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Valentina Cortese

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Valentina Cortese
Cortese inThe Jester's Supper(1942)
Born(1923-01-01)1 January 1923
Milan,Kingdom of Italy
Died10 July 2019(2019-07-10)(aged 96)
Milan, Italy
Other namesValentina Cortesa
OccupationActress
Years active1941–1993
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m.1951;div.1960)​
  • Carlo de Angeli
    ​
    ​
    (m.1980; died 1998)​
ChildrenJackie Basehart

Valentina Cortese(1 January 1923 – 10 July 2019), sometimes credited asValentina Cortesa,[1][2]was an Italian film and theatre actress.[3][4][5]In her 50 years spanning career, she appeared in films of Italian and international directors likeMichelangelo Antonioni,Federico Fellini,Franco Zeffirelli,François Truffaut,Terry Gilliam,Joseph L. Mankiewiczand others.[3]

Biography

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Cortese inAppassionata(1974)

Cortese was born inMilanto a single mother and raised in the countryside, before being sent toTurinto live with her maternal grandparents in 1930.[3][4][5]After meeting conductorVictor de Sabata,then married with children and 31 years her senior, she quit high school and followed him to Rome, where she enrolled at (and later graduated from) the National Academy of Dramatic Arts (Accademia d'arte drammatica).[4]She first appeared on stage before receiving a contract atScalera Filmin 1941[4]and giving her film debut with a small role inL'orizzonte dipinto.[5]

Cortese's first important film roles were inRoma Città Libera(1946),Les MisérablesandThe Wandering Jew(both 1948).[3]1948 also saw the end of her relationship with de Sabata.[4]Her appearance in the British productionThe Glass Mountain(1949) led to numerous roles in international productions, includingJules Dassin'sThieves' Highway(1949), opted by her then-partner Dassin over the originally castShelley Winters,[6]andRobert Wise'sThe House on Telegraph Hill(1951).[3]In 1951, she married herThe House on Telegraph Hillco-starRichard Basehart,with whom she returned to Italy.[3]Cortese continued to appear in national and international productions; the most notable of this era include Joseph Mankiewicz'sThe Barefoot Contessa(1954) and Michelangelo Antonioni'sLe Amiche(1955).[3]For the latter, she received theNastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress.[7]

In 1960, Cortese and Basehart divorced, and Basehart returned to the US, leaving in her custody their only child,Jackie.[3]In the following years, she worked for directors as diverse asMario Bava(The Girl Who Knew Too Much,1963),Bernhard Wicki(The Visit,1964), Federico Fellini (Juliet of the Spirits,1965),Robert Aldrich(The Legend of Lylah Clare,1968) andJoseph Losey(The Assassination of Trotsky,1972).[3]For her performance in François Truffaut'sDay for Night(1973) she received theBAFTA Award,[8]theNational Society of Film Critics Award[9]and theNew York Film Critics Circle Award,[10]and was nominated for theAcademy Awardwhich ultimately went toIngrid Bergman.[3][4][11]In her acceptance speech, Bergman remarked that she felt Cortese should have won the award.[12]

While her later films were mostly of lesser artistic interest, Cortese was continuously successful on stage,[3]working withGiorgio Strehler,with whom she had a long-lasting relationship,[3][4]Franco Zeffirelli,[3][4]Luchino Visconti[3]andPatrice Chéreau.[5]In 1980, she married industrialist Carlo De Angeli.[4]Her last film was Zeffirelli's 1993Sparrow.[3]

Cortese died on 10 July 2019, aged 96.[3][13]In 2017, Francesco Patierno documented her life in the filmDiva!,based on her 2012 autobiographyQuanti sono i domani passati( "How many tomorrows have gone by" ).[3]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^Crowther, Bosley (24 September 1949)."'Thieves' Highway,' One of Best Melodramas of the Year, Opens at the Roxy ".The New York Times.Retrieved6 January2023.
  2. ^Crowther, Bosley (30 September 1954)."'The Barefoot Contessa' Arrives at Capitol ".The New York Times.Retrieved6 January2023.
  3. ^abcdefghijklmnopqBergan, Ronald; Lane, John Francis (10 July 2019)."Valentina Cortese obituary".The Guardian.Retrieved6 January2023.
  4. ^abcdefghiAttanasio, Debora (10 July 2019)."È morta Valentina Cortese, la gran dama del cinema dal foulard perenne".Marie Claire(in Italian).Retrieved6 January2023.
  5. ^abcdFormenti, Christina (2019).Valentina Cortese: Un'attrice intermediale.Mimesis Edizioni.ISBN9788857551043.
  6. ^Lev, Peter (2013).Twentieth Century-Fox: The Zanuck-Skouras Years, 1935–1965.University of Texas Press. p. 156.ISBN9780292744479.
  7. ^Hammer, Tad B. (1991).International Film Prizes: An Encyclopedia.Garland. p. 256.ISBN9780824070991.
  8. ^"BAFTA Awards: Film in 1974".BAFTA.1974.Retrieved7 January2023.
  9. ^"Past Awards".National Society of Film Critics.19 December 2009.Retrieved7 January2023.
  10. ^"1973 New York Film Critics Circle Awards".New York Film Critics Circle.Retrieved7 January2023.
  11. ^"THE 47TH ACADEMY AWARDS 1975".Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 6 October 2014.Retrieved6 January2023.
  12. ^"Ingrid Bergman Wins Supporting Actress: 1975 Oscars".14 May 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 28 October 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
  13. ^"Addio Valentina Cortese, l'ultima diva".ANSA(in Italian). 11 July 2019.Retrieved6 January2023.
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