Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian filmmaker, credited as the pioneer of the

spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

genre. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cinema. Leone's film-making style includes juxtaposing extreme close-up shots with lengthy long shots. His films include the Dollars Trilogy of Westerns featuring

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...

: '' A Fistful of Dollars'' (1964), ''

For a Few Dollars More ''For a Few Dollars More'' ( it, Per qualche dollaro in più) is a 1965 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone. It stars Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef as bounty hunters and Gian Maria Volonté as the primary villain. German actor K ...

'' (1965), and '' The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' (1966); and the ''Once Upon a Time'' films: '' Once Upon a Time in the West'' (1968), ''

Duck, You Sucker! ''Duck, You Sucker!'' ( it, Giù la testa, lit. "Duck Your Head", "Get Down"), also known as ''A Fistful of Dynamite'' and ''Once Upon a Time ... the Revolution'', is a 1971 epic Zapata Western film directed and co-written by Sergio Leone and ...

'' (1971), and '' Once Upon a Time in America'' (1984).

Early life

Born on 3 January 1929 in Rome, Leone was the son of the cinema pioneer Vincenzo Leone (known as director Roberto Roberti or Leone Roberto Roberti) and silent film actress Edvige Valcarenghi (Bice Valerian). His mother was Milanese of remote

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

descent. During his schooldays, Leone was a classmate of his later musical collaborator

Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...

in third grade. After watching his father work on film sets, Leone began his own career in the film industry at the age of 18 after dropping out of law studies at the university. Working in Italian cinema, he began as an assistant to Vittorio De Sica during the production for the movie '' Bicycle Thieves'' in 1948. Leone began writing screenplays during the 1950s, primarily for the " sword and sandal" (or ''peplum'') historical epics, popular at the time. He also worked as an assistant director on several large-scale international productions shot at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome, notably ''

Quo Vadis ''Quō vādis?'' (, ) is a Latin phrase meaning "Where are you marching?". It is also commonly translated as "Where are you going?" or, poetically, "Whither goest thou?" The phrase originates from the Christian tradition regarding Saint Pete ...

'' (1951) and ''

Ben-Hur Ben-Hur or Ben Hur may refer to: Fiction *'' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'', an 1880 novel by American general and author Lew Wallace ** ''Ben-Hur'' (play), a play that debuted on Broadway in 1899 ** ''Ben Hur'' (1907 film), a one-reel silent ...

'' (1959), financially backed by the American studios. When director Mario Bonnard fell ill during the production of the 1959 Italian epic '' The Last Days of Pompeii'' (''Gli Ultimi Giorni di Pompei''), starring

Steve Reeves Stephen Lester "Steve" Reeves (January 21, 1926 – May 1, 2000) was an American professional bodybuilder, actor, and philanthropist. He was famous in the mid-1950s as a movie star in Italian-made sword-and-sandal films, playing the protagon ...

, Leone was asked to step in and complete the film. As a result, when the time came to make his solo directorial debut with '' The Colossus of Rhodes'' (''Il Colosso di Rodi'', 1961), Leone was well-equipped to produce low-budget films that looked like larger-budget Hollywood movies.

Career

Cinema must be spectacle, that's what the public wants. And for me the most beautiful spectacle is that of the myth. , multiline=yes , author=Sergio Leone , source=

1960s

In the mid-1960s, historical epics fell out of favor with audiences, but Leone had shifted his attention to a subgenre which came to be known as the "

", owing its origin to the American Western. His film '' A Fistful of Dollars'' (''Per un pugno di dollari'', 1964) was based upon Akira Kurosawa's

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

-era samurai adventure ''

Yojimbo is a 1961 Japanese samurai film co-written, produced, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The film stars Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yoko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Katō, Takashi Shimura, Kamatari Fujiwara, and Atsushi Watanabe. ...

