Cortesa, Valentina (1924–)
Cortesa, Valentina (1924–)
Italian-born actress. Name variations: Valentina Cortese (Cortesa, in Hollywood films). Born Jan 1, 1924, in Milan, Italy; m. Richard Basehart (actor), 1951 (div. 1960).
Made film debut in Italy in Orizzonte dipinto (1940), then played ingenue leads until breakthrough roles of Fantine and Cosette in I Miserabili (Les Miserables, 1947) and Alida Morrosini in the British film The Glass Mountain (1949); had an international career, appearing in such films as Jules Dassin's Thieves' Highway, Antonioni's Le Amiche, Fellini's Giulietta degli spiriti, as well as House on Telegraph Hill, The Barefoot Contessa, Adriana Lecouvreur, Axel Munthe, Barabbas, The Visit, The Legend of Lylah Clare, The Secret of Santa Vittoria, Madly, The Assassination of Trotsky and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, among others; also starred in such plays as Mary Stewart and Lulu. Won Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for performance in Truffaut's La Nuit Américaine (1973).