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{{Short description|Italian film director and actor (1901–1974)}}
'''Vittorio de Sica''' ([[July 7]] [[1901]] - [[November 13]] [[1974]]) was an [[Italy|Italian]] [[Italian neorealism|neorealist]] [[film director|director]] and [[actor]].
{{Redirect|De Sica|Vittorio De Sica's sons|Christian De Sica|and|Manuel De Sica}}
{{Family name hatnote|De Sica|Sica|lang=Romance}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Expand Italian|Vittorio De Sica|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Vittorio De Sica
| image = S Kragujevic, Vittorio De Sica, 1959.JPG
| caption = De Sica in 1959
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1901|7|7|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Sora, Lazio]], Kingdom of Italy
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1974|11|13|1901|7|7|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Neuilly-sur-Seine]], France
| occupation = {{flatlist|
*Film director
*actor
}}
| years_active = 1917–1974
| spouse = {{unbulleted list|{{marriage|[[Giuditta Rissone]]|1937|1954|end=div}}
|{{marriage|[[María Mercader]]|1968}}}}
| children = 3, including {{unbulleted list|[[Manuel De Sica]]|[[Christian De Sica]]}}
}}


'''Vittorio De Sica''' ({{IPAc-en|d|ə|_|ˈ|s|iː|k|ə}} {{respell|də|_|SEE|kə}}, {{IPA-it|vitˈtɔːrjo de ˈsiːka|lang}}; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the [[Italian neorealism|neorealist]] movement.
==Life==
Born into [[poverty]] in [[Sora, Italy|Sora]] ([[Frosinone]]), he began his career as a [[theatre]] [[actor]] in the early [[1920s]] and joined [[Tatiana Pavlova]]'s theatre company in [[1923]].


Widely considered one of the most influential filmmakers in the [[history of cinema]], four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: ''[[Shoeshine (film)|Sciuscià]]'' and ''[[Bicycle Thieves]]'' (honorary), while ''[[Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow]]'' and ''[[The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (film)|Il giardino dei Finzi Contini]]'' won the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]]. Indeed, the great critical success of ''Sciuscià'' (the first foreign film to be so recognized by the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]) and ''Bicycle Thieves'' helped establish the permanent Best Foreign Film Award. These two films are considered part of the canon of classic cinema.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ebert|first=Roger|title=The Bicycle Thief / Bicycle Thieves (1949)|url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19990319/REVIEWS08/903190306/1023|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|access-date=8 September 2011|archive-date=5 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105164545/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19990319%2FREVIEWS08%2F903190306%2F1023|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Bicycle Thieves'' was deemed the greatest film of all time by ''[[Sight & Sound]]'' magazine's poll of filmmakers and critics in 1958,<ref>{{cite news |title=The Bicycle Thief / Bicycle Thieves (1949) review |first=Roger |last=Ebert |author-link=Roger Ebert |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19990319/REVIEWS08/903190306/1023 |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |date=March 19, 1999 |access-date=July 20, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227023704/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19990319%2FREVIEWS08%2F903190306%2F1023 |archive-date=February 27, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and was cited by [[Turner Classic Movies]] as one of the 15 most influential films in cinema history.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ebert|first=Roger|title=TCM's 15 most influential films of all time, and 10 from me|url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090413/COMMENTARY/904139997|newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times|access-date=8 September 2011}}</ref>
In [[1933]] he founded his own company with his wife [[Giuditta Rissone]] and [[Sergio Tofano]]. The company performed mostly light [[comedy|comedies]], but they also staged plays by [[Beaumarchais]], and worked with famous directors like [[Luchino Visconti]].


De Sica was also nominated for the 1957 [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Oscar for Best Supporting Actor]] for playing Major Rinaldi in American director [[Charles Vidor]]'s 1957 adaptation of [[Ernest Hemingway]]'s ''[[A Farewell to Arms (1957 film)|A Farewell to Arms]]'', a movie that was panned by critics and proved a box office flop. De Sica's acting was considered the highlight of the film.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/farewell-arms/review/114370 |title=A Farewell To Arms - TV Guide |website=TVGuide.com |access-date=8 September 2011}}</ref>
His meeting with [[Cesare Zavattini]] was a very important event: they wrote together some of the most celebrated films of the [[Italian neorealism|neorealistic age]], like [[Sciuscià]] ''(Shoeshine)'' and [[Ladri di biciclette]] ''(The Bicycle Thieves)''. Their is some controversy about whether the title is "The Bicycle Thieves" or "The Bicycle Thief".


