Valentina Cortese
Acting
Biography
Valentina Cortese (January 1, 1923 - July 10, 2019) was an Italian film actress. The Milan-born actress starred in The House on Telegraph Hill (1951) directed by Robert Wise, and costarring Richard Basehart and William Lundigan. Cortese, aged 28, married Basehart in 1951, and had one son with him before they divorced in 1960. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1975 for her performance in François Truffaut's Day for Night. Cortese appeared in Jules Dassin's Thieves' Highway (1949), Joseph L. Mankiewicz's The Barefoot Contessa (1954), Michelangelo Antonioni's Le Amiche (1955), Gérard Brach's The Boat on the Grass, Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), and in the Franco Zeffirelli projects such as the 1972 film Brother Sun, Sister Moon, his 1977 miniseries, Jesus of Nazareth and the 1993 film Sparrow.
Born: January 1, 1923
Place of Birth: Milan, Lombardy, Italy
Known For
Michelangelo Antonioni: The Eye That Changed Cinema
A look back at the life and works of Michelangelo Antonioni.
Diva!
The moving life and international career of actress Valentina Cortese is acted out by eight Italian actresses who interpret parts of her biography. A rich assortment of stock footage and film clips creates a vibrant portrait of our Diva.
Day for Night
A committed filmmaker struggles to complete his latest project while coping with a myriad of crises, personal and professional, among the cast and crew.
Jesus of Nazareth
Dramatizes the Birth, Life, Ministry, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, largely according to the Holy Bible's New Testament Gospels.
La Classe américaine
George Abitbol, the classiest man in the world, dies tragically during a cruise. The director of an American newspaper, wondering about the meaning of these intriguing final words, asks his three best investigators, Dave, Peter and Steven, to solve the mystery. (Sixteen French actors dub scenes from various Warner Bros. films to create a parody of Citizen Kane, 1941.)
Reporter’s Diary: 'Zoom on Fellini'
Documentary about the making of Federico Fellini's film JULIET OF THE SPIRITS, with behind the scenes footage and interviews with the director.
Sparrow
Catania, Sicilia 1854. A serious epidemic of cholera is hitting the region. Maria a 16 years old novice leaves her convent and returns her home to avoid contamination. Here she finds a difficult situation, in fact her stepmother and her half-sisters prevent Maria to live the normal life of a teenager. In their minds Maria is the promised "bride of God" and a regular life for her is inappropriate. Nino, her handsome neighbor, falls in love for Maria who isn't indifferent to him. But when Maria comes back to her convent the way to become nun is compelled. Now Maria can understand Sister Agata, and realizes she became mad cause a lost and impossible love like the one between Maria and Nino.
The Rocket from Calabuch
Professor Hamilton, a naive Nuclear scientist who once thought bombs were good for humanity, realizes his mistake and runs away from his inventions. He hides in Calabuch, a beautiful seaside town where people still believe in humor and friendship.
Thieves' Highway
Nick Garcos comes back from his tour of duty in World War II planning to settle down with his girlfriend, Polly Faber. He learns, however, that his father was recently beaten and burglarized by mob-connected trucker Mike Figlia, and Nick resolves to get even. He partners with prostitute Rica, and together they go after Mike, all the while getting pulled further into the local crime underworld.
Juliet of the Spirits
Middle-aged Giulietta grows suspicious of her husband, Giorgio, when his behavior grows increasingly questionable. One night when Giorgio initiates a seance amongst his friends, Giulietta gets in touch with spirits and learns more about herself and her painful past. Slightly skeptical, but intrigued, she visits a mystic who gives her more information -- and nudges her toward the realization that her husband is indeed a philanderer.
Filmography
as Self (archive footage)
as Madre Superiora
as The Helicopter Man's Wife (archive footage) (uncredited)
as Serafina Tannenbaum
as Donna Prassede
as Queen Ariadne / Violet
as madre di Guido
as Rachele Cigno
as Rose Valdez
as Elena Merrill
as Wilma/Leonilde Bosco Casagrande
as Dolores
as Herodias
as Witwe
as Regina
as Sabina Foschini
as Grazia Filippini
as Olghina Franchetti
as Elizabeth Blixen
as Sabina Foschini
as Elisa Rutelli
as Séverine
as Natalia Trotsky
as Pica Di Bernardone
as Luisa Sola
as Madame Sobieski
as Catherine
as Eva
as Mutter
as Madeleine de Lépine
as Gabriella (uncredited)
as Ornella
as Lallo's Mother
as Countess Bozo Bedoni
as Maria
as Valentina
as Irma
as Mathilda Miller
as Laura Craven-Torrani
as Eleonora Duse
as Julia
as Erica Bernardi
as Marisa
as Fanny
as Eloísa, la maestra de escuela
as Nene
as Teresa Casati
as Adriana Lecouvreur
as Mathilde Wesendonk
as Eleanora Torlato-Favrini
as Luprandi's wife
as Vally
as Lisa
as Maria Brentano / Brent / Lena Collins
as Dr. Bruni
as Victoria Kowelska
as Elizabeth, Princess Tarakanova
as Luana
as Rica
as Zoraida
as Alida Morrosini
as Maria Pilar
as Ester
as Cosetta
as Fantine
as Barbara
as La ragazza
as Maria
as Valentina
as Marianna
as Valentina
as Lisabetta
as Madge
as Nerina Redi
as Alina