Happy 73rd Birthday Lovely Claudia Cardinale! (Tu sei una dea!)

A combination of brilliant talent, enchanting good looks and exotic sexuality combined to ensure Claudia Joséphine Rose Cardinale success in her pursuit for stardom. She made her first film appearance in 1958 and by the early '60s she had become one of the best known stars in Italian cinema. American audiences mostly first noticed her in 1968 when she appeared in Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West .

As you probably gathered from the title, I am publishing this on Ms. Cardinale's 73rd birthday. Can you believe this amazing woman is still acting today? In fact, 2011 looks to become one of her busiest years in some time. It will be so wonderful to again see this beautiful lady on the silver screen!

Even ifshe were not the beautiful and talented actress that she is, Claudia Cardinale would still be an incredible woman. Here are just a few of her accomplishments:

• UNESCO Good Will Ambassador for the Defense of Women's Rights, winning the Benazir Bhutto World Tolerance Award at the Women`s World Awards 2009 for her commitment to the cause.
  
• Involved in many other humanitarian causes and is a strong supporter of gay rights.
  
• Italian, French, Spanish, English and Arabic though French is her first language as her mother was French
• Has served on the jury at the Cannes Film Festival
• Appeared on the cover of almost 1000 magazine covers worldwide
• Had intended to be a teacher before becoming an actress
• Has written two books: An autobiography, Moi Claudia, Toi Claudia and abook about her more than five decades in show business, Mes Etoiles .

Ms. Cardinale's has two children, a son and a daughter. She had her son, Patrizio, out of wedlock when she was 17 but raised him as her brother due to signing a film contract that required she not marry, gain weight, nor cut her hair. She did not tell him that he was her child until he was 19 years old. She her daughter, Claudia, with longtime companion Pasquale Squitieri.

Claudia Cardinale once said, "I never felt scandal and confession were necessary to be an actress. I've never revealed myself or even my body in films. Mystery is very important."

A look at the photos in this hub seems to verify the validity of her statements as she reveals nothing, hints at everything, and creates a sense of wonder in the helpless viewer. Clearly stars of her caliber, much like the late Elizabeth Taylor, are few and far between these days.

Ms. Cardinale is well known among her fellow actors and is a regular attendee at Hollywood events such as the Academy Awards though she currently resides in France. She stays in France in part due to her immense popular in that country.

Here is some interesting trivia:

• Claudia was featured in the gatefold of initial pressings of Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde record album but the photo was removed from later pressings as permission was not given for the photo's use.
• She is very good friends with Brigitte Bardot.
• Claudia entered show business through her involvement in a beauty pageant.
• Her first Italian films had to be dubbed while she learned the language.
  

It is so wonderful that this great actress is still involved in making films. She is still as beautiful as ever and will always be one of the world's brightest stars! I hope you have enjoyed this information I have had the pleasure of sharing with you! Thank you for reading my articles and by all means please make your comments below!