== Life and career ==
One of his best-received is [[La Ciociara]] ''(Two Women)'' (1961): [[Sophia Loren]] won the [[Academy Award|Oscar]] for her performance, and critics widely regard the film a classic. De Sica died in [[Paris]] on November 13, 1974.
[[File:De Sica V fine anni venti.jpg|thumb|left|De Sica in the late 1920s]]
De Sica was born on 7 July 1901 in [[Sora, Lazio]], the son of [[Naples|Neapolitan]] parents.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lambiase |first=Sergio |date=20 February 2013 |title=Foto e lettere inedite di De Sica, il ciociaro cosmopolita che voleva essere napoletano |url=https://corrieredelmezzogiorno.corriere.it/napoli/notizie/arte_e_cultura/2013/20-febbraio-2013/foto-lettere-inedite-de-sica-ciociaro-cosmopolita-che-voleva-essere-napoletano-2114112646498.shtml |work=[[Corriere del Mezzogiorno]] |language=it |access-date=22 June 2016}}</ref> His father was an officer of the Bank of Italy, and was transferred from Naples to Sora, Italy.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=De Siza - Actor Director |magazine=Continental Film Review |page=14 |date=July 1965 |url=https://archive.org/details/Continental_Film_Review_1965-07.good/page/n11/mode/1up?q=sora |access-date=7 December 2021}}</ref> De Sica began his career as a [[theatre]] [[actor]] in the early 1920s and joined [[Tatyana Pavlova|Tatiana Pavlova]]'s theatre company in 1923. In 1933 he founded his own company with the actress, [[Giuditta Rissone]], who later became his wife, and [[Sergio Tofano]]. The company performed mostly light [[comedy|comedies]], but they also staged plays by [[Beaumarchais]] and worked with famous directors like [[Luchino Visconti]].{{sfn|Cardullo|2002|p=29}}


His meeting with the screenwriter [[Cesare Zavattini]] was a very important event: together they created some of the most celebrated films of the [[Italian neorealism|neorealistic age]], like ''[[Sciuscià]]'' (''Shoeshine'') and ''[[Bicycle Thieves]]'' (released as ''The Bicycle Thief'' in America), both of which De Sica directed.{{sfn|Cardullo|2002|pp=128, 164}}
==Selected filmography==
* ''[[Gli uomini che mascalzoni]]'' (1932)
* ''[[Il signor Max]]'' (1937)
* ''[[Rose scarlatte]]'' (1939)
* ''[[Grandi magazzini]]'' (1939)
* ''[[Maddalena, zero in condotta]]'' (1940)
* ''[[Teresa Venerdì]]'' (1941)
* ''[[I bambini ci guardano]]'' (''[[The Children Are Watching Us]]'') (1942)
* ''[[Sciuscià]]'' (''[[Shoeshine]]'') (1946)
* ''[[Bicycle Thieves|Ladri di biciclette]]'' (''Bicycle Thieves'') (1948)
* ''[[Miracolo a Milano]]'' (''[[Miracle in Milan]]'') (1951)
* ''[[Umberto D]]'' (1952)
* ''[[L'oro di Napoli]]'' (''[[The Gold of Naples]]'') (1954)
* ''[[La Ciociara]]'' (''[[Two Women]]'') (1961)
* ''[[Boccaccio '70]]'' (segment ''La riffa'') (1962)
* ''[[Ieri, oggi e domani]]'' (''[[Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow]]'') (1963)
* ''[[Matrimonio all'italiana]]'' (''[[Marriage Italian-Style]]'') (1964)
* ''[[Caccia alla volpe]]'' (''[[After the Fox]]'') (1966)
* ''[[Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini]]'' (''[[The Garden of the Finzi-Continis]]'') (1970)


De Sica appeared in the British television series ''[[The Four Just Men (TV series)|The Four Just Men]]'' (1959).{{sfn|Curle|Snyder|2000|p=12}}
[[Category:1901 births|De Sica, Vittorio]]
[[Category:1974 deaths|De Sica, Vittorio]]
[[Category:Best Supporting Actor Oscar Nominee|De Sica, Vittorio]] <!-- A Farewell to Arms -->
[[Category:Italian film directors|De Sica, Vittorio]]
[[Category:Roman Catholics|De Sica, Vittorio]]


== Personal life ==
[[cs:Vittorio de Sica]]
