Claudia Cardinale, the Tunisian-born actress whose striking mix of strength, sensuality, and elegance made her one of the most recognizable faces of European cinema, has died in Nemours, France, at the age of 87.

A star of Italy’s golden age of cinema, Cardinale worked with some of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century, including Luchino Visconti and Federico Fellini. Her performances in classics such as The Leopard (1963), 8½ (1963), and Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) cemented her reputation as a screen legend. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she appeared in over 100 films and television productions.

Claudia Cardinale poses at the 69th Venice International Film Festival in Venice, Italy, in 2012. Photo: EPA/Daniel Dal Zennaro

Born in Tunis in 1938 to a Sicilian family, Cardinale’s path to stardom began unexpectedly when she won a beauty contest that brought her to the Venice Film Festival in 1957. Soon after, she was cast in her first roles, her natural charisma and expressive power setting her apart from her contemporaries.

More than a symbol of Mediterranean beauty, Cardinale was widely admired for portraying complex, independent women. She resisted being reduced to a mere starlet, speaking openly about women’s autonomy and cultural identity.

Tributes have poured in from presidents, cultural leaders, and fellow artists around the world, all acknowledging that in Cardinale the world loses not only a cinema icon, but a woman of enduring grace and defiance.

She is survived by her two children, Claudia Squitieri and Patrick Cristaldi.