FILM DIRECTOR
Franco Zeffirelli
1923 - 2019

Franco Zeffirelli
Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (Italian pronunciation: [ˈfraŋko ddzeffiˈrɛlli]; 12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019) was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post–World War II era, gaining both acclaim and notoriety for his lavish stagings of classical works, as well as his film adaptations of the same. Films he directed included the Shakespearean adaptations The Taming of the Shrew (1967), starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton; Romeo and Juliet (1968), for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director; and Hamlet (1990), starring Mel Gibson and Glenn Close. His Biblical television miniseries Jesus of Nazareth (1977) won both national and international acclaim and is still frequently shown at Christmas and Easter in many countries. Read more on Wikipedia
His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Franco Zeffirelli is the 81st most popular film director (down from 80th in 2019), the 733rd most popular biography from Italy (down from 675th in 2019) and the 11th most popular Italian Film Director.
Franco Zeffirelli is most famous for his work on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and La Traviata.
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Among FILM DIRECTORS
Among film directors, Franco Zeffirelli ranks 81 out of 2,041. Before him are John Waters, F. W. Murnau, Tony Scott, Agnès Varda, Dziga Vertov, and Alain Resnais. After him are Alan Parker, Robert Bresson, Peter Brook, Ernst Lubitsch, Fred Zinnemann, and Howard Hawks.
Most Popular Film Directors in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsJohn Waters
1946 - Present
HPI: 72.23
Rank: 75
F. W. Murnau
1888 - 1931
HPI: 72.18
Rank: 76
Tony Scott
1944 - 2012
HPI: 72.09
Rank: 77
Agnès Varda
1928 - 2019
HPI: 72.08
Rank: 78
Dziga Vertov
1896 - 1954
HPI: 72.03
Rank: 79
Alain Resnais
1922 - 2014
HPI: 72.02
Rank: 80
Franco Zeffirelli
1923 - 2019
HPI: 72.02
Rank: 81
Alan Parker
1944 - 2020
HPI: 71.91
Rank: 82
Robert Bresson
1901 - 1999
HPI: 71.80
Rank: 83
Peter Brook
1925 - 2022
HPI: 71.67
Rank: 84
Ernst Lubitsch
1892 - 1947
HPI: 71.56
Rank: 85
Fred Zinnemann
1907 - 1997
HPI: 71.49
Rank: 86
Howard Hawks
1896 - 1977
HPI: 71.46
Rank: 87
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1923, Franco Zeffirelli ranks 23. Before him are Rocky Marciano, Peter II of Yugoslavia, György Ligeti, Marcel Marceau, Mas Oyama, and Queen Anne of Romania. After him are Val Logsdon Fitch, Jack Kilby, Roy Lichtenstein, Richard Attenborough, Arvid Carlsson, and Mauno Koivisto. Among people deceased in 2019, Franco Zeffirelli ranks 24. Before him are I. M. Pei, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Peter Fonda, Karel Gott, Agnès Varda, and Beji Caid Essebsi. After him are Doris Day, Marie Fredriksson, Bert Hellinger, Murray Gell-Mann, João Gilberto, and Mariss Jansons.
Others Born in 1923
Go to all RankingsRocky Marciano
BOXER
1923 - 1969
HPI: 74.92
Rank: 17
Peter II of Yugoslavia
POLITICIAN
1923 - 1970
HPI: 74.79
Rank: 18
György Ligeti
COMPOSER
1923 - 2006
HPI: 74.05
Rank: 19
Marcel Marceau
ACTOR
1923 - 2007
HPI: 73.05
Rank: 20
Mas Oyama
MARTIAL ARTS
1923 - 1994
HPI: 72.71
Rank: 21
Queen Anne of Romania
COMPANION
1923 - 2016
HPI: 72.31
Rank: 22
Franco Zeffirelli
FILM DIRECTOR
1923 - 2019
HPI: 72.02
Rank: 23
Val Logsdon Fitch
PHYSICIST
1923 - 2015
HPI: 72.01
Rank: 24
Jack Kilby
ENGINEER
