Franca Squarciapino was born in Rome and began a career as an actress after completing a classical studies and law degree. She turned to costume design and has designed for over 250 shows, receiving recognition and awards across her career. She began as a costume designer at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan, working on major productions by Strehler including The Tempest; King Lear; The Threepenny Opera and Minna von Barnhelm. Later in her career she designed for La Scala on, The Marriage of Figaro; Don Giovanni, Lohengrin, and Fidelio. Her long-standing partnership with Nureyev consisted of some of her most major ballet achievements including Nureyev’s The Sleeping Beaty, which debuted at La Scala in 1993. She and Ezio Frigerio, her husband and professional partner, collaborated on a range of productions including La Bayadere and Nureyev’s Swan Lake. She was awarded the Academy Award for Best Costume Design in 1990 for her work on Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s 1990 film adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac.
