Claude Joséphine Rose "Claudia" Cardinale is a Tunisian-born Italian film actress who starred in some of the most acclaimed European films of the 1960s and 1970s, mainly Italian or French, but also in many English-language films. Born and raised in La Goulette, a neighbourhood of 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 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 Omar Sharif in Goha, Cardinale became one of the best-known actresses in Italy with roles in films such as Rocco and His Brothers, Girl with a Suitcase, Cartouche, The Leopard, and Fellini's 8½. From 1963, Cardinale became known in the United States and Britain following her role in The Pink Panther opposite David Niven.
Model who appeared in a number of European films, including Once Upon a Time in the West and 8 1/2. She also won the Italian embassy's contest for the Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia.
