DDL Foodshow
Dino De Laurentiis | |
|---|---|
| Born | Agostino De Laurentiis 8 August 1919 Torre Annunziata, Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | 10 November 2010 (aged 91) Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Film producer, entrepreneur |
| Years active | 1941–2010 |
| Known for | Producing over 500 films, founder of DDL Foodshow |
| Notable work | La Strada, King Kong (1976), Dune, Hannibal series |
Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (Italian: [ˈdiːno de lauˈrɛnti.is]; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian-American film producer and entrepreneur who held dual citizenship in Italy and the United States. After a brief stint as an actor during the late 1930s and early 1940s, he transitioned into producing films. Together with Carlo Ponti, he played a pivotal role in elevating Italian cinema on the global stage during the post-World War II era. Throughout his career, he produced or co-produced more than 500 films, with 38 of his Hollywood productions earning Academy Award nominations. Additionally, he founded and managed DDL Foodshow, a chain specializing in Italian gourmet food retail.
Early life
Born on 8 August 1919 in Torre Annunziata, within the Kingdom of Italy, Agostino De Laurentiis spent his youth helping sell spaghetti produced by his father’s pasta manufacturing business. His elder sibling, Luigi De Laurentiis (1917–1992), also pursued a career in film production. He enrolled at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia during 1937 and 1938; however, his education was interrupted by the onset of World War II.
Film production
De Laurentiis’ debut as a producer came with L'ultimo Combattimento in 1941. In 1946, his company, Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica, officially began producing films. Early in his career, he focused on Italian neorealist cinema, producing notable works such as Bitter Rice (1949) and collaborating with Federico Fellini on acclaimed films like La Strada (1954) and Nights of Cabiria (1956), often alongside producer Carlo Ponti.
During the 1960s, De Laurentiis established his own studio facilities and produced a variety of films including the religious epic Barabbas (1961), The Bible: In the Beginning... (1966), the James Bond parody Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die (1966), the spaghetti Western Navajo Joe (1966), the World War II drama Anzio (1968), as well as comic book adaptations like Barbarella (1968) and Danger: Diabolik (1968). He also produced The Valachi Papers (1972), which was released ahead of schedule to leverage the success of The Godfather.
In 1973, De Laurentiis moved his base of operations to New York City and was reportedly exploring opportunities to produce an American television series. However, his studio faced financial difficulties during the 1970s. By the 1980s, he had founded the De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, which contributed to making Wilmington a notable hub for film and television production. In 1990, supported by an Italian associate, he launched Dino De Laurentiis Communications based in Beverly Hills.
De Laurentiis was behind numerous successful films such as The Scientific Cardplayer (1972), Serpico (1973), Death Wish (1974), Mandingo (1975), Three Days of the Condor (1975), The Shootist (1976), Drum (1976), Ingmar Bergman’s The Serpent's Egg (1977), Ragtime (1981), Conan the Barbarian (1982), Blue Velvet (1986), and Breakdown (1997). His name gained widespread recognition with the commercially successful remake of King Kong in 1976; other notable productions include the revenge thriller Lipstick, killer whale drama Orca, western The White Buffalo, disaster film Hurricane, the remake of Flash Gordon in 1980, David Lynch’s adaptation of Dune, The Bounty, and its sequel King Kong Lives in 1986.
De Laurentiis also produced several films based on Stephen King’s works including The Dead Zone (1983), anthology horror film Cat's Eye, thriller Silver Bullet, and sci-fi horror Maximum Overdrive. His company was involved with horror sequels such as Halloween II, Evil Dead II, and its follow-up, Army of Darkness. Additionally, he produced the inaugural Hannibal Lecter adaptation, Manhunter (1986), based on Thomas Harris’ novel Red Dragon. Although he declined to produce its sequel, The Silence of the Lambs, he went on to produce subsequent installments including Hannibal, a re-adaptation titled Red Dragon, and the prequel Hannibal Rising, which explores Hannibal Lecter’s origin story as a serial killer.
DDL Foodshow
DDL Foodshow was a specialty retailer focusing on Italian gourmet foods, operating three outlets: two situated in New York City and one located in Beverly Hills. The stores were launched during the mid-1980s and were owned and managed by De Laurentiis.
The inaugural location debuted within the restored palm court of the ornate lobby of the historic Endicott Hotel, now converted into a co-op on Manhattan's Upper West Side, positioned near the well-known Zabar's market on Broadway. The first New York City store opened its doors in November 1982, attracting crowds estimated at 30,000 during the Thanksgiving weekend, with de Laurentiis personally welcoming patrons. The assistant manager likened the opening event to a movie premiere.
Food critic Gael Greene published a harsh critique of the store's launch in New York. However, in an interview with the Chicago Tribune a month later, she acknowledged that the store was "probably the most stunningly handsome grocery in the world, certainly in New York," while also noting that "the pricing was insane" and that insufficient attention had been paid to competitors. Greene recounted her conversation with De Laurentiis, who dismissed her comments but agreed to meet over pasta to discuss them. Another review from The San Francisco Examiner described the store as "worth a peek and a purchase."
Over time, DDL Foodshow came to be viewed as a precursor to the modern Italian specialty food market and dining concept represented by Eataly.
Personal life
De Laurentiis' initial, short-lived marriage in Italy was later annulled.
In 1949, he wed Italian-British actress Silvana Mangano, and together they had four children: Veronica, who pursued careers as both author and actress; Raffaella, a film producer like her father; Federico, also involved in film production until his untimely death in a 1981 plane crash; and Francesca. His granddaughter through Veronica is the renowned chef Giada De Laurentiis, while his nephew, son of his brother Luigi, is the film producer Aurelio De Laurentiis. The couple divorced in 1988, and Mangano passed away from lung cancer the following year.
After relocating to the United States in 1976, De Laurentiis obtained American citizenship by 1986.
In 1990, he married American producer Martha Schumacher, who had been involved in producing many of his films since 1985. They had two daughters, Carolyna and Dina, and remained married until his passing in 2010. Schumacher succumbed to cancer in 2021.
Death
Dino De Laurentiis died at age 91 on 10 November 2010, at his residence in Beverly Hills, California.
Awards and recognitions
In 1957, the producers De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti were awarded the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for their work on La Strada (1954). This instance was notable because the producers, rather than director Federico Fellini, were officially named in the nomination and received the accolade.
De Laurentiis was honored with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2001.
Posthumously, in 2012, he was bestowed the America Award by the Italy–USA Foundation.
Producer
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Uncredited
- Commons link is the pagename
- 1919 births
- 2010 deaths
- People from Torre Annunziata
- Italian film producers
- Film producers from Los Angeles
- Italian emigrants to the United States
- Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia alumni
- David di Donatello winners
- David di Donatello Career Award winners
- Nastro d'Argento winners
- De Laurentiis family
- Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement recipients
- Defunct supermarkets of the United States