Back

Valentina Cortese

Born 1923-01-01

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.

Known for

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen 1988 · 7.1 Day for Night 1973 · 8.0 Juliet of the Spirits 1965 · 7.4 The Barefoot Contessa 1954 · 6.9 Barabbas 1961 · 6.9 Thieves' Highway 1949 · 7.5 Le amiche 1955 · 7.1 When Time Ran Out... 1980 · 4.6 The Rocket from Calabuch 1956 · 7.3 Appassionata 1974 · 5.4 Kidnap Syndicate 1975 · 6.5 Secret People 1952 · 6.2 Nick the Sting 1976 · 5.9 The Big Scare 1974 · 3.6 Shadow of the Eagle 1950 · 6.1