Claudia Cardinale, the Italian actress renowned for her roles in The Pink Panther and Once Upon a Time in the West, has passed away.

Cardinale died Tuesday in Nemours, near Paris, with her children by her side, her agent told the French news agency AFP, per France 24. She was 87.

Claudia Cardinale was born in Tunis on April 15, 1938, to Sicilian parents. She grew up in the Tunisian capital, speaking French, Arabic, and the Sicilian dialect. In 1957, she won the “Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia” contest, according to Deadline. The prize included a trip to the Venice Film Festival, where she attracted the notice of several film producers, launching her career.

Per IMDb, Cardinale debuted in the 1958 film Goha with Omar Sharif. She quickly became a prominent European star in the 196

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