Personal Info
Known For
Directing
Gender
Male
February 12, 1923
Died
June 15, 2019 (96 years old)
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Also Known As
- Gianfranco Corsi
Franco Zeffirelli
Biography
Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli KBE, Grande Ufficiale OMRI (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), commonly known as Franco Zeffirelli (Italian pronunciation: [ˈfraŋko dzeffiˈrɛlli]), was an Italian director and producer of operas, films and television. He was also a senator from 1994 until 2001 for the Italian centre-right Forza Italia party.
Some of his operatic designs and productions have become worldwide classics.
He was also known for several of the movies he directed, especially the 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet, for which he received an Academy Award nomination. His 1967 version of The Taming of the Shrew with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton remains the best-known film adaptation of that play as well. His miniseries Jesus of Nazareth (1977) won both national and international acclaim and is still frequently shown on Christmas and Easter in many countries.
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A Grande Ufficiale OMRI of the Italian Republic since 1977, Zeffirelli also received an honorary British knighthood in 2004 when he was created a KBE. He was awarded the Premio Colosseo in 2009 by the city of Rome.
Known For
Acting
Directing
Callas Forever
Director, Original Story, Screenplay
2002
Tea with Mussolini
Director, Novel
1999
Jane Eyre
Screenplay, Director
1996
Sparrow
Screenplay, Director
1994
Hamlet
Screenplay, Director
1990
La traviata
Adaptation, Director, Production Design
1982
Endless Love
Director
1981
The Champ
Director
1979
Jesus of Nazareth
Director, Writer, Creator
1977
Brother Sun, Sister Moon
Screenplay, Director
1972
Romeo and Juliet
Director, Screenplay
1968
The Taming of the Shrew
Producer, Screenplay, Director
1967