Franco Zeffirelli

Italian maestro of film and opera, Franco Zeffirelli, was born in 1923 in Florence, Italy, and was active in the film industry from the mid-1940s till the early 2000s. Primarily directing in drama and romance genres, he gained worldwide acclaim for his adaptations of Shakespeare, his most notable works being 'Romeo and Juliet' (1968) for which he received an Academy Award nomination, and 'Hamlet' (1990). Zeffirelli's authorial style was characterized by his lavish visual style, meticulous attention to historical detail, and knack for eliciting powerful performances from his actors. Those who worked with Zeffirelli remember him not only as a visionary director, but as a man who lived life with the same passion and intensity that he brought to his films.