His passion for gambling was well known and because of it, he often lost large sums of money and accepted work that might not otherwise have interested him. He never kept his gambling a secret from anyone; in fact, he projected it on characters in his own movies, like ''Count Max'' (which he acted in but did not direct) and ''The Gold of Naples'',{{sfn|Curle|Snyder|2000|p=12}} as well as in ''General Della Rovere'', a film directed by Rossellini in which De Sica played the title role.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bondanella |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Bondanella |date=1993 |title=The Films of Roberto Rossellini |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LCKossyGiHMC&pg=PA119 |location=Cambridge |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |page=119 |isbn=0-521-39236-5}}</ref>
[[de:Vittorio de Sica]]

[[es:Vittorio de Sica]]
In 1937 Vittorio De Sica married the actress [[Giuditta Rissone]], who gave birth to their daughter, Emilia (Emi). In 1942, on the set of ''Un garibaldino al convento'', he met Spanish actress [[María Mercader]] (cousin of [[Ramon Mercader]], [[Leon Trotsky]]'s assassin), with whom he started a relationship. After divorcing Rissone in France in 1954, he married Mercader in 1959 in Mexico, but this union was not considered valid under Italian law. In 1968 he obtained French citizenship and married Mercader in Paris. Meanwhile, he had already had two sons with her: [[Manuel De Sica|Manuel]], in 1949, a musician, and [[Christian De Sica|Christian]], in 1951, who would follow his father's path as an actor and director.{{sfn|Cardullo|2002|p=3}}
[[fr:Vittorio de Sica]]

[[it:Vittorio de Sica]]
He was a [[Roman Catholic]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.adherents.com/largecom/fam_catholic.html |title=Famous Catholics |website=www.adherents.com |access-date=21 February 2012 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214144248/http://www.adherents.com/largecom/fam_catholic.html |archive-date=14 February 2012}}</ref> and a [[communist]].<ref>{{cite web |author1=Ariela Bankier |title=All About My Father |url=https://www.haaretz.com/1.5105080 |website=Haaretz |publisher=Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. |access-date=26 June 2021 |date=22 April 2010 |quote="They were both communists, both Cesare and De Sica," his son says.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Gino Moliterno |title=Encyclopedia of Contemporary Italian Culture |date=2000 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9780415145848 |page=409}}</ref> Although divorced, De Sica never parted from his first family. He led a double family life, with double celebrations on holidays. It is said that, at Christmas and on New Year's Eve, he used to put back the clocks by two hours in Mercader's house so that he could make a toast at midnight with both families. His first wife agreed to keep up the facade of a marriage so as not to leave her daughter without a father.
[[he:ויטוריו דה סיקה]]

[[sk:Vittorio de Sica]]
Vittorio De Sica died at 73 after surgery due to [[lung cancer]] at the [[Neuilly-sur-Seine]] hospital in Paris.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kaufman |first=Michael T. |author-link=Michael T. Kaufman |date=14 November 1974 |title=Vittorio De Sica, 73, Dies; Neorealist Movie Director |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/11/14/archives/vittorio-de-sica-73-dies-neorealist-movie-director-leader-of-new.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=8 September 2011}}</ref>
[[sv:Vittorio de Sica]]

== Awards and nominations ==
Vittorio De Sica was given the '''Interfilm Grand Prix''' in 1971 by the [[Berlin International Film Festival]].

* ''[[Miracle in Milan|Miracolo a Milano]]''
** [[Cannes Film Festival]] '''[[Palme d'Or]] Winner'''
* ''[[Umberto D.]]''