'' (1961). Leone's film elicited a legal challenge from the Japanese director, though Kurosawa's film was, in turn, probably based on the 1929 Dashiell Hammett novel, '' Red Harvest''. ''A Fistful of Dollars'' is also notable for establishing

as a star. Until that time, Eastwood had been an American television actor with few credited film roles. The look of ''A Fistful of Dollars'' was established by its Spanish locations, which presented a violent and morally complex vision of the

American Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

. The film paid tribute to traditional American Western films, but significantly departed from them in storyline, plot, characterization, and mood. Leone gains credit for one great breakthrough in the Western genre still followed today; in traditional Western films, many heroes and villains looked alike as if they had just stepped out of a fashion magazine, with clearly drawn moral opposites, even down to the hero wearing a white hat and the villain wearing a black hat (except for the most successful of the "traditional western cowboys" –

Hopalong Cassidy Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of short stories and novels based on the character. Mulford portrayed the character as rude, dangerous, and rough-talking. He was ...

, who wore a black outfit upon a pale horse). Leone's characters were, in contrast, more "realistic" and complex: usually lone wolves in their behavior; they rarely shaved, looked dirty, and sweated profusely, with a strong suggestion of criminal behavior. The characters were also morally ambiguous by appearing generously compassionate, or nakedly and brutally self-serving, as the situation demanded. Relationships revolved around power and retributions were emotion-driven rather than conscience-driven. Some critics have noted the irony of an Italian director who could not speak English, and had never even visited the United States, let alone the American Old West, almost single-handedly redefining the typical vision of the American

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

. According to

Christopher Frayling Sir Christopher John Frayling (born 25 December 1946) is a British educationalist and writer, known for his study of popular culture. Early life and education Christopher Frayling was born in Hampton, a suburb of London, in affluent circumstance ...

's book ''Something to do with Death'', Leone knew a great deal about the American Old West. It fascinated him as a child, which carried into his adulthood and his films. Clint Eastwood1

Leone's next two films, ''

'' (''Per qualche dollaro in più'', 1965) and '' The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' (''Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo'', 1966), completed what has come to be known as the Man with No Name trilogy (or the Dollars Trilogy), with each film being more financially successful and more technically accomplished than its predecessor. The films featured innovative music scores by

, who worked closely with Leone in devising the themes. Leone had a personal way of shooting scenes with Morricone's music ongoing. In addition, Clint Eastwood stayed with the film series, joined later by Eli Wallach, Lee van Cleef, and

Klaus Kinski Klaus Kinski (, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski 18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor, equally renowned for his intense performance style and notorious for his volatile personality. He appeared in over 130 film roles in a c ...

Based on the success of the Man with No Name trilogy, Leone was invited to the United States in 1967 to direct '' Once Upon a Time in the West'' (''C'era una volta il West'') for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. The film was shot mostly in Almería, Spain, and Cinecittà in Rome. It was also briefly shot in

Monument Valley Monument Valley ( nv, Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii, , meaning ''valley of the rocks'') is a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of sandstone buttes, the largest reaching above the valley floor. It is located on the Utah-Arizona s ...

, Utah. The film starred

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique," he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, Western, and war ...

, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, and Claudia Cardinale. ''Once Upon a Time in the West'' emerged as a long and violent dreamlike meditation upon the mythology of the American Old West, with many stylistic references to iconic Western films. Audience tension is maintained throughout this nearly three-hour film by concealing both the hero's identity and his unpredictable motivation until the final predictable shootout scene. Perhaps unsurpassed as a retribution drama, the film's script was written by Leone and his longtime friend and collaborator

Sergio Donati Sergio Donati (born 13 April 1933) is an Italian screenwriter. He has written for more than 70 films since 1952. He was born in Rome, Italy. He started as a writer and had some of his books optioned for film. He is well known for his collaborati ...

, from a story by Bernardo Bertolucci and

Dario Argento Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and film critic, critic. His influential work in the horror film, horror genre during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the subgenre known as ...

