Over more than six decades of career, the mysterious Claudia Cardinal lit up the screens with her amazing presence.

Without planning to become one of the greatest actresses of the Golden era, the cardinal went along the way to glory, often dotted with injuries and tests. Having survived the death of the Hollywood giants who had now left the screen with whom she once worked, and still remaining at the peak of her popularity at the age of 86, she claims: “The movie saved my life.”

Read on to learn more about this star and what she is doing today!

Chosen from the crowd

As a sign actress, Claudia Cardinal left an indelible mark in the Italian and international cinema. Her talent, beauty and versatility allowed her to embody on the screen a wide range of complex and memorable images throughout her career.

Born in Tunisia, the Italian actress initially studied at the teacher when she was discovered at 18. Brilliant, with luxurious hair and freely speaking in French, a young woman was seen during the Italian film festival in Tunisia when she was chosen from the crowd and crowned as the most beautiful Italian in Tunisia.

“I helped mother and representatives of the Italian government organize an Italian film festival in Tunisia. I looked at the girls on stage, although in theory I should not have been there. Someone pushed me onto the stage, and I was called the most beautiful girl in Tunisia, ”she says.

This award became a ticket for a trip to the Venice Film Festival – a harbinger of the future adventure for a young woman, from whom many producers were received.

Initially, the cardinale refused most sentences, explaining: “It is all like a man’s attitude. If he immediately begins to hunt for you, and you agree, after a while he will leave. If you say no, he will wish you much longer. ” The reason for the failures was her pregnancy.

However, there was one producer that she could not refuse. Franco Crystaldi, a prominent Italian producer who made a movie from the 1950s to the 1990s, interested a young cardinal and signed it for an 18-year contract.

A personal contract was concluded between them – the couple got married, and Crystaldi, turning it into the Italian version of Brigitte Bardo, completely took control of not only the choice of roles, hairstyles, weight and social life of the actress, but even demanded to keep her pregnancy a secret. As for her son, it was announced that he was her younger brother.

Under the control of Crystaldi Cardinal, she received several small roles in Italian cinema and was recognizable thanks to her performances, she was called a “cute Italian girl.”

In 1958, she had the main role in the romantic comedy “Three Strangers in Rome”. Working for seven months during pregnancy, which, at the direction of Crystaldi, she continued to hide, fell into depression and experienced suicidal thoughts, begging her manager to terminate the contract.

Instead, Crystaldi sent her to London, far from the press, declaring that she was leaving to learn English for the role.

In 1975, her son Patrick was born, whom she claimed that her father was an indefinite man who committed rape. Patrick’s personality was kept secret until he was 19 years old.

“Cruel truth”

In 2017, Cardinal opened before the Italian journalist Enzo Bjaji, telling him the brutal truth about his pregnancy:
“An unknown man, much older than me, made me climb the car and raped me. It was terrible, but the most beautiful thing is that my wonderful Patrick was born from this violence. Despite the fact that the situation was extremely difficult for a single mother, I decided not to have an abortion. ”

She added: “When that man found out about my pregnancy, he returned and demanded an abortion. It never occurred to me to get rid of my being for a moment! ”

As for Crystaldi, who controlled her life, Cardinal said:
“With him, I was practically an employee, a subordinate, for which I received a salary for four films a year: I did not even call it by name, but only by the surname. I felt like a hostage, my father and mother were furious … Because I was not in love, he was with me, and everything came down to this. In general, Crystaldi, of course, was a great producer, but in the personal plan it is better not to remember him. ”

Her dysfunctional relations with Crystaldi, with whom she broke up in 1975, did not stop her career.

The natural beauty, which debuted in the Franco-Tunisian film “Goa” with Omar Sharif, quickly earned a reputation as one of the best actresses in Italy.

Then she received the main roles in the film “Rocco and his Brothers” (1960) and in 1963 played in “8½” with Marcello Macruciani, as well as in the film “Leopard” with a shallow Lancaster. Both films where she played, it would seem, an unattainable object of desire, are recognized as one of the 12 best works by director Martin Scorsese.

“Italian Brigitte Bardo”

Having gained popularity in Hollywood, she starred with David Nivans in the Pink Panther, and then worked with such legends as John Wayne and Rita Hayworth in the film “The Circus World” (1964).

During her role, a prostitute in the American-Italian film “Once in the West” (1968) Cardinal played with the icons of Henry Fonda, Jason Robards and Charles Bronxon.

The audience especially liked to see the cardinal, nicknamed the Italian Brigitte Bardo, along with the real bardo – her friend and rival – in the film “The Legend of the French King” (1971). How did she differ from Bardo? Cardinal said that she had never appeared naked on the screen: “I always thought that it was much more erotic to leave a little space for imagination, hinting at something, and not show everything.”

Work in Hollywood was simultaneously successful and intense. In the article of Life magazine, where it was called the “most revered international movie star after Sofia Lauren”, Cardinal admitted that she wanted to leave the Patriarchal System of Hollywood. Speaking of a lower salary in Europe, the actress said: “If I have to refuse money, I refuse. I don’t want to become a cliche. “

“It is impossible to stop time”

Although over the years, her career slowed down, Cardinal says that he was glad that she moved away from sexualized attention.
“When I was young, my dream was exploring the world. And I did it. I have never been naked and never tried to change my face. I don’t like it at all. I want to be the one who I am, because the time cannot be stopped, ”says Cardinal.

Once in an interview she said:
“I have never done what, as you say, is“ face lifting ”. My mother always said: “Wait until you grow up, you will always smile.” This is true. So why hide it? “

In 1975, the cardinal married the Italian director Paskual Skitteri, and they remained together until his death in 2017. The couple has a daughter, Claudia.

In 2022, the cardinal denied rumors that she was urgently hospitalized, saying:
“I am next to my family, I am in full health. And I wish everyone a happy summer. ”

Today, Claudia Cardinal is actively engaged in the work with UNESCO as an ambassador of goodwill to protect women’s rights.

Claudia Cardinal lived an amazing life full of injuries and success. It is nice to see that she shares her story, inspiring and supporting other women, and we hope that she will continue to live in good health. What is your favorite film with a cardinal?