1923 - 2005
HPI: 71.96
Rank: 25
Roy Lichtenstein
ARTIST
1923 - 1997
HPI: 71.67
Rank: 26
Richard Attenborough
FILM DIRECTOR
1923 - 2014
HPI: 71.07
Rank: 27
Arvid Carlsson
PHYSICIAN
1923 - 2018
HPI: 70.81
Rank: 28
Mauno Koivisto
POLITICIAN
1923 - 2017
HPI: 70.57
Rank: 29
Others Deceased in 2019
Go to all RankingsI. M. Pei
ARCHITECT
1917 - 2019
HPI: 73.13
Rank: 18
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
EXTREMIST
1971 - 2019
HPI: 73.04
Rank: 19
Peter Fonda
ACTOR
1940 - 2019
HPI: 72.67
Rank: 20
Karel Gott
SINGER
1939 - 2019
HPI: 72.14
Rank: 21
Agnès Varda
FILM DIRECTOR
1928 - 2019
HPI: 72.08
Rank: 22
Beji Caid Essebsi
POLITICIAN
1926 - 2019
HPI: 72.05
Rank: 23
Franco Zeffirelli
FILM DIRECTOR
1923 - 2019
HPI: 72.02
Rank: 24
Doris Day
ACTOR
1922 - 2019
HPI: 71.86
Rank: 25
Marie Fredriksson
SINGER
1958 - 2019
HPI: 71.81
Rank: 26
Bert Hellinger
WRITER
1925 - 2019
HPI: 71.59
Rank: 27
Murray Gell-Mann
PHYSICIST
1929 - 2019
HPI: 71.58
Rank: 28
João Gilberto
MUSICIAN
1931 - 2019
HPI: 71.51
Rank: 29
Mariss Jansons
MUSICIAN
1943 - 2019
HPI: 71.29
Rank: 30
In Italy
Among people born in Italy, Franco Zeffirelli ranks 733 out of 5,161. Before him are Domenico Modugno (1928), Oriana Fallaci (1929), Agostino Carracci (1557), Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara (1476), Giovanni Agnelli (1866), and Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola (1507). After him are Lucullus (-118), Marcus Furius Camillus (-446), Salvatore Quasimodo (1901), Fausto Coppi (1919), Desiderius (710), and Bernardino of Siena (1380).
Others born in Italy
Go to all RankingsDomenico Modugno
SINGER
1928 - 1994
HPI: 72.09
Rank: 727
Oriana Fallaci
JOURNALIST
1929 - 2006
HPI: 72.05
Rank: 728
Agostino Carracci
PAINTER
1557 - 1602
HPI: 72.03
Rank: 729
Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara
NOBLEMAN
1476 - 1534
HPI: 72.02
Rank: 730
Giovanni Agnelli
BUSINESSPERSON
1866 - 1945
HPI: 72.02
Rank: 731
Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola
ARCHITECT
1507 - 1573
HPI: 72.02
Rank: 732
Franco Zeffirelli
FILM DIRECTOR
1923 - 2019
HPI: 72.02
Rank: 733
Lucullus
POLITICIAN
118 BC - 56 BC
HPI: 72.00
Rank: 734
Marcus Furius Camillus
POLITICIAN
446 BC - 365 BC
HPI: 72.00
Rank: 735
Salvatore Quasimodo
WRITER
1901 - 1968
HPI: 71.99
Rank: 736
Fausto Coppi
CYCLIST
1919 - 1960
HPI: 71.98
Rank: 737
Desiderius
POLITICIAN
710 - 786
HPI: 71.97
Rank: 738
Bernardino of Siena
PHYSICIAN
1380 - 1444
HPI: 71.96
Rank: 739
Among FILM DIRECTORS In Italy
Among film directors born in Italy, Franco Zeffirelli ranks 11. Before him are Sergio Leone (1929), Michelangelo Antonioni (1912), Vittorio De Sica (1901), Tinto Brass (1933), Roberto Rossellini (1906), and Frank Capra (1897). After him are Dario Argento (1940), Giuseppe Tornatore (1956), Ettore Scola (1931), Sergio Corbucci (1926), Dino Risi (1916), and Lina Wertmüller (1928).
Sergio Leone
1929 - 1989
HPI: 78.14
Rank: 5
Michelangelo Antonioni
1912 - 2007
HPI: 76.78
Rank: 6
Vittorio De Sica
1901 - 1974
HPI: 75.36
Rank: 7
Tinto Brass
1933 - Present
HPI: 74.81
Rank: 8
Roberto Rossellini
1906 - 1977
HPI: 74.58
Rank: 9
Frank Capra
1897 - 1991
HPI: 72.77
Rank: 10
Franco Zeffirelli
1923 - 2019
HPI: 72.02
Rank: 11
Dario Argento
1940 - Present
HPI: 71.13
Rank: 12
Giuseppe Tornatore
1956 - Present
HPI: 69.56
Rank: 13
Ettore Scola
1931 - 2016
HPI: 68.21
Rank: 14
Sergio Corbucci
1926 - 1990
HPI: 68.07
Rank: 15
Dino Risi
1916 - 2008
HPI: 67.68
Rank: 16
Lina Wertmüller
1928 - 2021
HPI: 67.17
Rank: 17