Valentina Cortese facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Valentina Cortese
Cortese in The Jester's Supper (1942)
Born	(1923-01-01)1 January 1923 Milan, Lombardy, Italy
Died	10 July 2019(2019-07-10) (aged 96) Milan, Lombardy, Italy
Other names	Valentina Cortesa
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1941–1993
Spouse(s)	Richard Basehart ​ ​ (m. 1951; div. 1960)​ Carlo de Angeli ​ ​ (m. 1980; died 1998)​
Children	Jackie Basehart

Valentina Cortese (born January 1, 1923 – died July 10, 2019) was a famous Italian actress. She worked in movies and on stage for over 50 years. She acted in films by many well-known directors from Italy and other countries, like Michelangelo Antonioni, Federico Fellini, and Franco Zeffirelli. Sometimes, her name was spelled as Valentina Cortesa.

About Valentina Cortese

Cortese in Appassionata (1974)

Valentina Cortese was born in Milan, Italy. She grew up in the countryside. In 1930, she moved to Turin to live with her grandparents. Later, she moved to Rome to study acting at a special school called the National Academy of Dramatic Arts. She started acting on stage first. In 1941, she got her first movie contract and appeared in the film L'orizzonte dipinto.

Valentina started getting important movie roles in the late 1940s. Some of her early films were Roma Città Libera (1946), Les Misérables, and The Wandering Jew (both 1948).

Becoming an International Star

Valentina's role in the British movie The Glass Mountain (1949) helped her get many roles in international films. She worked with famous directors like Jules Dassin in Thieves' Highway (1949) and Robert Wise in The House on Telegraph Hill (1951).

In 1951, she married her co-star from The House on Telegraph Hill, Richard Basehart. They moved back to Italy. Valentina kept acting in both Italian and international movies. Some of her most famous films from this time include The Barefoot Contessa (1954) and Le Amiche (1955). For her role in Le Amiche, she won an award called the Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress.

Later Career and Awards

In 1960, Valentina and Richard Basehart divorced. Richard moved back to the United States, and their son, Jackie, stayed with Valentina.

In the years that followed, Valentina worked with many different directors. These included Mario Bava (The Girl Who Knew Too Much, 1963) and Federico Fellini (Juliet of the Spirits, 1965).

One of her most famous roles was in François Truffaut's film Day for Night (1973). For this movie, she won several awards, including the BAFTA Award. She was also nominated for an Academy Award, which is one of the biggest awards in movies!

Even though her later films were not always as well-known, Valentina was very successful on stage. She worked with famous theater directors like Giorgio Strehler and Franco Zeffirelli. In 1980, she married a businessman named Carlo De Angeli. Her last movie was Sparrow in 1993.

Valentina Cortese passed away on July 10, 2019, when she was 96 years old. In 2017, a film called Diva! was made about her life. It was based on her autobiography, which is a book she wrote about herself.

Selected Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Valentina Cortese para niños