, both of whom went on to have significant careers as directors. Before its release, it was ruthlessly edited by Paramount, which perhaps contributed to its low box-office results in the United States. Nevertheless, it was a huge hit in Europe, grossing nearly three times its $5 million budget among French audiences, and highly praised among North American film students. It has come to be regarded by many as Leone's best film.

1970s

After ''Once Upon a Time in the West'', Leone directed ''

'' (''Giù la testa'', 1971). Leone was intending merely to produce the film, but due to artistic differences with then-director Peter Bogdanovich, Leone was asked to direct the film, instead. ''Duck, You Sucker!'' is a

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...

action drama, starring

James Coburn James Harrison Coburn III (August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American film and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.AllmoviBi ...

as an Irish revolutionary and

Rod Steiger Rodney Stephen Steiger (; April 14, 1925July 9, 2002, aged 77) was an American actor, noted for his portrayal of offbeat, often volatile and crazed characters. Cited as "one of Hollywood's most charismatic and dynamic stars," he is closely assoc ...

as a Mexican bandit who is conned into becoming a revolutionary. Leone continued to produce, and on occasion, step in to reshoot scenes, in other films. One of these films was ''

My Name Is Nobody ''My Name Is Nobody'' ( it, Il mio nome è Nessuno) is a 1973 Italian/French/German international co-production comedy Spaghetti Western starring Terence Hill and Henry Fonda. The film was directed by Tonino Valerii and based on an idea by Sergi ...

'' (1973) by Tonino Valerii, a comedy Western film that poked fun at the spaghetti Western genre. It starred Henry Fonda as an old gunslinger facing a final confrontation after the death of his brother. Terence Hill also starred in the film as the young stranger who helps Fonda leave the dying West with style. Leone's other productions included ''

A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe ''A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe'' ( it, Un genio, due compari, un pollo) is a 1975 Spaghetti Western comedy film directed by Damiano Damiani and Sergio Leone, who directed the opening scene. Plot Joe Thanks (Terence Hill) is a genius conman ...

'' (1975, another Western comedy starring Terence Hill); '' The Cat'' (''Il Gatto''; 1977, starring Ugo Tognazzi), and ''

A Dangerous Toy ''A Dangerous Toy'' (originally titled ''Il giocattolo'') is a 1979 Italian crime drama film written and directed by Giuliano Montaldo. It was co-produced by Sergio Leone. The toy of the title is a gun. The film chronicles how a frustrated and sh ...

'' (''Il Giocattolo''; 1979, starring

Nino Manfredi Saturnino "Nino" Manfredi (22 March 1921 – 4 June 2004) was an Italian actor, voice actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, comedian, singer, author, radio personality and television presenter. He was one of the most prominent Italian a ...

). Leone also produced three comedies by actor/director Carlo Verdone, which were ''

Fun Is Beautiful ''Un sacco bello'', internationally released as ''Fun Is Beautiful'', is a 1980 Italian comedy film. The film, produced by Sergio Leone, marked the directorial debut of Carlo Verdone, as well his debut as main actor and as screenwriter. For this ...

'' (''Un Sacco Bello'', 1980), '' Bianco, rosso e Verdone'' (''White, Red and Verdone'' – Verdone means "strong green" – a pun referring to the three colors of the Italian flag, the star and to director Verdone, 1981) and ''

Troppo Forte ''Troppo forte'' (also known as ''Great'', ''He's Too Much'' and ''Too Much'') is a 1986 Italian comedy film directed by Carlo Verdone. Plot Oscar Pettinari is a young hick from the suburbs of Rome, who gravitates around Cinecittà trying rather ...

'' (''Great!'', 1986). During this period, Leone also directed various award-winning TV commercials for European television. In 1978, he was a member of the jury at the

28th Berlin International Film Festival The 28th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 22 February to 5 March 1978. Director Wolf Donner successfully managed to shift the festival's date from June to February, a change which has remained ever since. This was the firs ...

