Franco Zeffirelli
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Gian Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), best known as Franco Zeffirelli, was an Italian director and producer of operas, films and television. He was also a senator (1994–2001) 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 acclaim and is still shown on Christmas and Easter in many countries.
A Grande Ufficiale OMRI of the Italian Republic since 1977, Zeffirelli also received an honorary knighthood from the British government in 2004 when he was created a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He was awarded the Premio Colosseo in 2009 by the city of Rome.
Selected filmography
- La Bohème (1965; production designer only)
- Florence: Days of Destruction (1966) (documentary short)
- The Taming of the Shrew (1967)
- Romeo and Juliet (1968)
- Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972)
- Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
- The Champ (1979)
- Cavalleria Rusticana (1978) with Tatiana Troyanos and Plácido Domingo
- Pagliacci (1978) with Teresa Stratas, Sherrill Milnes and Plácido Domingo
- Endless Love (1981)
- Cavalleria Rusticana (1982) with Plácido Domingo and Elena Obraztsova
- Pagliacci (1982) with Plácido Domingo and Teresa Stratas
- La Bohème (1982)
- La Traviata (1983)
- Tosca (1985)
- Otello (1986)
- Young Toscanini (1988)
- Hamlet (1990)
- Don Giovanni
- Don Carlo with Luciano Pavarotti and Daniela Dessi
- Storia di una capinera (also known as Sparrow; 1993)
- Jane Eyre (1996)
- Tea with Mussolini (1999)
- Callas Forever (2002)
