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Franco Zeffirelli, photographed in 1967
Italian film director Franco Zeffirelli has died aged 96, Italian media report.
The Florence native directed stars including Elizabeth Taylor in the 1967 film Taming of the Shrew and Dame Judi Dench on stage in Romeo and Juliet.
Italian media said Zeffirelli died after a long illness which had grown worse in recent months.
The two-time Oscar nominee also served in the Italian senate for two terms as a member of Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party.