The Resume

(January 1, 1923-July 10, 2019)
Born in Milan, Italy
Appeared in the films 'Girl of the Golden West' (1942), 'Ten Commandments' (1945), 'Les Miserables' (1948), 'Crossroads of Passion' (1948), 'The Glass Mountain' (1949), 'Women Without Names' (1950), 'Shadow of the Eagle' (1950), 'The House on Telegraph Hill' (1951), 'Lulu' (1953), 'Marriage' (1954), 'The Barefoot Contessa' (1954), 'Love At First Sight' (1958), 'Barabbas' (1961), 'The Evil Eye' (1963), 'The Shortest Day' (1963), 'The Possessed' (1965), 'Juliet of the Spirits' (1965), 'Listen, Let's Make Love' (1967), 'The Legend of Lylah Clare' (1968), 'Oh, Grandmother's Dead' (1969), 'Brother Sun, Sister Moon' (1972), 'The Assassination of Trotsky' (1972), 'Day For Night' (1973), 'The Kiss of Death' (1974), 'Ring of Darkness' (1979), 'When Time Ran Out' (1980), 'The Adventures of Baron Munchausen' (1988) and 'Sparrow' (1993)

Why she might be annoying:

She married and divorced actor Richard Basehart.
After a brief stint in American films in the 50s she said, 'In Hollywood, it is terrible. They expect you to be their slave. You have to be ready to do anything for them, at any time, not just when you are making a picture.'
Producer Darryl Zanuck changed the spelling of her last name to 'Cortesa' to emphasize her Mediterranean background.

Why she might not be annoying:

She was good friends with Audrey Hepburn.
She worked with most of Europe's leading directors, including Truffaut, Fellini and Antonioni.
When Ingrid Bergman beat her for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, Bergman apologized in her acceptance speech, saying 'When Day for Night opened, Valentina Cortese gave the most beautiful performance that all we actresses recognize.'

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• BAFTA - Best Supporting Actress Winners (Ranked: 1973)
• Born on New Year's Day [January 1st] (Ranked: 1923)
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 33]
• Celebrities Born on the Same Date [January] (Ranked: 1011923)
• Federico Fellini Films
• I Died in 2019 (Ranked: 96)
• I Portrayed a Nun
• I Portrayed a Queen
• I Was Nominated for an Acting Oscar for a Performance in a Foreign Language (Ranked: 1974)
• Look at Me, I'm in a Wheelchair
• New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress (Ranked: 1973)
• Profiles 30501-30750 (Ranked: 30559)
• Terry Gilliam Films
• We Died on the Same Day (Ranked: 20190710)

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 31 Votes: 48.39% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 13 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 9 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 53 Votes: 64.15% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 11 Votes: 36.36% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 12 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 17 Votes: 29.41% Annoying
In 2010, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying