1966 | Blindfold as Vicky Vicenti |
| 1966 | Lost Command as Aisha |
| 1966 | Le fate as Armenia ("Fata Armenia") |
| 1965 | Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa... as Sandra Dawson |
| 1964 | Il magnifico cornuto as Maria Grazia |
| 1964 | Gli indifferenti as Carla |
| 1964 | Circus World as Toni Alfredo |
| 1964 | La ragazza di Bube as Mara |
| 1963 | Pembe Panter as The Princess Dala |
| 1963 | Leopar as Angelica Sedara / Bastiana |
| 1963 | Sekiz Buçuk as Claudia |
| 1962 | Senilità as Angiolina Zarri |
| 1962 | Cartouche as Vénus |
| 1961 | Auguste as Cameo Appearance (uncredited) |
| 1961 | Les lions sont lâchés as Albertine Ferran |
| 1961 | La viaccia as Bianca |
| 1961 | Genç Aşıklar as Aida Zepponi |
| 1960 | Rocco e i suoi fratelli as Ginetta |
| 1960 | I delfini as Fedora Santini |
| 1960 | Austerlitz as Pauline Bonaparte |
| 1960 | Il bell'Antonio as Barbara Puglisi |
| 1959 | Audace colpo dei soliti ignoti as Carmelina Nicosia |
| 1959 | Upstairs and Downstairs as Maria |
| 1959 | Un maledetto imbroglio as La servetta, Assuntina |
| 1959 | Il magistrato as Maria |
| 1959 | Goha as Amina |
| 1959 | La prima notte as Angelica |
| 1959 | Vento del Sud as Grazia Macri |
| 1958 | 3 straniere a Roma as Marisa |
| 1958 | Toto Gangster as Carmelina |
| 1958 | Algérie en flammes as Self - Arab woman (uncredited) |
| 1956 | Les Anneaux d'Or as A young woman |
| Piccolina bella |
| Rumore |
| Second to Nun as Self - Festival Actress |
Duvar