June 20, 2019

Celebrated Italian Filmmaker and Designer, Franco Zeffirelli, Dies at Age 96

Franco Zeffirelli, courtesy of variety.com

On June 15^th, 2019, Franco Zeffirelli (born Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli) passed away at the age of 96, supported by his children and close family. Zeffirelli had spent over 60 years contributing to the Italian history of entertainment, contributing to the art of acting, set design, costume design, and filmmaking. Zeffirelli’s work has been widely recognized and awarded, including an honorary knighthood by the United Kingdom, several nominations for Tony Awards, and a nomination for the Academy Award for best actor—one of only eight Italians who have ever been nominated for the award.

Franco Zeffirelli received the Bravo! Award at his home in Rome, left, from IAF Chairman Stefano Acunto and Italian Journal Editor Claudia Palmira Acunto

To learn more about Franco Zeffirelli’s work, you can read more about him here:

A tribute by Steve Acunto, IAF Chairman

Verdi by Zeffirelli, Italian Journal magazine

Zefferilli: A Cinematic Timeline, Italian Journal magazine

The Act I set from the grand Franco Zeffirelli production of Puccini’s Turandot. Courtesy of twitter.com/metopera.

Zeffirelli’s death is a result of a long battle of illness that progressively got worse towards his last few months. His funeral will be held on Tuesday, June 18^th, in the Duomo in Florence.

– Shauni Bernier