Valentina Cortese
Born: 1923-01-01 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy
Died: 2019-07-10
Known For: 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.
Filmography
2017
2007
- Le ragazze di Milano as Self
2001
- Michelangelo Antonioni: The Eye That Changed Cinema as Self (archive footage)
2000
- Federico Fellini's Autobiography as Self
1994
- Sparrow as Madre Superiora
1993
- La Classe américaine as The Helicopter Man's Wife (archive footage) (uncredited)
1991
- Buster's Bedroom as Serafina Tannenbaum
1989
- I promessi sposi as Donna Prassede
1988
- Facciaffittasi as Gina Grandi
- The Adventures of Baron Munchausen as Queen Ariadne / Violet
1987
- Blue Tango as Rachele Cigno
- Via Montenapoleone as madre di Guido
1980
- When Time Ran Out... as Rose Valdez
1979
- Ring of Darkness as Elena Merrill
1978
- Tanto va la gatta al lardo... as Wilma/Leonilde Bosco Casagrande
1977
- Jesus of Nazareth as Herodias
- Widows' Nest as Dolores
1976
- The Big Operator as Witwe
- Nick the Sting as Regina
1975
- Son tornate a fiorire le rose as Sabina Foschini
- Il cav. Costante Nicosia demoniaco, ovvero Dracula in Brianza as Olghina Franchetti
- Kidnap Syndicate as Grazia Filippini
1974
- Appassionata as Elisa Rutelli
- Tender Dracula
- Amore mio non farmi male as Sabina Foschini
- The Kiss as Elizabeth Blixen
1973
- Day for Night as Séverine
1972
- Brother Sun, Sister Moon as Pica Di Bernardone
- The Assassination of Trotsky as Natalia Trotsky
- Chronicle of a Homicide as Luisa Sola
1971
- The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire as Madame Sobieski
- The Boat on the Grass as Catherine
1970
- The Secret of Santa Vittoria as Gabriella (uncredited)
- First Love as Mutter
- Give Her the Moon as Madeleine de Lépine
- The Love Mates as Eva
1969
- Oh, Grandmother's Dead as Ornella
- Il killer
1968
- Listen, Let's Make Love as Lallo's Mother
- The Legend of Lylah Clare as Countess Bozo Bedoni
1966
- Black Sun as Maria
1965
- Juliet of the Spirits as Valentina
- The Possessed as Irma
- Antonioni: Documents and Testimonials as Self
- Reporter’s Diary: 'Zoom on Fellini' as Self
1964
- The Visit as Mathilda Miller
1963
- The Girl Who Knew Too Much as Laura Craven-Torrani
1962
- Story of San Michele as Eleonora Duse
1961
- Barabbas as Julia
- Square of Violence as Erica Bernardi
1958
- Love and Troubles as Marisa
1957
- Kean: Genius or Scoundrel as Fanny
1956
- The Rocket from Calabuch as Eloísa, la maestra de escuela
1955
- Magic Fire as Mathilde Wesendonk
- Le Amiche as Nene
- Adriana Lecouvreur as Adriana Lecouvreur
- Il Conte Aquila as Teresa Casati
1954
- Angels of Darkness as Vally
- The Barefoot Contessa as Eleanora Torlato-Favrini
- Jailbirds as Luprandi's wife
- Il matrimonio
1953
- Lulù
- La passeggiata as Lisa
1952
- Secret People as Maria Brentano / Brent / Lena Collins
1951
- The House on Telegraph Hill as Victoria Kowelska
- Schlitz Playhouse of Stars as Dr. Bruni
1950
- Lux Video Theatre as Emilie Gallatin
- Shadow of the Eagle as Elizabeth, Princess Tarakanova
1949
- Thieves' Highway as Rica
- Malaya as Luana
- Black Magic as Zoraida
- The Glass Mountain as Alida Morrosini
1948
- Les Misérables - Storm Over Paris as Cosetta
- Les Misérables as Fantine
- L'ebreo errante as Ester
- Crossroads of Passion as Maria Pilar
1947
- Il passatore as Barbara
- Il corriere del re
1946
- Rome: Free City as La ragazza
- Un americano in vacanza as Maria
1945
- No One Comes Back as Valentina
- Chi l'ha visto? as Luisella
1943
- Giorni felici as Marianna
- 4 girls dream
1942
- Quarta pagina as Valentina
- Soltanto un bacio as Maria Renda / Luisa Renda
- La regina di Navarra
- Girl of the Golden West as Madge
- The Jester's Supper as Lisabetta
- Orizzonte di sangue
1941
- Il bravo di Venezia as Alina
- Primo amore as Nerina Redi
- L'attore scomparso