Franco Zeffirelli

Franco Zeffirelli OMRI
Zeffirelli in 1972
Born	Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (1923-02-12)12 February 1923 Florence, Italy
Died	15 June 2019(2019-06-15) (aged 96) Rome, Italy
Alma mater	Academy of Fine Arts of Florence
Occupations	Film director opera director politician
Political party	Christian Democracy (before 1994) Forza Italia (1994–2001)
Children	2 (adopted)
Member of the Senate of the Republic
In office 21 April 1994 – 29 May 2001
Constituency	Catania
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1942–1945
Unit	24th Guards Brigade
Battles/wars	World War II

Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019)^[1] 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.^[2][3] A member of the Forza Italia party, he served as the Senator for Catania between 1994 and 2001.

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.

A Grande Ufficiale OMRI of the Italian Republic since 1977, Zeffirelli also received an honorary British knighthood in 2004 when he was created a KBE.^[4] He was awarded the Premio Colosseo in 2009 by the city of Rome.