** Cannes Film Festival Official Selection
* ''[[Terminal Station (film)|Stazione Termini]]''
** Cannes Film Festival Official Selection
* ''[[The Gold of Naples|L'oro di Napoli]]''
** Cannes Film Festival Official Selection
* ''[[Il Tetto]]''
** Cannes Film Festival '''OCIC Award Winner'''
* ''[[Anna di Brooklyn]]''
** [[8th Berlin International Film Festival|Berlin International Film Festival]] Official Selection<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051363/awards|title=IMDB.com: Awards for Anna di Brooklyn|access-date=31 December 2009|website=imdb.com}}</ref>
* ''[[Two Women|La Ciociara]]''
** Cannes Film Festival Official Selection
* ''[[Marriage Italian-Style|Matrimonio all'italiana]]''
** [[4th Moscow International Film Festival|Moscow International Film Festival]] Official Selection<ref name="Moscow1965">{{cite web|url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1965|title=4th Moscow International Film Festival (1965)|access-date=2 December 2012|work=MIFF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116145645/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1965|archive-date=16 January 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* ''[[The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (film)|Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini]]''
** [[21st Berlin International Film Festival|Berlin International Film Festival]] '''[[Golden Bear]] Winner'''<ref name="berlinale 1971">{{cite web|url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1971/03_preistr_ger_1971/03_Preistraeger_1971.html|title=Berlinale 1971: Prize Winners|access-date=14 March 2010|website=berlinale.de}}</ref>
** Berlin International Film Festival '''Interfilm Award Winner – Otto Dibelius Film Award'''
* [[Nastro d'Argento for Best Director]] 1946 for ''[[Sciuscià]]''
* [[20th Academy Awards|Academy Award 1947]] [[Academy Honorary Award|Honorary Award to the Italian production]] for ''[[Sciuscià]] (Shoeshine)''
* [[22nd Academy Awards|Academy Award 1949]] Special Foreign Language Film Award for ''[[Bicycle Thieves]]''
* [[BAFTA]] ([[British Academy Award]]) 1950 Best film ''[[Bicycle Thieves]]''
* [[38th Academy Awards|Academy Award 1965]] Best Foreign Language film for ''[[Ieri, oggi, domani (film 1963)|Ieri, oggi, domani]] (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow)''
* [[45th Academy Awards|Academy Award 1972]] Best Foreign Language film for ''[[The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (film)|Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini]]''

== Filmography ==
=== Directing credits ===
{| class="sortable wikitable" width=85% cellpadding="5"
|+
|-
!width="30%"| English title
! width="30%" | Original title
! width="25%" | Notes
!width="15%"| Released
|-
|''[[Red Roses (film)|Red Roses]]''
|''Rose scarlatte'' || Co-director
| rowspan="2" |1940
|-
|''[[Maddalena, Zero for Conduct]]''
|''Maddalena, zero in condotta'' ||
|-
| colspan="2" |''Do You Like Women'' ''Teresa Venerdi'' || ||1941
|-
|''[[A Garibaldian in the Convent]]''
|''Un garibaldino al convento'' || ||1942
|-
|''[[The Children Are Watching Us]]''
|''I bambini ci guardano'' || ||1944
|-
|''[[The Gates of Heaven|The Gate of Heaven]]''
|''La porta del cielo'' || ||1945
|-
|''[[Shoeshine (film)|Shoeshine]]''
|''Sciuscià'' ||Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Film (Special Award)||1946
|-
|''[[Heart and Soul (1948 film)|Heart and Soul]]''
|''Cuore'' ||Co-director || rowspan="2" |1948
|-
|''[[Bicycle Thieves]]''
