Biography
She is the daughter of a congressman and a granddaughter of a priest on her mother's side. She lived in Fortaleza, the capital of Ceará state, and in Rio de Janeiro until she moved to Italy. A former flight inspector for Brazilian international carrier Varig, she came in contact with several languages and became fluent in English, Italian and French.
She moved to Italy in 1968 after being discovered by the film director Luchino Visconti. She changed her name to Florinda Bolkan because she thought it would be more comfortable for international audiences.
Bolkan acted with the Beatle Ringo Starr in her first film, Candy. She worked in more than forty films, mainly in Italy. She was directed by Vittorio de Sica in Una Breve Vacanza. Under Elio Petri's direction, she made one of the most acclaimed films of her career, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion. Enrico Maria Salerno directed her in Anonimo Veneziano. She also worked with Jean-Louis Trintignant, John Cassavetes and Annie Girardot.
Like Sophia Loren, Claudia Cardinale and Monica Vitti, she also won the David di Donatello award three times, the Italian equivalent of the Academy Award in Hollywood. When De Sica cast her in Una Breve Vacanza, the film that introduced her to North America, he said: "I chose you because your eyes have known hunger." She replied: "Those born in Ceará bring within themselves a strong and hard share of the real thing."
She had an eighteen-year affair with Marina Cicogna, producer of Una Breve Vacanza. She continues to act in European films, mostly Italian films.
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