Claudia Cardinale made her debut in the 1958 French-Tunisian film ‘Goha’ directed by Jacques Baratier. The same year, she also starred as ‘Carmelina’ in the Italian comedy caper film ‘Big Deal on Madonna Street’ directed by Mario Monicelli. The film saw positive reviews upon release with Bosley Crowther of the New York Times calling it “an essentially funny picture.” She next appeared in films like ‘Venetian Honeymoon’ (1959), ‘Anneaux d'or’ (1959), ‘Il magistrato’ (1959), ‘Upstairs and Downstairs’ (1959), ‘The Facts of Murder’ (1959), ‘Audace colpo dei soliti ignoti’ (1959), and ‘Il bell'Antonio’ (1960). In 1960, she starred as ‘Ginetta’ in the Italian film ‘Rocco and His Brothers’ directed by Luchino Visconti. The film opened to critical acclaim with critics praising the performance of the cast. The following year, she appeared in the Italian romantic drama film ‘Girl with a Suitcase’ which was also a critical success.
Cardinale went on to star in films like ‘The Lovemakers’ (1961), ‘The Lions Are Loose’ (1961), ‘Auguste’ (1961), ‘Senilità’ (1962), and ‘Cartouche’ (1962). The year 1963 saw the release of the American comedy film ‘The Pink Panther’ where Cardinale was seen playing the role of ‘Princess Dala.’ Despite being panned by the critics, ‘The Pink Panther’ became a major box office success. In 1964, she starred in the drama film ‘Circus World’ directed by Henry Hathaway. The film saw mixed reviews upon release but failed at the box office. She next starred in films like ‘Sandra’ (Of a Thousand Delights) (1965), ‘Blindfold’ (1966), ‘A Rose for Everyone’ (1967), ‘A Fine Pair’ (1968), ‘The Adventures of Gerard’ (1970), ‘La Scoumoune’ (1972), ‘Conversation Piece’ (1974), ‘Qui comincia l'avventura’ (1975), and ‘Il comune senso del pudore’ (1976).
In 1977, she made her television debut in the British-Italian television drama serial ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ She next appeared as ‘Anabelle de Fourdemont Valensky’ in the 1983 American television miniseries ‘Princess Daisy.’ The series was heavily panned by critics. She continued on to appear in television series and films such as ‘La Storia’ (1986), ‘Blu elettrico’ (1989), ‘Mayrig’ (1993), ‘Nostromo’ (1996), ‘Deserto di fuoco’ (1997), and ‘Mia per sempre’ (1998), ‘Élisabeth - Ils sont tous nos enfants’ (2000), Hold-up à l'italienne (2008), and ‘Il giorno della Shoah’ (2010). In 2013, she starred in the French-language Spanish drama film ‘The Artist and the Model’ directed by Fernando Trueba. The film was nominated in 13 categories at the 27th Goya Awards. The following year, she starred as ‘Nuria Calzolari’ in the war-drama film ‘The Silent Mountain’ directed by Ernst Gossner. The film was inspired by true events during the Mountain War between 1915 and 1918.
Cardinale was last seen in the 2017 comedy film ‘Niente di serio’ directed by Laszlo Barbo. She is all set to appear in the upcoming drama film ‘The Island of Forgiveness.’