1980s

Leone turned down the offer to direct '' The Godfather'', in favor of working on another gangster story he had conceived earlier. He devoted 10 years to this project, based on the novel ''The Hoods'' by former mobster Harry Grey, which focused on a quartet of New York City

Jewish gangsters Jewish-American organized crime initially emerged within the American Jewish community during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It has been referred to variously in media and popular culture as the Jewish Mob, Jewish Mafia, Kosher Mob, K ...

of the 1920s and 1930s who had been friends since childhood. The finished four-hour film, '' Once Upon a Time in America'' (1984), featured

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...

and James Woods. It was a meditation on another aspect of popular American mythology, the role of greed and violence and their uneasy coexistence with the meaning of ethnicity and friendship. It received a raucous, record-breaking ovation of nearly 20 minutes at the

1984 Cannes Film Festival The 37th Cannes Film Festival was held from 11 to 23 May 1984. The Palme d'Or went to the ''Paris, Texas'' by Wim Wenders. The festival opened with ''Fort Saganne'', directed by Alain Corneau and closed with '' The Bounty'', directed by Roger D ...

(reportedly heard by diners at restaurants across the street from the

Palais Palais () may refer to: * Dance hall, popularly a ''palais de danse'', in the 1950s and 1960s in the UK * ''Palais'', French for palace **Grand Palais, the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées **Petit Palais, an art museum in Paris * Palais River in t ...

), at a time in Cannes's history before marathon applause became a regular occurrence. Despite such a fawning reception, Warner Brothers felt it was too long. The studio drastically recut it down to two hours for the American market, abandoning its flashback structure for a linear narrative. This version suffered heavy criticism and flopped. The original version, released in the rest of the world, achieved somewhat better box office returns and a mixed critical response. When the original version of the film was released on home video in the US, it gained major critical acclaim, with some critics hailing the film as a magnum opus. According to biographer Sir

, Leone was deeply hurt by the studio-imposed editing and poor commercial reception of ''Once Upon a Time in America'' in North America. It was his last film. In 1988, he was head of the jury at the

45th Venice International Film Festival The 45th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 29 August to 9 September 1988. Jury The following people comprised the 1988 jury: *Sergio Leone (Head of Jury) * Maria Julia Bertotto * Klaus Eder * Hannah Fischer * Gilbert de Gol ...

.1988 Venice Film Festival
, at the Internet Movie Database

Death and unrealized projects

Leone died on 30 April 1989 at his home in Rome of a heart attack at the age of 60. He was buried in the cemetery of

Pratica di Mare Pomezia () is a municipality (''comune'') in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Lazio, central Italy. In 2009 it had a population of about 60,000. History The town was built entirely new near the location of ancient Lavinium on land resulting ...

''A Place Only Mary Knows''

A treatment for an "Americanized" Western was written by Leone, Luca Morsella, and Fabio Toncelli. It is speculated to have been Leone's last Western and was to have starred Mickey Rourke and Richard Gere as the two main leads. Set during the height of the American Civil War, the story focused on a Union drafter, Mike Kutcher from Georgia, whose job is to enroll men into the Union Army. The other is Richard Burns, a

Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

shady businessman transplanted to the North after a successful heist with his ex-lover and partner, Mary. They try searching for the buried treasure left behind in an unmarked grave outside Atlanta in "A Place Only Mary Knows". Joined by a freed slave and an

Italian immigrant Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, Francesco, who arrives via the Port of Boston, they try desperately to avoid the battles of the ongoing war between the states. The film was to have been a homage to classic writers from literature such as Edgar Lee Masters ('' Spoon River Anthology''), Ambrose Bierce ('' An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge''),

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

(''

The Private History of a Campaign that Failed ''The Private History of a Campaign that Failed'' is one of Mark Twain's sketches (1885), a short, highly fictionalized memoir of his two-week stint in the pro-Confederate Missouri State Guard. It takes place in Marion County, Missouri, and is ...

