born May 8, 1906, Rome, Italy
died June 3, 1977, Rome
Italian film director.
He directed his first feature film, White Ship , in 1941. During World War II he made Fascist propaganda films but also secretly filmed anti-Fascist activities. He used the documentary footage in Open City (1945), acclaimed as one of the first examples of Italian Neorealism . The screenplay was written with Federico Fellini , who also collaborated with him on Paisan (1946). He made several films starring Ingrid Bergman , beginning with Stromboli (1949), but the scandal of their adulterous affair and marriage damaged their careers. He later directed General della Rovere (1959) and works for the stage and television, including a series of didactic historical works. His daughter Isabella Rossellini (b. 1952) appeared in films such as Blue Velvet (1986) and Big Night (1996).