Legendary Filmmaker Dino De Laurentiis Dies at 91
Dino De Laurentiis, the Oscar-winning auteur of classic new wave cinema and producer of films ranging from 'Serpico' to 'Barbarella,' died Wednesday night in Los Angeles, his family has announced. He was 91. The producer's daughter Raffaella De Laurentiis said in a statement that her father was surrounded by family when he died Wednesday night at his home in Beverly Hills. She did not give a cause of death.
The Italian icon may be best known for his collaborations with directors Roberto Rossellini and Federico Fellini, whose 'La Strada' and 'Nights of Cabiria' earned him Oscars for Best Foreign Film.
Clips From 'La Strada' and 'Three Days of the Condor':
His career spanned hundreds of films, including several Oscar winners and he worked with some of the biggest stars and best directors in the business.
His credits include box office and/or critical successes such as 'U-571,' 'War and Peace,' 'Ragtime,' 'Three Days of the Condor' and 'Blue Velvet.'
A pivotal figure in postwar Italian cinema, De Laurentiis moved to the United States in the 1970s, becoming a citizen in 1986. But this son of a Neapolitan pasta maker never lost his thick Italian accent and tried to spend a month in Capri and Rome each year.
The Academy Award-winning 'Serpico' in 1973 with Al Pacino was De Laurentiis' Hollywood debut. But by then, he already had two Italian-made Oscar-winners, Federico Fellini's 'La Strada' and 'Nights of Cabiria' to his credit.
One of the first producers to understand the box-office potential of foreign audiences, he helped invent international co-productions, raising money by pre-selling distribution rights outside North America.
Throughout his career, he alternated lavish, big-budget productions with less commercial films by directors such as Robert Altman, Ingmar Bergman and David Lynch, and he's often package the blockbusters with art films to secure distribution for the smaller films.
He got off to a strong start in the United States with 'Serpico,' then followed it up with another success, 'Three Days of the Condor.'
Classic films aside, the producer also had his share of flops, including 'King Kong Lives' and the infamous 'Dune.'
Personal tragedy also took its toll. In 1981, his son Federico was killed in a plane crash. "My father still to this day can't speak of him...He told me that every morning he wakes up and thinks of him," De Laurentiis' daughter Veronica said nearly 20 years after Federico's death.
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Three Days of the Condor is one of the most gripping films ever made, and Robert Redford was fabulous in it.
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OMG! one of my favorite movies!
He will be greatly missed sorry for your lost. He was a great man.
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Please - it's "loss", not 'lost'.
91 years of age is a good long life, and I am sure this man lived a good life as well. RIP.
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Enjoyed your films! Rest in peace, Dino.
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I MUST SAY TO THE AUTHOR OF THIS STORY THAT YOU HAVE DONE DINO DE LAURENTIS AN INJUSTIC WITH THIS WATERED DOWN OBIT...I HIGHLY SUGGEST READERS LOOK TO WIKIPEDIA AND YOU WILL "FALL OFF YOUR CHAIR" WHEN YOU SEE THE AMOUNT OF FILMWORK THIS MAN HAS DONE....
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AND, he's grandfather to the infamous chef, Giada.
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Infamous? You mean famous. Infamous means notorious or someone with a very bad reputation. That is NOT Giada. She is delightful, and I feel so badly for her and her family as they experience the loss of their loved one.
Infamous? Famous and very beautiful! And Dino's late wife, Silvana Mangano was an extraordinarily beautiful woman too, that's where Giada gets her genes. And Dino's mother was a beautiful woman until her death in her 90s.
Wasn't this the guy who opened the film studio in Wilmington, NC? If so, I want to thank him for helping to make that such a fun place to live for a few years!
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He's responsible for bringing the film industry to Wilmington, NC where many movies and TV shows are now filmed. It's sometimes called "WILMYWOOD" or "HOLLYWOOD EAST"...He will be missed.
Yes, Dino built his studio in Wilmington. NC in 1982 and made his first movie there, called Firestarter, with George C Scott and cute Drew Barrymore. He was a good friend and we will all miss him.
Bill: Are you related to a Lori? I used to work with a Joyner in W'ton back in the late 80s. Used to be a great town. Now it's way too crowded for my taste. But, I agree - Mr. D was a real boon to the place.
Wait, Dune sucked? And I thought I had SOME taste. . . thanks for telling me AP
am I really the only one that liked Dune?
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I think the author meant Dune was not a "box-office" smash. However, Dune bankrupt Dino & almost ruined David Lynch. Although, as an apologee to Lynch, Dino is the one who financially backed Blue Velvet and "relaunched" Lynch into the film icon we know and love today.
I watch Dune everytime that it is re-broadcast. This is the only sci-fi movie that I watch repeatedly. I author of the article must not have seen it.
I liked Dune. I thought it was fine and imaginative. I did not like the new one Sci-Fi channel produced.
Dune a flop? I love that film.
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Very, very talented producer. About 20 years ago he arrived on Bora Bora with his entourage and bumped my group of travelers out of our over water bungalows. At the time I wasn't happy, but he owned the hotel and for him that was all his personal playground. That night we all had a huge dinner party with unlimited French champagne and fabulous food all courteous of DeLaurentiis.
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