Fernando Di Leo
Fernando Di Leo is known for A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), Caliber 9 (1972).
Biography
Fernando Di Leo (11 January 1932 – 2 December 2003) was an Italian film director and script writer. He made 17 films as a director and about 50 scripts from 1964 to 1985.
Fernando Di Leo was born on 11 January 1932 in San Ferdinando di Puglia. After briefly working in Rome's film school Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, di Leo made his debut as a director as part of the omnibus comedy "Gli eroi di ieri, oggi, domani" with his episode titled "Un posto in paradiso" (transl. "A Place in Heaven"). Following this Di Leo wrote several scripts for Westerns, often uncredited. This included work on "A Fistful of Dollars", "For a Few Dollars More". Some of his Westerns had uncredited literary sources, such as "Days of Vengeance" which is loosely based on Alexandre Dumas' "The Count of Monte Cristo".
Di Leo was a fan of film noir and wanted to make an Italian version of these films. Among his first efforts was the script for Mino Guerrini's "Date for a Murder" based on Franco Enna's novel "Tempo di massacro", written in 1955. In Di Leo's version, the setting is moved to a contemporary Rome and has elements of contemporary spy films. Di Leo worked with Guerrini again on the film "Gangsters '70" which did not do well at the box office. Di Leo began directing more of his own films at the time including the war film "Red Roses for the Fuhrer" and a few erotic films: "A Woman on Fire", "A Wrong Way to Love" and "Seduction". From 1969 to 1976, di Leo was able to produce many of his own works with his production company Duania cineproduzioni 70. He followed this with a return to noir with "Naked Violence", a film adapting a novel by Giorgio Scerbanenco, a writer who Di Leo would adapt for several future film productions.
Di Leo would make a giallo film with "Slaughter Hotel" starring Klaus Kinski and Margaret Lee. Following this Di Leo worked on "Caliber 9" and "The Italian Connection" which were both inspired by the writing of Scerbanenco. He followed up this film "Il Boss", a film which got Di Leo in trouble with politicians and authorities due to the film's display of connections between the mafia and Italy's major party Democrazia Cristiana. Di Leo followed this up with "Shoot First, Die Later" in 1974. Di Leo worked through the latter half of the 1970s directing "Mister Scarface", "Kidnap Syndicate", and "Nick the Sting". He also wrote scripts for other directors such as Romolo Guerrieri's "Young, Violent, Dangerous", and Ruggero Deodato's "Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man". Di Leo's last film produced by his company Duania cineproduzioni 70 was "Rulers of the City" in 1976. He continued with a few more films after with the film noir "Blood and Diamonds", the erotic drama "To Be Twenty" - both in 1978, and "Madness" in 1980.
Di Leo worked in television in the 1980s, starting with the television series "L'assassino ha le ore contate", which involved six one-hour-long made-for-TV films produced by RAI Uno which as of 2013 are unreleased. Di Leo also made "The Violent Breed" and his last film "Killer vs. Killers" in the mid-1980s. "Killer vs. Killers" wasn't released theatrically in Italy and only surfaced 20 years later on DVD.
Di Leo died in December 2003.
Questions about Fernando Di Leo
How many Fernando Di Leo films are in the catalogue?
The CineQuiz catalogue has 48 films with Fernando Di Leo, from 1964 to 2013.
What is the best rated Fernando Di Leo film?
The best rated Fernando Di Leo film in the catalogue is For a Few Dollars More (1965), rated 8.0.
What was the first Fernando Di Leo film?
The first Fernando Di Leo film in the catalogue is A Fistful of Dollars, from 1964.
Who has Fernando Di Leo worked with the most?
In the catalogue, Fernando Di Leo shares the most credits with Amedeo Giomini (5 films), Franco Villa (4 films) and Giulio Baraghini (4 films).
People data: TMDb.
Known for
Full filmography
50 films — 48 in the catalogue
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I Tarantiniani
2013 · Self
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6.0 Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered - Volume 1
2008 · Self
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9.0
Fernando di Leo: La morale del genere
2004 · Self
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Calibro 9
2004 · Self
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The Origin of the Mala
2004 · Himself
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6.4 Sergio Leone: cinema, cinema
2001 · Self - Filmmaker
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8.0 Perros de la noche
1986
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5.3 Alejandra, mon amour
1979
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5.8 To Be Twenty
1978 · Man Giving Directions
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6.8 Nick the Sting
1976 · Film Director in Front of Police Station (uncredited)
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4.8 Italian Sex
1974 · giornalista TV (uncredited)
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6.8 The Boss
1973 · Cocchi's Enforcer (uncredited)
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5.2 Loving Badly
1969 · Man at House of Prostitution
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8.0 For a Few Dollars More
1965 · Cigar Smoking Card Player (uncredited)
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6.3 The Return of Ringo
1965 · Fuentes Henchman
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6.0 Killer vs Killers
1985
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5.3 Madness
1980
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5.1 Loaded Guns
1975
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5.8 Beyond the Law
1968
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6.2 Sugar Colt
1967
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6.2 Johnny Yuma
1966
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7.8 A Fistful of Dollars
1964
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4.6 The Violent Breed
1984
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6.6 Blood and Diamonds
1978
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6.0 Young, Violent, Dangerous
1976
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6.7 Kidnap Syndicate
1975
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5.7 Seduction
1973
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7.1 The Italian Connection
1972
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7.5 Caliber 9
1972
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4.8 Slaughter Hotel
1971
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7.3 Gangsters '70
1968
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6.5 Red Roses for the Fuhrer
1968
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5.9 The Ruthless Four
1968
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6.0 Hate for Hate
1967
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5.9 Wanted
1967
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6.2 Navajo Joe
1966
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6.4 Massacre Time
1966
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7.9 Kiss Kiss... Bang Bang
1966
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5.6 Tequila Joe
1968
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10.0 Death Rides Along
1967
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8.3 Poker with Pistols
1967
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5.6 Pecos Cleans Up
1967
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6.1 Long Days of Vengeance
1967
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6.4 Rulers of the City
1976
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6.2 Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man
1976
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6.8 Shoot First, Die Later
1974
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6.6 Naked Violence
1969
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4.9 A Woman on Fire
1969
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5.4 Seven Guns for the MacGregors
1966
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5.5 God Made Them... I Kill Them
1968
People data: TMDb.
Cast
