Italian actress Claudia Cardinale, star of The Leopard and Pink Panther, dies aged 87
Acclaimed Italian actress Claudia Cardinale, who starred in The Pink Panther and Once Upon A Time In The West, has died aged 87.
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The actress, who starred in more than 100 films and made-for-TV productions, died in Nemours, France, surrounded by her children, her agent told the AFP news agency.
She had a six-decade long career, rising to fame during the golden age of Italian cinema, and was directed by greats such as Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti.
Born in Tunisia to Sicilian parents in April 1938, Cardinale won a beauty contest at 16 that saw her declared "the most beautiful Italian woman in Tunis".
The prize was a trip to the Venice film festival, where she was approached by directors and producers to become involved in filmmaking.
She later described her reluctance to abandon her hopes of becoming a schoolteacher.
She shot to fame in 1963 when she appeared in Fellini's Oscar-winning 8 1/2 and the epic period drama The Leopard, which became a Visconti classic.
She went on to star in the comedy The Pink Panther and Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time In The West in 1968.
She considered 1966's The Professionals as the best of her Hollywood films.
Cardinale was named a goodwill ambassador for the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation for the defence of women's rights in 2000.
She is survived by two children.