Dino De Laurentiis

Dino De Laurentiis
Born	Agostino De Laurentiis (1919-08-08)August 8, 1919 Torre Annunziata, Campania, Italy
Died	November 10, 2010(2010-11-10) (aged 91) Los Angeles, California, United States
Occupation	Film producer
Years active	1938–2010
Spouse(s)	Silvana Mangano (m. 1949; her death 1989)
Children	6, including Raffaella De Laurentiis and Veronica De Laurentiis
Relatives	Giada De Laurentiis (granddaughter)

Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (August 8, 1919 – November 10, 2010) was an Italian-American film producer. He was a prominent figure in the film industry for over six decades, producing a wide range of films, from neorealist classics to big-budget Hollywood blockbusters.

Early Life

Dino De Laurentiis was born in Torre Annunziata, a small town in the Campania region of Italy. He grew up in a family of pasta makers and initially worked in the family business. However, his passion for cinema led him to enroll in the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome.

Career

De Laurentiis began his career in the Italian film industry in the late 1930s. He produced his first film, L'ultimo Combattimento, in 1940. During the 1940s and 1950s, he produced several notable films, including Bitter Rice (1949) and La Strada (1954), which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

In the 1960s, De Laurentiis moved to the United States and established Dino De Laurentiis Corporation. He produced a number of successful films, including Serpico (1973), Death Wish (1974), and Three Days of the Condor (1975). He was also known for producing science fiction and fantasy films such as Dune (1984) and Conan the Barbarian (1982).

Personal Life

De Laurentiis was married to actress Silvana Mangano from 1949 until her death in 1989. They had four children together, including Raffaella De Laurentiis, who is also a film producer, and Veronica De Laurentiis, an actress and author. He later married Martha Schumacher, with whom he had two more children.

Legacy

Dino De Laurentiis left a significant mark on the film industry, both in Italy and the United States. His work spanned a variety of genres and styles, and he was known for his ability to produce both critically acclaimed films and commercial hits. He received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Selected Filmography

• Bitter Rice (1949)
• La Strada (1954)
• War and Peace (1956)
• Barbarella (1968)
• Serpico (1973)
• Death Wish (1974)
• Three Days of the Condor (1975)
• King Kong (1976)
• Conan the Barbarian (1982)
• Dune (1984)
• Blue Velvet (1986)
• Hannibal (2001)

See Also

• List of film producers
• Italian cinema
• Hollywood