Valentina Cortese

Biography

Valentina Cortese was an Italian film and stage actress whose work stretched over five decades and more than 100 screen productions. Born in Milan, she studied at the National Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome and made her film debut in a small part in L'orizzonte dipinto after signing with Scalera Film. International attention came with The Glass Mountain (1949), leading to roles in Thieves' Highway (1949), The House on Telegraph Hill (1951), The Barefoot Contessa (1954), and Le Amiche (1955), which brought her the Nastro d'Argento for best supporting actress. She played in Juliet of the Spirits (1965) and earned BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Academy Award recognition for Day for Night (1973), winning the BAFTA. Her stage work continued with Giorgio Strehler and Franco Zeffirelli, and her last film was Zeffirelli's Sparrow in 1993. France honored her with the Order of Arts and Letters in 2013.

96years old at death

Born January 1, 1923Milan
Died July 10, 2019Milan
Star sign: CapricornThe sign runs December 22 to January 19
Also credited as Valentina Cortesa and Valentina Elena Cortese Rossi di Coenzo

Movie Career

Films: 16
Career span: 39 years1949 to 1988

Genres

Drama81%, 13 films
Crime31%, 5 films
Comedy25%, 4 films
Adventure19%, 3 films
History19%, 3 films

First and latest

Did you know?!

First role
Cortese's first screen work came in 1941, when she took a small role in L'orizzonte dipinto after signing with Scalera Film.
Behind the award
When Ingrid Bergman won the Academy Award over Cortese for Day for Night, Bergman said in her acceptance speech that she felt Cortese should have won.

Valentina Cortese movies on Netflix

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen1988IMDb rating 7.1as Queen Ariadne / Violet
When Time Ran Out...1980IMDb rating 4.6as Rose Valdez
Dracula in the Provinces1975IMDb rating 5.7as Olghina Franchetti
Kidnap Syndicate1975IMDb rating 6.5as Grazia Filippini
Day for Night1973IMDb rating 8.0as Séverine
Brother Sun, Sister Moon1972IMDb rating 7.2as Pica Di Bernardone
The Boat on the Grass1971IMDb rating 5.7as Christine
The Legend of Lylah Clare1968IMDb rating 5.7as Countess Bozo Bedoni
Juliet of the Spirits1965IMDb rating 7.4as Valentina
The Visit1964IMDb rating 7.4as Mathilda Miller
Barabbas1961IMDb rating 6.9as Julia
Le Amiche1955IMDb rating 7.1as Nene
The Barefoot Contessa1954IMDb rating 6.9as Eleanora Torlato-Favrini
The House on Telegraph Hill1951IMDb rating 6.9as Victoria Kowelska
Black Magic1949IMDb rating 6.4as Zoraida
Thieves' Highway1949IMDb rating 7.5as Rica

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

Top

Day for Night1973 Comedy, Drama, Romanceas Séverine
IMDb rating 8.027K votes
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen1988 Adventure, Comedy, Fantasyas Queen Ariadne / Violet
IMDb rating 7.160K votes
Juliet of the Spirits1965as Valentina
IMDb rating 7.416K votes
Thieves' Highway1949as Rica
IMDb rating 7.57.7K votes
The Barefoot Contessa1954as Eleanora Torlato-Favrini
IMDb rating 6.915K votes
The House on Telegraph Hill1951as Victoria Kowelska
IMDb rating 6.94.4K votes
Le Amiche1955as Nene
IMDb rating 7.13.8K votes
Brother Sun, Sister Moon1972as Pica Di Bernardone
IMDb rating 7.25.4K votes

Most often with

Ernest Borgnine appears in three of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

Top

Ernest Borgnine

Anthony Quinn

Jacqueline Bisset

Sylva Koscina

Rossano Brazzi

Tamara Shayne

Films together

Ernest Borgnine3 films together, 1961 to 1980
Ernest Borgnine's page
- When Time Ran Out...1980IMDb rating 4.6Cortese as Rose ValdezBorgnine as Tom Conti
- The Legend of Lylah Clare1968IMDb rating 5.7Cortese as Countess Bozo BedoniBorgnine as Barney Sheean
- Barabbas1961IMDb rating 6.9Cortese as JuliaBorgnine as Lucius
Anthony Quinn2 films together, 1961 to 1964
Anthony Quinn's page
- The Visit1964IMDb rating 7.4Cortese as Mathilda MillerQuinn as Serge Miller
- Barabbas1961IMDb rating 6.9Cortese as JuliaQuinn as Barabbas
Jacqueline Bisset2 films together, 1973 to 1980
Jacqueline Bisset's page
- When Time Ran Out...1980IMDb rating 4.6Cortese as Rose ValdezBisset as Kay Kirby
- Day for Night1973IMDb rating 8.0Cortese as SéverineBisset as Julie Baker
Sylva Koscina2 films together, 1965 to 1975
Sylva Koscina's page
- Dracula in the Provinces1975IMDb rating 5.7Cortese as Olghina FranchettiKoscina as Mariù - wife of Costante
- Juliet of the Spirits1965IMDb rating 7.4Cortese as ValentinaKoscina as Sylva
Rossano Brazzi2 films together, 1954 to 1975
Rossano Brazzi's page
- Dracula in the Provinces1975IMDb rating 5.7Cortese as Olghina FranchettiBrazzi as Dr. Paluzzi
- The Barefoot Contessa1954IMDb rating 6.9Cortese as Eleanora Torlato-FavriniBrazzi as Count Vincenzo Torlato-Favrini
Tamara Shayne2 films together, 1949
Tamara Shayne's page
- Black Magic1949IMDb rating 6.4Cortese as ZoraidaShayne as Maria Balsamo
- Thieves' Highway1949IMDb rating 7.5Cortese as RicaShayne as Parthena Garcos

Box office

What Valentina Cortese's films earned in cinemas worldwide.

Top

Combined worldwide box office

$25.2 million

6 of the 16 films have a worldwide figure.

6Worldwide figure
1US gross only
9Figure not found

Top grosser

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen1988Queen Ariadne / Violet$8.1 million

Highest grossing

The six biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.

1
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen1988as Queen Ariadne / Violet
$8.1M32.1% of the total
2
The Barefoot Contessa1954as Eleanora Torlato-Favrini
$6.6M26.2% of the total
3
Barabbas1961as Julia
$5.8M23.0% of the total
4
When Time Ran Out...1980as Rose Valdez
$3.8M15.0% of the total
5
Day for Night1973as Séverine
$850K3.4% of the total
6
Juliet of the Spirits1965as Valentina
$79K0.3% of the total