Franco Zeffirelli

Italian director and politician (1923-2019)

AI overview

Franco Zeffirelli was an influential Italian film and theater director known for bringing classical works to cinema and stage audiences during the second half of the 20th century. His career made him a significant figure in both the arts and Italian politics, where he later served as a member of parliament.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born: 1923-02-12
Died: 2019-06-15
Works: 13

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Directing · Florence, Tuscany, Italy

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…

Known for

Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields — Self (archive footage)2023
Franco Zeffirelli: Rebel Conformist — Self2022
The Opera House — Self (archive footage)2017
The Mystery of Dante — Self2014
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films — Self - Director2014
The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films — Self2014
Discovering Hamlet — Self2011

Article

Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli ( Italian pronunciation: [ˈfraŋko ddzeffiˈrɛlli]; 12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019) was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post–World War II era, gaining both acclaim and notoriety for his lavish stagings of classical works, as well as his film adaptations of the same.

Films he directed included the Shakespearean adaptations The Taming of the Shrew (1967), starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton; Romeo and Juliet (1968), for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director; and Hamlet (1990), starring Mel Gibson and Glenn Close. His Biblical television miniseries Jesus of Nazareth (1977) won both national and international acclaim and is still frequently shown at Christmas and Easter in many countries.