|''Ladri di biciclette'' ||Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Film (Special Award)
|-
|''[[Miracle in Milan]]''
|''Miracolo a Milano'' || ||1951
|-
| colspan="2" |''[[Umberto D.]]'' ||
|1952
|-
|''[[Terminal Station (film)|Terminal Station]]''
|''Stazione Termini'' || ||1953
|-
|''[[The Gold of Naples]]''
|''L'oro di Napoli'' || ||1954
|-
|''[[The Roof (1956 film)|The Roof]]''
|''Il Tetto'' || ||1956
|-
|''[[Anna of Brooklyn]]''
|''Anna di Brooklyn'' ||Co-director ||1958
|-
|''[[Two Women]]''
|''La Ciociara'' || ||1960
|-
|''The Last Judgment''
|''[[The Last Judgement (1961 film)|Il Giudizio universale]]'' || ||1961
|-
|''The Condemned of Altona''
|''[[The Condemned of Altona (film)|I sequestrati di Altona]]'' || || rowspan="2" |1962
|-
| colspan="2" |''[[Boccaccio '70]]''
|Short film – segment ''La riffa''
|-
| colspan="2" |''[[Il Boom]]'' ||
| rowspan="2" |1963
|-
|''[[Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow]]''
|''Ieri, oggi e domani''
|Academy Award Winner, Best Foreign Film<ref name="Oscars1965">{{Cite web |title=The 37th Academy Awards (1965) Nominees and Winners |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1965 |access-date=5 November 2011 |work=oscars.org}}</ref>
|-
|''[[Marriage Italian Style|Marriage Italian-Style]]''
|''Matrimonio all'italiana'' ||Academy Award Nominee, Best Foreign Film<ref name="Oscars1966">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1966 |title=The 38th Academy Awards (1966) Nominees and Winners |access-date=6 November 2011|work=oscars.org}}</ref> ||1964
|-
| colspan="2" |''[[Un monde nouveau]]''|| || rowspan="2" |1966
|-
|''[[After the Fox]]''
|''Caccia alla volpe'' ||
|-
|''[[Woman Times Seven]]''
|''Sette Volte Donna'' || || rowspan="2" |1967
|-
|''[[The Witches (1967 film)|The Witches]]''
|''Le streghe'' ||Short film – segment ''Una sera come le altre''
|-
|''[[A Place for Lovers]]''
|''Amanti'' || ||1968
|-
|''[[Sunflower (1970 film)|Sunflower]]''
|''I Girasoli'' || || rowspan="3" |1970
|-
|''[[The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (film)|The Garden of the Finzi-Continis]]''
|''Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini'' ||Academy Award Winner, Best Foreign Film<ref name="Oscars1972">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1972 |title=The 44th Academy Awards (1972) Nominees and Winners |access-date=27 November 2011 |work=oscars.org}}</ref>
|-
|''The Couples''
|''[[Le Coppie]]'' ||Short film – segment ''Il Leone''
|-
|''From Referendum to the Constitution: 2 June''
|''Dal referendum alla costituzione: Il 2 giugno'' || rowspan="2" |Documentary || rowspan="2" |1971
|-
|''The Knights of Malta''
|''I Cavalieri di Malta''
|-
|''We'll Call Him Andrea''
|''[[Lo chiameremo Andrea]]'' || ||1972
|-
|''[[A Brief Vacation]]''
|''Una breve vacanza'' || ||1973
|-
|''[[The Voyage (1974 film)|The Voyage]]''
|''Il viaggio'' || ||1974
|-
|}

=== Acting credits ===
{{Div col}}
* ''[[The Clemenceau Affair|Il processo Clemenceau]]'' (1917, by [[Alfredo De Antoni]]) as Pierre Clémenceau bambino
* ''[[Beauty of the World|La bellezza del mondo]]'' (1927, by [[Mario Almirante]])
* ''[[Company and the Crazy|La compagnia dei matti]]'' (1928, by [[Mario Almirante]]) as Prof. Rosolillo
* ''[[The Old Lady|La vecchia signora]]'' (1932, by [[Amleto Palermi]]) as Il fine dicitore
* ''[[What Scoundrels Men Are!|Gli uomini, che mascalzoni!]]'' (1932, by [[Mario Camerini]]) as Bruno
* ''[[Two Happy Hearts|Due cuori felici]]'' (1932, by [[Baldassarre Negroni]]) as Mister Brown
