Claudia Cardinale, Star Of “8โค ยฝ” And “The Pink Panther,” Dies โAt 87
Italian actress Claudia Cardinale,โค celebrated โคfor โher โคroles in iconicโ films like Federico Fellini’s “8 ยฝ” andโข Blake Edwards’ “The โคPink Panther,” has died at the age of 87. โคNews of โขherโ passing broke on July 17,โ 2024, inโ Paris, France, according to reports from French media.
Born in Tunisia in 1938,Cardinale โrose โฃto prominence in Italian cinema during theโค 1960s. She โfrist gained international recognition for her โperformance in “8 ยฝ” (1963), directed byโ Fellini, where she played โขClaudia, a glamorous muse.
Her versatility quickly โled to roles in diverse genres. In 1963, she starred opposite David Niven, Peter Sellers, and Robert Wagner in Edwards’ groundbreaking comedy “The Pink Panther,” portraying a character described as part-ingenue and part-straight man to sellers’ manic performance. On set in Rome, Cardinale was โknown for holding her โown amidstโ theโค challenging dynamic between Edwards and sellers, and alongside niven.
Cardinale continued to challenge herself with complex roles,notably portraying Jill McBain,a โ”reformed” prostitute,inโ Sergio Leone’s 1968 โspaghetti โคwestern “Once upon a Time in the West.” Her performance showcased a “knowing,quietly persistent feistiness,” establishing her as a forward-looking pioneerโ in the genre.
Throughout โher career, Cardinale worked with some of cinema’s most renowned directors, including Luchinoโ Visconti, who โcast her alongside Burt โฃLancaster in โข”The Leopard” (1963), โขa film that won โฃthe Golden Palme at the Cannes Film Festival.she was photographed with Visconti and Lancaster walking a cheetah on the beach โฃat โCannes during promotion forโค the film.
Cardinale’s beauty was often noted, but she consistently demonstrated a talent for usingโ it to subvert โstereotypes and embrace challengingโฃ characters with “grand verve and vivacity.” โฃHer legacy endures as a symbol of strength, charm, and cinematic artistry.