Florinda Bolkan

Bolkan was born Florinda Soares Bulcão in Uruburetama. Her father José Pedro Soares Bulcão, commonly known as Soares Bulcão [pt], was a renowned journalist and politician. She lived in Fortaleza and Rio de Janeiro until she moved to the United States. A former flight inspector for Brazilian international carrier Varig, she became fluent in English, Italian and French.

During the 1960s, Bolkan worked as a model in the United States. After being introduced to Italian Countess Marina Cicogna, who would become her long-time partner, she moved to Italy in 1968, where she made her film debut with a small part in the all-star sex comedy Candy (1968). Cicogna later introduced her to director Luchino Visconti,^[1] who cast her in The Damned.

She worked in more than forty films, mainly in Italy. She was directed by Vittorio de Sica in A Brief Vacation.^[2] Under Elio Petri's direction, she made Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, which won both the 1970 Palme d'Or and the 1971 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Enrico Maria Salerno directed her in The Anonymous Venetian, which earned her first David di Donatello Award. She worked with Jean-Louis Trintignant, John Cassavetes, and Annie Girardot.

She acted in two giallo films directed by Lucio Fulci, A Lizard in a Woman's Skin^[3] and Don't Torture a Duckling.^[4]

Bolkan acted alongside Kirk Douglas in the 1972 Italian film, The Master Touch.^[5]

Bolkan has won the David di Donatello award three times.^{[citation needed]} She won the David di Donatello for the 1973 film Dear Parents.^[6]

She appeared in 19 episodes of the Italian crime drama television series La piovra.

In 2000, Bolkan debuted as director in the Brazilian film Eu Não Conhecia Tururu [pt]. Besides directing, she also plays a major character in the film.^[7] She continues to act in European films, mostly Italian films.

Bolkan is bisexual. For 20 years, Bolkan was the life partner of film producer Countess Marina Cicogna.^[8][9] She was an alleged lover of John F. Kennedy.^[10][11] Helmut Berger writes in his autobiography Ich that he and Bolkan had an affair.^[12] At various times, she was also romantically-linked to Ryan O'Neal, Richard Burton,^[11] Porfirio Rubirosa, and Samuel Wainer.

Model Sônia Ribeiro, Bolkan's sister, married Willy Bogner Jr. in 1972.