* ''[[Paprika (1933 Italian film)|Paprika]]'' (1933, by [[Carl Boese]])
* ''Pasa el amor'' (1933, by Adolf Trotz)
* ''[[The Lucky Diamond|Lisetta]]'' (1934, by [[Carl Boese]]) as Fritz Peters
* ''[[The Song of the Sun|La canzone del sole]]'' (1934, by [[Max Neufeld]] (he stars too the German version titles ''Das lied der sonne'')) as Dr. Giuseppe Paladino
* ''[[Bad Subject|Un cattivo soggetto]]'' (1933, by [[Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia]]) as Willy
* ''[[La segretaria per tutti]]'' (1933, by [[Amleto Palermi]]) as Un gagà
* ''[[Full Speed (1934 film)|Tempo massimo]]'' (1934, by [[Mario Mattoli]]) as Il professore Giacomo Banti
* ''[[Mr. Desire|Il signore desidera?]]'' (1934, by [[Gennaro Righelli]]) as Martino
* ''The Song of the Sun'' (1934, by Max Neufeld) as Paladino, il avvocato
* ''[[I'll Give a Million (1936 film)|Darò un milione]]'' (1935, by [[Mario Camerini]]) as Gold
* ''[[I Love You Only|Amo te sola]]'' (1936, by [[Mario Mattoli]]) as Prof. Giovanni Agano
* ''[[I Don't Know You Anymore|Non ti conosco più]]'' (1936, by [[Nunzio Malasomma]]) as Il dottore Alberto Spinelli
* ''[[Lohengrin (film)|Lohengrin]]'' (1936, by [[Nunzio Malasomma]]) as Alfredo
* ''[[The Man Who Smiles|L'uomo che sorride]]'' (1937, by [[Mario Mattoli]]) as Pio Fardella
* ''[[Il signor Max]]'' (1937, by [[Mario Camerini]]) as Gianni / Max Varaldo
* ''[[But It's Nothing Serious]]'' (1937, by [[Mario Camerini]]) as Memmo Speranza
* ''[[Naples of Olden Times]]'' (1938, by [[Amleto Palermi]]) as Mario Esposito
* ''[[La mazurka di papà]]'' (1938, by [[Oreste Biancoli]]) as Stefano San Mauro / Il figlio di San Mauro
* ''[[Triumph of Love (1938 film)|Il Trionfo dell'amore]]'' (1938, by [[Mario Mattoli]]) as Vincenzo
* ''[[The Cuckoo Clock (film)|The Cuckoo Clock]]'' (1938, by [[Camillo Mastrocinque]]) as Il capitano Ducci
* ''[[Departure (1938 film)|Departure]]'' (1938, by [[Amleto Palermi]]) as Paolo Veronda
* ''[[They've Kidnapped a Man]]'' (1938, by [[Gennaro Righelli]]) as L'attore cinematografico
* ''[[Ai vostri ordini, signora!]]'' (1939, by [[Mario Mattoli]]) as Pietro Haguet
* ''[[Naples That Never Die]]'' (1939, by Amleto Palermi)
* ''[[Questi ragazzi]]'' (1939, by [[Mario Mattoli]]) as Vincenzo
* ''[[Castles in the Air (1939 film)|Castles in the Air]]'' (1939, by [[Augusto Genina]] (He stars too the German version ''Ins blaue leben'')) as Riccardo Pietramola
* ''[[Department Store (1939 film)|Department Store]]'' (1939, by [[Mario Camerini]]) as Bruno Zacchi
* ''[[It Always Ends That Way]]'' (1939, by [[Enrique Telémaco Susini]]) as Alberto Miller
* ''[[Manon Lescaut (1940 film)|Manon Lescaut]]'' (1940, by [[Carmine Gallone]]) as Renato Des Grieux
* ''[[Two on a Vacation]]'' (1940, by [[Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia]]) as Il conte Corrado Valli
* ''[[Red Roses (1940 film)|Red Roses]]'' (1940, by [[Giuseppe Amato]] and Vittorio De Sica) as Alberto Verani
* ''[[The Two Mothers]]'' (1940, by [[Amleto Palermi]]) as Salvatore
* ''[[The Sinner (1940 film)|The Sinner]]'' (1940, by [[Amleto Palermi]]) as Pietro Bandelli
* ''[[Maddalena, Zero for Conduct]]'' (1940, by Vittorio De Sica) as Alfredo Hartman
* ''[[The Adventuress from the Floor Above]]'' (1941, by [[Raffaello Matarazzo]] (script too, not credited)) as Fabrizio Marchini
* ''[[Teresa Venerdì]]'' (1941, by Vittorio De Sica) as Dott. Pietro Vignali
* ''[[Se io fossi onesto]]'' (1942, by [[Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia]] (script too)) as Pietro Kovach
