Catherine Spaak

Catherine Spaak (3 April 1945 – 17 April 2022) was a French-Italian actress, singer, model, and media personality. A member of the Spaak family, she was known as an iconic "It girl" in Italy during the 1960s, becoming a star of commedia all'italiana films, before later becoming prominent as a talk show host and media personality. Family A member of the prominent Spaak family, Catherine was the daughter of Belgian screenwriter Charles Spaak and French actress Claudie Clèves (née Alice Perrier). Her older sister was actress Agnès Spaak. Her uncle, politician Paul-Henri Spaak, was the Prime Minister of Belgium from 1947 to 1949. Her paternal grandmother was Marie Janson Spaak, Belgium's first female member of Parliament. Early life Spaak was born on 3 April 1945 just outside of Paris in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine. Initially she wanted to be a ballerina and studied ballet in her youth, until she gave it up after being told she was too tall. Spaak was inspired to be an actress when in the summer of 1955, she accompanied her father to a film set, where she saw Gina Lollobrigida. In response to her parents announcing that they were divorcing and eager to leave the boarding school, Spaak left home at the age of 15 and moved to Italy, where she settled and eventually became a naturalized citizen.