''), Stephen Crane ('' The Red Badge of Courage''), and Margaret Mitchell ('' Gone with the Wind''), whose novel he had wanted to film a remake of. Although the written treatment never got turned into a full screenplay, Leone's son Andrea had it published in a June 2004 issue of the Italian cinema magazine '' Ciak''. It is not certain if the treatment's publication will ever lead to a full production in America or Italy.

''Leningrad: The 900 Days''

While finishing work on ''Once Upon a Time in America'' in 1982, Leone was impressed with Harrison Salisbury's non-fiction book ''The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad'', and he planned on adapting the book as a war epic. Although no formal script had been completed or leaked, Leone came up with the opening scene and basic plot. According to the documentary ''Once Upon a Time, Sergio Leone'', the film opened '' in medias res'' as the camera goes from focusing on a Soviet hiding from the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

' artillery fire to panning hundreds of feet away to show the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

Panzer divisions approaching the walls of the city. The plot was to focus on an American photographer on assignment (whom Leone wanted to be played by Robert De Niro) becoming trapped in Leningrad as the German Luftwaffe begin to bombard the city. Throughout the course of the film, he becomes romantically involved with a Soviet woman, whom he later impregnates, as they attempt to survive the prolonged siege and the secret police, because relationships with foreigners are forbidden. According to Leone, "In the end, the cameraman dies on the day of the liberation of the city, when he is currently filming the surrender of the Germans. And the girl is aware of his death by chance seeing a movie news: the camera sees it explode under a shell". By 1989, Leone set the film's budget at $100 million, and had secured half of that amount in financing from independent backers from the Soviet Union. He had convinced Ennio Morricone to compose the film score, and Tonino Delli Colli was tapped to be the

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

. Shooting was scheduled to begin sometime in 1990. The project was canceled when Leone died two days before he was to officially sign on for the film. Alex Cox offered to replace Leone as director, but was unable to secure the remaining $50 million required to produce the film.

''Don Quixote''

According to Frayling's biography of Leone, ''Something to Do with Death'', he envisioned a contemporary adaptation of Cervantes' 17th-century novel '' Don Quixote'' with Clint Eastwood in the title role and Eli Wallach as Sancho Panza. He had discussed doing the project throughout the 1960s–1970s, and he started seriously considering it toward the end of his life.

''Colt''

In 1987, Sergio Leone contacted his old collaborators Sergio Donati and Fulvio Morsella, pitching an idea for a TV

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

about a

Colt revolver Colt's Manufacturing Company, LLC (CMC, formerly Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company) is an American firearms manufacturer, founded in 1855 by Samuel Colt and is now a subsidiary of Czech holding company Colt CZ Group. It is the succ ...

that passed from owner to owner throughout the Old West, similar to

Anthony Mann Anthony Mann (born Emil Anton Bundsmann; June 30, 1906 – April 29, 1967) was an American film director and stage actor. Mann initially started as a theatre actor appearing in numerous stage productions. In 1937, he moved to Hollywood where ...

's film '' Winchester '73'' (1950). Donati indicated that Leone was interested in a more revisionist take on the genre than his earlier works, wanting to show the Old West "like it really was". Leone abandoned this project in favor of ''A Place Only Mary Knows'', though Donati wrote a treatment and the project remained in gestation for years after Leone's death. An adaptation based on Leone's subject is currently in production. Appointed director is Italian film-maker Stefano Sollima.

Other

Leone was also an avid fan of Margaret Mitchell's novel '' Gone with the Wind'' and the 1939 film adaptation. His relatives and close friends stated that he talked about filming a

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...

that was closer to the original novel, but it never advanced beyond discussions to any serious form of production. In 1969, Leone was contracted to direct ''

99 and 44/100% Dead ''99 and 44/100% Dead!'' is a 1974 American action comedy film directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Richard Harris. The title is a play on an advertising slogan for Ivory soap. Plot Harry Crown, a stylish professional hit man with a pair ...