* ''[[A Garibaldian in the Convent]]'' (1942, by Vittorio De Sica) as Nino Bixio (uncredited)
* ''[[La guardia del corpo]]'' (1942, by [[Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia]] (script too)) as Riccardo, L'investigatore privato
* ''[[Non sono superstizioso... ma!]]'' (1943, by [[Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia]] (script too)) as Il barone Roberto
* ''[[I nostri sogni]]'' (1943, by [[Vittorio Cottafavi]] (script too)) as Leo
* ''[[Nessuno torna indietro]]'' (1945, by [[Alessandro Blasetti]]) as Maurizio
* ''[[L'ippocampo]]'' (1945, by [[Gian Paolo Rosmino]] (script too, and assistant to director, not credited)) as Pio Sandi
* ''Vivere ancora'' (1945, by Nino Giannini)
* ''[[My Widow and I|Lo sbaglio di essere vivo]]'' (1945, by [[Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia]]) as Adriano Lari
* ''[[Rome, Free City]]'' (1946, by [[Marcello Pagliero]]) as Il signore distinto
* ''[[Abbasso la ricchezza!]]'' (1946, by [[Gennaro Righelli]] (story and script too)) as Il conte Ghirani
* ''[[Christmas at Camp 119|Natale al campo 119]]'' (1947, regia di [[Pietro Francisci]] (script too and supervision director, not credited)) as Don Vicenzino
* ''[[Lost in the Dark (1947 film)|Sperduti nel buio]]'' (1947, by [[Camillo Mastrocinque]]) as Nunzio
* ''[[Unknown Man of San Marino|Lo Sconosciuto di San Marino]]'' (1948, by [[Michal Waszynski]] and [[Vittorio Cottafavi]]) as Leo, l'ateo
* ''[[Heart and Soul (1948 film)|Cuore]]'' (1948, by [[Duilio Coletti]] (producer and script too)) as Professor Perboni
* ''[[Il mondo vuole così]]'' (1949, by [[Giorgio Bianchi (director)|Giorgio Bianchi]]) as Paolo Morelli
* ''[[Domani è troppo tardi]]'' (1949, by [[Léonide Moguy]] (consulting director too, not credited)) as Il professor Landi
* ''[[Cameriera bella presenza offresi...]]'' (1951, by [[Giorgio Pàstina]]) as Leonardo Leonardi
* ''[[Mamma Mia, What an Impression!]]'' (1951, by [[Roberto Savarese]])
* ''[[Buongiorno, elefante!]]'' (1952, by [[Gianni Franciolini]] (producer too)) as Carlo Caretti
* ''[[Gli uomini non guardano il cielo]]'' (1952, by Umberto Scarpelli)
* ''[[In Olden Days]]'' (1952, by [[Alessandro Blasetti]]) as L'Avvocato Difensore (segment "Il processo di Frine")
* ''[[The Earrings of Madame de...]]'' (1953, by [[Max Ophüls]]) as Baron Fabrizio Donati
* ''[[Villa Borghese (film)|Villa Borghese]]'' (1953, by [[Gianni Franciolini]]) as L'avvocato Arturo Cavazzuti (segment: Incidente a Villa Borghese)
* ''[[Bread, Love and Dreams|Pane, amore e fantasia]]'' (1953, by [[Luigi Comencini]]) as Maresciallo Carotenuto
* ''[[Marriage (1954 film)|Il matrimonio]]'' (1954, by [[Antonio Petrucci]]) as Gregory Stefanovich Smirnov
* ''[[100 Years of Love|Cento anni d'amore]]'' (1954, by [[Lionello De Felice]]) as Duke Giovanni del Bagno aka Signor Pallini (segment "Pendolin")
* ''[[Gran Varietà]]'' (1954, by [[Domenico Paolella]]) as Veneziani - il fine dicitore (segment "Il censore")
* ''[[A Slice of Life (1954 film)|A Slice of Life]]'' (1954, by Alessandro Blasetti et Paul Paviot) as Il conte Ferdinando (segment "Don Corradino")
* ''[[The Bed (film)|Il letto]]'' (1954, by [[Gianni Franciolini]]) as Roberto (segment "Divorce, Le")
* ''[[Modern Virgin|Vergine moderna]]'' (1954, by [[Marcello Pagliero]]) as Antonio Valli
* ''[[The Cheerful Squadron|Allegro squadrone]]'' (1954, by [[Paolo Moffa]]) as Il generale
* ''[[Bread, Love and Jealousy|Pane, amore e gelosia]]'' (1954, by [[Luigi Comencini]]) as Maresciallo Carotenuto
