Franco Zeffirelli

FRANCO ZEFFIRELLI d2019. Italian director and producer of operas, films and television. He was also a Senator from 1994 until 2001 for the Italian Forza Italia party. Movies he directed included the romantic drama Romeo and Juliet (1968) for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director and his 1967 version of The Taming of The Shrew. His 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, he also received an honorary British knighthood in 2004 when he was created a KBE. He died in Rome aged 96 on June 15th 2019