'' with

Marcello Mastroianni Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni (28 September 1924 – 19 December 1996) was an Italian film actor, regarded as one of his country's most iconic male performers of the 20th century. He played leading roles for many of Italy's top di ...

and

starring. He was replaced as director by John Frankenheimer, while Mastroianni was recast with Richard Harris. Leone was a fan of Louis-Ferdinand Céline's novel ''

Journey to the End of the Night ''Journey to the End of the Night'' (french: Voyage au bout de la nuit, 1932) is the first novel by Louis-Ferdinand Céline. This semi-autobiographical work follows the adventures of Ferdinand Bardamu in the World War I, colonial Africa, the Un ...

'' and was considering a film adaptation in the late 1960s; he incorporated elements of the story into ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' and ''Duck, You Sucker!'' but his idea of adapting the novel itself never got past the planning stages. Leone was an early choice to direct ''

Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' adve ...

'' (1980). Leone was a fan of the original

Alex Raymond Alexander Gillespie Raymond Jr. (October 2, 1909 – September 6, 1956) was an American cartoonist who was best known for creating the '' Flash Gordon'' comic strip for King Features Syndicate in 1934. The strip was subsequently adapted into m ...

comic strip, but turned down the film because the script did not resemble Raymond's work.

Awards and honours

David di Donatello The David di Donatello Awards, named after Donatello's ''David'', a symbolic statue of the Italian Renaissance, are film awards given out each year by the ''Accademia del Cinema Italiano'' (The Academy of Italian Cinema). There are 26 award cat ...

** 1972: ''

'' (Won) * British Academy of Film and Television Arts – Award for Best Direction ** 1984: '' Once Upon a Time in America'' (''Nomination'') *

Golden Globe Award for Best Director The Golden Globe Award for Best Director – Motion Picture is a Golden Globe Award that has been presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, an organization composed of journalists who cover the United States film industry fo ...

** 1984: ''Once Upon a Time in America'' (''Nomination'') He received the ''America Award'' from the

Italy–USA Foundation Italy–USA Foundation (Italian: ''Fondazione Italia USA'') is a non-profit non-partisan organization based in Rome, Italy, established to promote friendship between Italians and Americans plus American culture in Italy. Organization The founda ...

posthumously in 2014. In 2019, Poste Italiane issued a commemorative postage stamp honoring Leone.

Selected filmography

Critical reception to Leone's directorial features.

Recurring actors

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References

{{Reflist

Bibliography

* {{cite book, last=Curti, first=Robert, title=Tonino Valerii: The Films, publisher=McFarland, year=2016, isbn=978-1476664682 * Frayling, Christopher: ''Sergio Leone: Something to Do with Death'' (London: Faber, 2000)

External links

{{Wikiquote, Sergio Leone {{Commons category, Sergio Leone {{Portal, Italy, Film, Biography * {{IMDb name, 1466 * {{Amg name, 99378
Sergio Leone: A Fistful-of-Leone!

Senses of Cinema film journal : Great Directors : Sergio Leone
(2002 review by Dan Edwards PhD)
A Fistful of Westerns
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060903041015/http://www.fistfulofwesterns.com/ , date=3 September 2006
The Spaghetti Western Database
{{Sergio Leone {{David di Donatello Best Director {{Nastro d'Argento Best Director {{Venice Film Festival jury presidents {{Authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Leone, Sergio 1929 births 1989 deaths People of Campanian descent Italian people of Lombard descent Spaghetti Western directors Italian film directors Male actors from Rome Italian male screenwriters Italian film producers Italian male film actors Ennio Morricone David di Donatello winners Nastro d'Argento winners 20th-century Italian male actors 20th-century composers 20th-century Italian screenwriters Postmodernist filmmakers