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Franco Zeffirelli

Senatore
Franco Zeffirelli
Zeffirelli.jpg
Member of the Italian Senate
In office
21 April 1994 – 29 May 2001
Constituency Catania
Personal details
Born Gianfranco Zeffirelli
(1923-02-12) 12 February 1923 (age 94)
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Political party Forza Italia
Residence Rome
Alma mater University of Florence
Profession Film Director
Opera Director
Politician
Military service
Service/branch British Army
Years of service 1942–1945
Unit 24th Guards Brigade
Battles/wars World War II

Franco Zeffirelli, KBE Grande Ufficiale OMRI (Italian pronunciation: [ˈfraŋko dzeffiˈrɛlli]; born 12 February 1923) is an Italian director and producer of operas, films and television. He is also a former senator (1994–2001) for the Italian centre-right Forza Italia party. Recently Italian researchers have found that he is one of the few distant relatives of Leonardo da Vinci.

Some of his operatic designs and productions have become worldwide classics.

He is also known for several of the movies he has 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.


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