About

Known credits:
99
Birthday:
1932-01-11
Place of birth:
San Ferdinando di Puglia, Italy
Website:
N/A

Fernando Di Leo

Overview

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.

Known for

Acting
2013 I Tarantiniani Actor Self N/A
N/A
2008 Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered - Volume 1 Actor Self 58
Average
2004 The Origin of the Mala Actor Himself N/A
N/A
2004 Fernando di Leo: La morale del genere Actor Self N/A
N/A
2004 Caliber 9: Documentary Actor Self N/A
N/A
2001 Sergio Leone: cinema, cinema Actor Self - Filmmaker 59
Average
1986 Perros de la noche Actor N/A
N/A
1979 Alejandra, mon amour Actor 58
Average
1978 To Be Twenty Actor Man Giving Directions 58
Average
1976 Nick the Sting Actor Film Director in Front of Police Station (uncredited) 59
Average
1974 Italian Sex Actor giornalista TV (uncredited) 58
Average
1973 The Boss Actor Cocchi's Henchman (uncredited) 60
Fair
1969 Amarsi male Actor Man at House of Prostitution 58
Average
1965 For a Few Dollars More Actor Cigar Smoking Card Player (uncredited) 77
Good
1965 The Return of Ringo Actor Fuentes Henchman 59
Average

Directing
1985 Killer vs Killers Directing Director 59
Average
1984 The Violent Breed Directing Director 58
Average
1982 Pover'ammore Directing Director 58
Average
1980 Madness Directing Director 58
Average
1978 To Be Twenty Directing Director 58
Average
1978 Blood and Diamonds Directing Director 59
Average
1976 Rulers of the City Directing Director 59
Average
1976 Nick the Sting Directing Director 59
Average
1975 Kidnap Syndicate Directing Director 59
Average
1975 Loaded Guns Directing Director 58
Average
1974 Shoot First, Die Later Directing Director 59
Average
1974 Italian Sex Directing Director 58
Average
1973 The Boss Directing Director 60
Fair
1973 Seduction Directing Director 58
Average
1972 The Italian Connection Directing Director 60
Fair
1972 Caliber 9 Directing Director 64
Fair
1971 Slaughter Hotel Directing Director 57
Average
1969 Naked Violence Directing Director 59
Average
1969 Amarsi male Directing Director 58
Average
1969 A Woman on Fire Directing Director 58
Average
1968 Red Roses for the Fuhrer Directing Director 58
Average
1965 For a Few Dollars More Directing Assistant Director 77
Good
1965 The Return of Ringo Directing Assistant Director 59
Average

Writing
2023 A Bunch of Bastards Writing Original Film Writer 58
Average
1985 Killer vs Killers Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1985 Killer vs Killers Writing Writer 59
Average
1984 The Violent Breed Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1980 Madness Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1978 To Be Twenty Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1978 To Be Twenty Writing Story 58
Average
1978 Blood and Diamonds Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1978 Blood and Diamonds Writing Story 59
Average
1976 Rulers of the City Writing Story 59
Average
1976 Rulers of the City Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1976 Young, Violent, Dangerous Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1976 Young, Violent, Dangerous Writing Story 59
Average
1976 Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man Writing Story 59
Average
1976 Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1975 Kidnap Syndicate Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1975 Loaded Guns Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1974 Shoot First, Die Later Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1973 The Boss Writing Screenplay 60
Fair
1973 The Boss Writing Story 60
Fair
1973 Seduction Writing Writer 58
Average
1972 The Italian Connection Writing Dialogue 60
Fair
1972 The Italian Connection Writing Story 60
Fair
1972 The Italian Connection Writing Screenplay 60
Fair
1972 Caliber 9 Writing Screenplay 64
Fair
1972 Caliber 9 Writing Story 64
Fair
1971 Slaughter Hotel Writing Story 57
Average
1971 Slaughter Hotel Writing Screenplay 57
Average
1969 Naked Violence Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1969 Amarsi male Writing Writer 58
Average
1969 A Woman on Fire Writing Writer 58
Average
1968 Gangsters '70 Writing Writer 59
Average
1968 God Made Them... I Kill Them Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1968 Red Roses for the Fuhrer Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1968 Red Roses for the Fuhrer Writing Story 58
Average
1968 Beyond the Law Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1968 Tequila Joe Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1968 Tequila Joe Writing Story 59
Average
1968 The Ruthless Four Writing Writer 59
Average
1967 La lunga sfida Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1967 Sugar Colt Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1967 Death Rides Along Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A
1967 Hate for Hate Writing Writer 58
Average
1967 Poker with Pistols Writing Writer 59
Average
1967 Date for a Murder Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1967 Pecos Cleans Up Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1967 Wanted Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1967 Up the MacGregors Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1967 Up the MacGregors Writing Story 58
Average
1967 Long Days of Vengeance Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1966 Navajo Joe Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1966 Johnny Yuma Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1966 Massacre Time Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1966 Massacre Time Writing Story 59
Average
1966 Kiss Kiss... Bang Bang Writing Story 59
Average
1966 Kiss Kiss... Bang Bang Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1966 Seven Guns for the MacGregors Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1965 The Return of Ringo Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1964 A Fistful of Dollars Writing Screenplay 76
Good

Crew
1966 Django Crew Additional Writing 67
Fair
1965 For a Few Dollars More Crew Additional Writing 77
Good