In 1975, Patrick, the child she had as a result of a rape, was finally acknowledged as her son when he turned 19. Cardinale later opened up about the traumatic experience in a 2017 interview with Italian journalist Enzo Biagi. “A man I didn’t know, much older than me, forced me into a car and raped me. It was terrible, but from that violence came my wonderful Patrick. Despite the difficult situation as a single mother, I never considered abortion,” she said.
When the man who assaulted her learned of her pregnancy, he returned, demanding she terminate it. “Not for a second did I consider giving up my child,” she added.
Cardinale’s relationship with Cristaldi, whom she left in 1975, was equally controlling. “I was practically an employee to him, paid monthly for the four films I made each year. I didn’t even call him by his name, only by his last name. I felt like a hostage, and my parents were furious. Cristaldi was certainly a great producer, but as a person… better left unsaid.”
Despite her dysfunctional relationship with Cristaldi, Cardinale’s career flourished. She made her film debut in the French-Tunisian production Goha with Omar Sharif. Soon after, she starred in Rocco and His Brothers (1960) and, in 1963, appeared in the Oscar-winning 8½ alongside Marcello Mastroianni, as well as The Leopard with Burt Lancaster. Both films, where she played a seemingly unattainable object of desire, are praised by director Martin Scorsese as two of his top 12 favorites.
As her career gained traction, Cardinale starred in the international hit The Pink Panther with David Niven, and in 1964’s Circus World alongside John Wayne and Rita Hayworth.
Her portrayal of a prostitute in Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) further solidified her reputation. Cardinale co-starred with icons like Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, and Charles Bronson in the critically acclaimed film.
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