Valentina Cortese

Actor

About

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Also Known As

Valentina Cortesa

Birth Place

Milan, IT

Born

January 01, 1923

Biography

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European leading lady with dark hair and slightly sharp, Mediterranean features, in English language films from 1948 with "The Glass Mountain." Cortese married "House on Telegraph Hill" (1951) co-star Richard Basehart in 1951 and enjoyed a prolific career in international cinema spanning over 50 years. She was especially notable as the older actress in Francois Truffaut's affectionate, i...

Filmography

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Buster's Bedroom (1990)

The Snare (1989)

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989)

Queen Ariadne; Violet

Il Giovane Toscanini (1988)

Monte Napoleone (1987)

Photos & Videos

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Thieves' Highway (1949) -- (Movie Clip) I'm The Friendly Type

Thieves' Highway (1949) -- (Movie Clip) The Chinese Have Small Feet

Family & Companions

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Richard Basehart

Husband

Actor. Married in 1951; divorced in 1960.

Biography

European leading lady with dark hair and slightly sharp, Mediterranean features, in English language films from 1948 with "The Glass Mountain." Cortese married "House on Telegraph Hill" (1951) co-star Richard Basehart in 1951 and enjoyed a prolific career in international cinema spanning over 50 years. She was especially notable as the older actress in Francois Truffaut's affectionate, insightful, endlessly reflexive film about filmmaking, "Day for Night" (1973).

Filmography

Cast (Feature Film)

Buster's Bedroom (1990)

The Snare (1989)

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989)

Queen Ariadne; Violet

Il Giovane Toscanini (1988)

Monte Napoleone (1987)

Appassionata (1985)

When Time Ran Out (1980)

Nido de Viudas (1978)

Widows' Nest (1977)

Le Grand Escogriffe (1977)

Tendre Dracula (1974)

Amore mio non farmi male (1974)

Il Bacio (1973)

Franco Zeffirelli: A Florentine Artist (1973)

Day for Night (1973)

Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972)

The Assassination Of Trotsky (1972)

Natasha/Natalya

L' Iguana dalla lingua di fuoco (1972)

Imputazione di omicidio per uno studente (1971)

Le Bateau sur l'herbe (1971)

First Love (1970)

Give Her the Moon (1970)

Madeleine de Lepine

The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969)

Listen, Let's Make Love (1969)

Black Sun (1969)

The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968)

Countess Bozo Bedoni

Juliet of the Spirits (1965)

The Visit (1964)

Mathilda Miller

Evil Eye (1964)

Square of Violence (1963)

Barabbas (1962)

Le amiche (1962)

Magic Fire (1956)

Mathilde Wesendonk

The Rocket from Calabuch (1956)

Donne Proibite (1956)

The Barefoot Contessa (1954)

Eleanora [Torlato-Favrini]

The Secret People (1952)

The House on Telegraph Hill (1951)

Victoria Kowelska

Shadow of the Eagle (1950)

Princess Elizabeth Tarakanova

Black Magic (1949)

Thieves' Highway (1949)

The Glass Mountain (1948)

Passatore, Il (1947)

Cast (TV Mini-Series)

Jesus of Nazareth (Do Not Use) (1977)

Life Events

1940

First screen appearance (in a bit part) in "Orizzonte dipinto"

1941

Screen acting debut in "Primo amore"

1948

First English-language film, "The Glass Mountain" (Great Britain)

Photo Collections

Thieves' Highway - Movie Posters

Thieves' Highway - Movie Posters

Videos

Thieves' Highway (1949) -- (Movie Clip) I'm The Friendly Type Weary trucker Nick, at the San Francisco produce market (director Jules Dassin shooting on location), aiming not to get shafted on his first delivery, doesn’t know what to make of Rica (Valentina Cortese, her first scene), in Thieves’ Highway, 1949, from A.I. Bezzerides’ novel and screenplay.

Thieves' Highway (1949) -- (Movie Clip) The Chinese Have Small Feet During his big fat Greek-American return to California, ship mechanic Nick (Richard Conte), with his mom, dad (Tamara Shayne, Morris Carnovsky) and probably-fianceè Polly (Barbara Lawrence), discovers bad news that had been kept from him, early in Jules Dassin’s Thieves’ Highway, 1949.

Barefoot Contessa, The (1954) -- (Movie Clip) Open, Maria's Funeral The distinctive opening of writer-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz's The Barefoot Contessa, 1954, starring Ava Gardner, and the initial narration by Humphrey Bogart, as writer-director "Harry Dawes."

Black Magic (1949) -- (Movie Clip) Long Live Cagliostro! Gifted gypsy Balsamo (Orson Welles) has just learned that his powers of hypnotism will have great currency in European society, his crew (Akim Tamiroff, Valentina Cortese) enthralled as Berry Kroeger in the voice of Alexandre Dumas narrates his ascendance, in Black Magic, 1949.

Black Magic (1949) -- (Movie Clip) An Insolent, Devil May Care Vagabond Berry Kroeger narrates as Alexandre Dumas père, introducing Orson Welles as the adult gypsy Balsamo, his mystical powers established in prologue, Akim Tamiroff his sidekick in a Vienna medicine show, the actor-turned-director Gregory Ratoff in charge, in producer Edward Small’s Black Magic, 1949.

Day For Night (1973) -- (Movie Clip) The Way I Do With Fellini Valentina Cortese, in an Academy Award-nominated performance as tipsy French actress Severine, struggles in her first scene with director Francois Truffaut, playing movie director Ferrand, Jean-Pierre Aumont as actor Alexandre, her one-time lover, playing her husband in Day For Night, 1973.

Secret People (1952) -- (Movie Clip) You Are English Now Director Thorold Dickinson jumps years forward, finding matured Valentina Cortese as Maria and sister Eleanora grown up to be Audrey Hepburn, refugees from an un-named fascist Italy, with their sponsor Anselmo (Charles Goldner) on the day they become British citizens, in Secret People, 1952.

Secret People (1952) -- (Movie Clip) Is That The Man Who Killed Father? At the Paris Exposition, 1937, naturalized Brits Maria and Eleanora (Valentina Cortese, Audrey Hepburn), with friend Anselmo (Charles Goldner), see the hated dictator (Hugo Schuster) from their un-named homeland, and meet long-lost boyfriend Louis (Serge Reggiani), in Secret People, 1952.

Malaya (1949) -- (Movie Clip) We Have A Rich Uncle Arrived in Penang, yanks Royer (James Stewart) and Carnahan (Spencer Tracy) meet contacts, especially Luana (Valentina Cortese) and "The Dutchman" (Sydney Greenstreet), in their government-backed scheme to steal rubber from the Japanese during WWII, in Malaya, 1949.

Juliet of the Spirits -- (Movie Clip) Seance Darkness and fractured dialogue as Valentina (Valentina Cortese) and friends attempt a seance focusing somewhat on Juliet (Giuelettta Masina) in Federico Fellini's Juliet of the Spirits, 1965.

Barefoot Contessa, The - (Original Trailer) A Spanish dancer becomes an international star but still longs to get her feet in the dirt in The Barefoot Contessa (1954) starring Ava Gardner.

House on Telegraph Hill - (Original Trailer) A concentration camp survivor assumes a dead woman's identity but gets caught in a wealthy family's intrigues in The House on Telegraph Hill (1951).

Legend of Lylah Clare, The - (Original Trailer) An obsessed movie director grooms an unknown actress to play his deceased movie-star wife in The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968), directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Kim Novak, Peter Finch and Ernest Borgnine.

Companions

Richard Basehart

Husband

Actor. Married in 1951; divorced in 1960.

Bibliography

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