Vanessa Redgrave & Franco Nero

                        

On the 28th May 2011 Vanessa Redgrave CBE and Franco Nero were both awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from Brunel University in recognition of their outstanding services to the arts. The event was held at the Italian Cultural Institute in London and was attended by friends, family, fans and colleagues, including the controversial Italian director Ruggero Deodato, with whom Nero has worked several times.

Redgrave was once called "the greatest actress of our time" by Tennessee Williams, and has been nominated and won many awards for both her film and theatre work since she began her career in the 1950s, where she co-starred with her father Sir Michael Redgrave in the play A Touch of the Sun.

The Italian Franco Nero is probably best known for one of his first films, the vastly entertaining and influential Spaghetti Western Django in 1966. He has appeared in over 150 films and is also involved in numerous charitable and humanitarian projects. Quentin Tarantino cites Nero as a big influence, and has recently announced that his next film will be a western, titled Django Unchained. Nero was unable to confirm or deny rumours that he has been cast in this film.

Redgrave and Nero were married in 2006, despite first meeting on the set of Camelot in 1967. They were together for a short while then, and have one son Carlo, but it took almost forty years for them to finally get back together. This story was played out recently in the film Letters to Juliet, in which they played a couple reunited after many years. They were both clearly touched to be awarded in this way by the university and gave moving words of thanks. The ceremony was followed by an onstage interview, in which they discussed the beginnings of their relationship whilst making Camelot in London. According to Nero Vanessa Redgrave asked him to give a friend a lift to the airport. Whilst they were there, she then suggested they jump on the next plane anywhere. Several hours later they found themselves driving a hired car around the streets of San Francisco! The evening was rounded off with a packed rare screening of the Italian film A Quiet Place in the Country from 1969, in which they both starred.
(from CinemaRetro)