Fernando Di Leo
Writer, Actor, Director
January 11, 1932 — December 1, 2003 (71 years)
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.
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.
Movies & Shows on Plex
Known For
Filmography
| 2021 | A Bunch of Bastards · as Original Film Writer |
| 1985 | Death Commando · as Screenplay |
| 1984 | The Violent Breed · as Screenplay |
| 1980 | Madness · as Screenplay |
| 1978 | To Be Twenty · as Screenplay |
| 1976 | Young, Violent, Dangerous · as Screenplay |
| 1975 | Kidnap Syndicate · as Screenplay |
| 1975 | Loaded Guns · as Screenplay |
| 1974 | Shoot First, Die Later · as ScreenplayOn Plex |
| 1973 | |
| 1973 | The Boss · as ScreenplayOn Plex |
| 1972 | Bloody FridayOn Plex |
| 1971 | Asylum Erotica · as Screenplay |
| 1969 | Naked Violence · as Screenplay |
| 1969 | |
| 1969 | |
| 1968 | |
| 1968 | God Made Them... I Kill Them · as Screenplay |
| 1968 | Code Name, Red Roses · as Screenplay |
| 1968 | Beyond the Law · as ScreenplayOn Plex |
| 1968 | The Ruthless FourOn Plex |
| 1967 | |
| 1967 | Con lui cavalca la morte · as Screenplay |
| 1967 | |
| 1967 | |
| 1967 | Date for a Murder · as Screenplay |
| 1967 | Pecos Cleans Up · as Screenplay |
| 1967 | Wanted · as Screenplay |
| 1967 | Up the MacGregors · as Screenplay |
| 1967 | Long Days of Vengeance · as Screenplay |
| 1966 | Navajo Joe · as ScreenplayOn Plex |
| 1966 | Sugar Colt · as Screenplay |
| 1966 | Johnny Yuma · as ScreenplayOn Plex |
| 1966 | Seven Guns for the MacGregors · as Screenplay |
| 1965 | |
| 1965 | The Return of Ringo · as ScreenplayOn Plex |
| 1964 | A Fistful of Dollars · as Screenplay |
| 1979 | |
| 1978 | To Be Twenty · as Man Giving Directions |
| 1976 | Nick the Sting · as Film Director In Front Of Police Station (uncredited) |
| 1974 | Sesso in testa · as Giornalista Tv (uncredited) |
| 1973 | The Boss · as Cocchi's Enforcer (uncredited)On Plex |
| 1972 | Caliber 9 · as Phone Box ManOn Plex |
| 1972 | The Italian Connection · as Passerby In Blue Shirt |
| 1969 | A Wrong Way to Love · as Man At House Of Prostitution |
| 1965 | For a Few Dollars More · as Cigar Smoking Card Player (uncredited) |
| 1965 | The Return of Ringo · as Fuentes HenchmanOn Plex |
| 1985 | |
| 1984 | |
| 1980 | |
| 1978 | |
| 1977 | |
| 1976 | Rulers of the CityOn Plex |
| 1976 | |
| 1975 | |
| 1975 | |
| 1974 | |
| 1974 | Shoot First, Die LaterOn Plex |
| 1973 | |
| 1973 | The BossOn Plex |
| 1972 | Caliber 9On Plex |
| 1972 | |
| 1971 | |
| 1969 | |
| 1969 | |
| 1969 | |
| 1968 |
| 2008 | Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered - Volume 1 · as Self |
| 2001 | Sergio Leone: Cinema, Cinema · as Self - Filmmaker |
| 1977 | Blood and Diamonds · as Story |
| 1976 | Rulers of the City · as StoryOn Plex |
| 1976 | Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man · as Story |
| 1972 | Caliber 9 · as StoryOn Plex |
| 1972 | The Italian Connection · as Dialogue |
| 1968 | Time and Place for Killing · as Story |
| 1966 | Django · as Screenplay CollaboratorOn Plex |
| 1966 | Massacre Time · as Story |
| 1966 | Kiss Kiss - Bang Bang · as Story |
| 1965 | For a Few Dollars More · as Assistant Director |
| 1965 | The Return of Ringo · as Assistant DirectorOn Plex |
| 1965 | A Pistol for Ringo · as Screenplay CollaboratorOn Plex |