Vittorio De Sica 1901 – 1974

Biography

Vittorio De Sica was an Italian film director and actor and a central figure of Italian neorealism. Born in Sora in 1901, he first became famous as a charming leading man in light comedies of the 1930s. After the Second World War he turned to directing and made a series of masterpieces about ordinary people: Shoeshine, Bicycle Thieves, Miracle in Milan, and Umberto D. Shot on location with non-professional actors, these films brought him international acclaim and two Academy Awards. He later directed the Oscar-winning Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow and The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, and continued acting throughout his career. His humane, unsentimental portraits of poverty and dignity made him one of the most admired filmmakers of his time. He died in France in 1974. His films remain touchstones of world cinema, studied in film schools and revived regularly for their compassion and their unflinching view of ordinary life.