Who is Claudia Cardinale’s son Patrick Cristaldi? Italian star’s only son was initially passed off as her brother

Italian actress Claudia Cardinale passed away at her home in Nemours, Island of France, on September 23, 2025, aged 87. According to The Guardian, the cause of her death remains undisclosed.

Cardinale is survived by her son, Patrick Cristaldi, who is an actor, and her daughter, who is also named Claudia.

As per The Guardian reports, Claudia Cardinale began acting in 1957. However, she soon became pregnant during an abusive relationship and gave birth to her son Patrick in London the following year.

Notably, in the initial days of her career, the Once Upon a Time in the West star passed her son off as her younger brother for many years. Back then, Patrick was raised by Cardinale’s parents.

According to a February 2023 article on the life and six-decade-long career of Claudia Cardinale, Patrick Cristaldi was passed off as Claudia’s brother early in her career to preserve her “virginal feel and glow.”

Everything you need to know about Claudia Cardinale’s son, Patrick Cristaldi

Patrick Cristaldi was born on October 19, 1958, in London. He was born to Claudia Cardinale when she was 19 years old. Later, she was adopted by her mother’s boyfriend and Italian film producer, Franco Cristaldi, whom she dated between 1958 and the late 1960s.

According to IMDb, Patrick Cristaldi is an actor known for the 1988 drama film, Gli Invisibli, or ‘The Invisible Ones.’ It was directed by the late Italian filmmaker and screenwriter Pasquale Squitieri and loosely based on Italian author Nanni Balestrini’s novel of the same name.

Notably, Patrick has a half-sister named Claudia Squitieri, who is the daughter of Claudia Cardinale and Pasquale Squitieri. The couple were domestic partners for over four decades, starting in 1973 until Pasquale’s death in February 2017, at the age of 78.

Patrick Cristaldi, 66, also has a half-sibling from his father’s side, a brother named Massimo. Patrick and his half-sister Claudia now live at her mother’s home in Fontainebleau, France, where their mother established a foundation dedicated to women’s rights and the environment, according to The New York Times.

About Claudia Cardinale

Claudia Cardinale was born on April 15, 1938, in Tunisia to a family of Sicilian origin. She was a significant figure in the post-war Italian movies and ventured into the world in 1957, after winning a beauty pageant and earning a trip to the Venice Film Festival.

However, it took her six years to rise to fame with the movie 8 ½, directed by Federico Fellini, followed by acting alongside Burt Lancaster in the film The Leopard, directed by Luchino Visconti. Another one of her notable works is Luigi Comencini’s 1963 film Bebo’s Girl, for which she won the Nastro d’Argento Award and Luchino Visconti’s Rocco and His Brothers.

Thereafter, Cardinale appeared in Hollywood productions, such as The Innocent, Once Upon a Time in the West, and The Pink Panther. Her career saw a downfall after her split from Franco Cristaldi. According to The Guardian, Cristaldi was a powerful figure in Italian cinema and almost had Claudia blackballed.

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Speaking with The Guardian in 2013, he called the period “very delicate” and claimed she had financial difficulties. Fortunately, Franco Zeffirelli cast her in his 1977 TV miniseries, Jesus of Nazareth. Subsequently, she also worked with other European filmmakers, including Werner Herzog and Marco Bellocchio.

Claudia also worked in the theater. Her most recent work was in the 2020 Swiss TV show, Bulle. Cardinale was honored with the lifetime achievement award at the 2002 Berlin Film Festival.

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