MUMBAI: Suso Cecchi D‘Amico, who emerged from the male-dominated post-war Italian cinema to become a celebrated artiste having contributed in films like Bicycle Thieves and The Leopard expired onSaturday at age 96. She died in her hometown, Rome while no cause of her death was given. She is survived by her three children.

Cecchi D‘Amico worked with some of the most renowned Italian directors, including Franco Zeffirelli, Michelangelo Antonioni and Mario Monicelli, whose film Casanova 70 got her an Oscar nomination.

She was equally successful at writing scripts for neo-realistic movies, art-house films and comedies like Big Deal on Madonna Street. Her work helped make the Italian post-war movie scene a vibrant and innovative one.

Among other titles, she contributed to was The Leopard, the sumptuous depiction of the decline of a Sicilian aristocratic family based on the book by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa starring Burt Lancaster and Alain Delon.

Said Italian President, Giorgio Napolitano that D‘Amico was a "great protagonist of one of the best seasons of Italian cinema."

Claudia Cardinale, who starred in The Leopard praised her deep culture and generosity. Cecchi D‘Amico won several Italian awards and in 1994 the Venice Film Festival gave her a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement.