Valentina Cortese
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Female
Birthday
1923-01-01
Day of Death
2019-07-10 (96 years old)
Place of Birth
Milan, Lombardy, Italy
Valentina Cortese
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.
Known For
Acting
(2017)
(2007)
Le ragazze di Milano
as Self
(2000)
(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
(1988)
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
as Queen Ariadne / Violet
(1988)
Facciaffittasi
as Gina Grandi
(1987)
Via Montenapoleone
as madre di Guido
(1987)
Blue Tango
as Rachele Cigno
(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)
Widows' Nest
as Dolores
(1976)
The Big Operator
as Witwe
(1976)
Nick the Sting
as Regina
(1975)
Kidnap Syndicate
as Grazia Filippini
(1975)
Il cav. Costante Nicosia demoniaco, ovvero Dracula in Brianza
as Olghina Franchetti
(1975)
(1974)
Appassionata
as Elisa Rutelli
(1974)
(1974)
The Kiss of Death
as Elizabeth Blixen
(1974)
(1973)
Day for Night
as Séverine
(1972)
The Assassination of Trotsky
as Natalia Trotsky
(1972)
Brother Sun, Sister Moon
as Pica Di Bernardone
(1972)
Chronicle of a Homicide
as Luisa Sola
(1971)
The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire
as Madame Sobieski
(1971)
The Boat on the Grass
as Catherine
(1970)
The Secret of Santa Vittoria
as Gabriella (uncredited)
(1970)
First Love
as Mutter
(1970)
Give Her the Moon
as Madeleine de Lépine
(1970)
The Love Mates
as Eva
(1969)
Oh, Grandmother's Dead
as Ornella
(1968)
The Legend of Lylah Clare
as Countess Bozo Bedoni
(1968)
Listen, Let's Make Love
as Lallo's Mother
(1966)
Black Sun
as Maria
(1965)
Juliet of the Spirits
as Valentina
(1965)
The Possessed
as Irma
(1965)
(1965)
(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
(1961)
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)
Le Amiche
as Nene
(1955)
Magic Fire
as Mathilde Wesendonk
(1955)
Il Conte Aquila
as Teresa Casati
(1955)
Adriana Lecouvreur
as Adriana Lecouvreur
(1954)
The Barefoot Contessa
as Eleanora Torlato-Favrini
(1954)
(1954)
Angels of Darkness
as Vally
(1954)
Jailbirds
as Luprandi's wife
(1953)
La passeggiata
as Lisa
(1953)
(1952)
Secret People
as Maria Brentano / Brent / Lena Collins
(1951)
The House on Telegraph Hill
as Victoria Kowelska
(1950)
Shadow of the Eagle
as Elizabeth, Princess Tarakanova
(1949)
Black Magic
as Zoraida
(1949)
Thieves' Highway
as Rica
(1949)
Malaya
as Luana
(1949)
The Glass Mountain
as Alida Morrosini
(1948)
Les Misérables
as Fantine
(1948)
Les Misérables - Storm Over Paris
as Cosetta
(1948)
L'ebreo errante
as Ester
(1948)
Crossroads of Passion
as Maria Pilar
(1947)
Il passatore
as Barbara
(1947)
(1946)
Rome: Free City
as La ragazza
(1946)
Un americano in vacanza
as Maria
(1945)
Chi l'ha visto?
as Luisella
(1945)
No One Comes Back
as Valentina
(1943)
(1943)
Giorni felici
as Marianna
(1942)
The Jester's Supper
as Lisabetta
(1942)
Girl of the Golden West
as Madge
(1942)
Soltanto un bacio
as Maria Renda / Luisa Renda
(1942)
(1942)
Quarta pagina
as Valentina
(1942)
(1941)
(1941)
Primo amore
as Nerina Redi
(1941)
Il bravo di Venezia
as Alina