born March 16, 1940, Parma, Italy
Italian film director.
After writing poetry and an award-winning book, he entered filmmaking as an assistant to Pier Paolo Pasolini in 1961. His first films as a director, The Grim Reaper (1962) and Before the Revolution (1964), were followed by the well-received The Conformist (1970). The erotic Last Tango in Paris (1972) made him an international and commercial sensation. He later directed such films as 1900 (1976), The Last Emperor (1987, Academy Awards for direction and best film), and Stealing Beauty (1996).