Lina Wertmüller, the 1st woman to earn a Best Director Oscar nomination, dies at 93

(Image credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

published 9 December 2021

Italian director Lina Wertmüller, who made history with her nomination at the 1977 Academy Awards, has died. She was 93.

Wertmüller's death was confirmed by Italian media, and she reportedly died "peacefully" at home surrounded by loved ones, according to Variety and Deadline.

After working with Federico Fellini on his film 8½, Wertmüller directed movies including Swept Away and Seven Beauties. For the latter, she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Director, becoming the first woman to ever do. To date, only seven women have ever been nominated for the Best Director Oscar, and only two have won: Kathryn Bigelow and Chloé Zhao. Wertmüller continued to direct feature films up to 2004, when she released her last movie, Too Much Romance... It's Time for Stuffed Peppers.

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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