* ''[[The Gold of Naples|L'oro di Napoli]]'' (1954, by Vittorio De Sica) as Il conte Prospero B. (segment "I giocatori") (uncredited)
* ''[[Too Bad She's Bad|Peccato che sia una canaglia]]'' (1954, by [[Alessandro Blasetti]]) as Vittorio Stroppiani
* ''[[The Sign of Venus|Il segno di Venere]]'' (1955, by [[Dino Risi]]) as Alessio Spano
* ''[[The Last Five Minutes|Gli ultimi cinque minuti]]'' (1955, by [[Giuseppe Amato]]) as Carlo Reani
* ''[[The Miller's Beautiful Wife|La bella mugnaia]]'' (1955, by [[Mario Camerini]]) as Don Teofilo - governatore
* ''[[Racconti romani (film)|Racconti romani]]'' (1955, by [[Gianni Franciolini]]) as Avvocato Mazzoni Baralla
* ''[[Scandal in Sorrento|Pane, amore e...]]'' (1955, by [[Dino Risi]]) as Comandante Carotenuto
* ''[[Lucky to Be a Woman]]'' (1955, by Alessandro Blasetti) as Minor Role (uncredited)
* ''[[The Bigamist (1956 film)|Il bigamo]]'' (1956, by [[Luciano Emmer]]) as L'onorevole Principe / Attorney Principe
* ''[[I giorni più belli]]'' (1956, by [[Mario Mattoli]])
* ''[[Nero's Weekend|Mio figlio Nerone]]'' (1956, by [[Stefano Vanzina|Steno]]) as Seneca
* ''[[Time of Vacation|Tempo di villeggiatura]]'' (1956, by [[Antonio Racioppi]]) as Aristide Rossi
* ''[[The Monte Carlo Story]]'' (1956, by [[Sam Taylor (director)|Samuel Taylor]] and [[Giulio Macchi]] (director's assistant too)) as Count Dino della Fiaba
* ''[[Noi siamo le colonne]]'' (1956, by [[Luigi Filippo D'Amico]]) as Alfredo Celimontani
* ''[[Fathers and Sons (1957 film)|Padri e figli]]'' (1957, by [[Mario Monicelli]]) as Vincenzo Corallo
* ''[[I colpevoli]]'' (1957, by [[Turi Vasile]]) as Giorgio
* ''[[Souvenir d'Italie]]'' (1957, by [[Antonio Pietrangeli]]) as The Count
* ''[[Count Max (1957 film)|Count Max]]'' (1957, by [[Giorgio Bianchi (director)|Giorgio Bianchi]]) as Conte Max Orsini Varaldo
* ''[[Casinò de Paris]]'' (1957, by [[André Hunebelle]]) as Alexandre Gordy
* ''[[La donna che venne dal mare]]'' (1957, by [[Francesco De Robertis]] (1957) as Console Bordogin
* ''[[Doctor and the Healer|Il medico e lo stregone]]'' (1957, by [[Mario Monicelli]]) as Antonio Locoratolo
* ''[[A Farewell to Arms (1957 film)|A Farewell to Arms]]'' (1957, directed by [[Charles Vidor]] (Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor) as Major Alessandro Rinaldi
* ''[[Vacanze a Ischia]]'' (1957, by [[Mario Camerini]]) as Ingegner Occhipinti
* ''[[The Lady Doctor|Totò, Vittorio e la dottoressa]]'' (1957, by [[Camillo Mastrocinque]]) as Marchese De Vitti
* ''[[Amore e chiacchiere]]'' (1958, by [[Alessandro Blasetti]]) as Avvocato Bonelli
* ''[[Domenica è sempre domenica]]'' (1958, by [[Camillo Mastrocinque]]) as Comandante Castaldi
* ''[[Anna of Brooklyn]]'' (1958, by [[Carlo Lastricati]] and Vittorio De Sica) as Don Luigi
* ''{{Interlanguage link multi|Pezzo, capopezzo e capitano|it}}'' (1958, by [[Wolfgang Staudte]]) as Il comandante Ernesto De Rossi
* ''[[Angel in a Taxi|Ballerina e buon Dio]]'' (1958, by [[Antonio Leonviola]]) as God
* ''[[Gli zitelloni]]'' (1958, by [[Giorgio Bianchi (director)|Giorgio Bianchi]]) as Il professore
* ''[[Bread, Love and Andalusia|Pane, amore e Andalusia]]'' (1958, by [[Javier Setó]] (director's assistant too)) as Maresciallo Carotenuto
* ''[[La ragazza di Piazza San Pietro]]'' (1958, by [[Piero Costa]]) as Armando Conforti
* ''[[Venetian Honeymoon|La prima notte]]'' (1959, by [[Alberto Cavalcanti]]) as Alfredo
* ''[[My Wife's Enemy|Il nemico di mia moglie]]'' (1959, by [[Gianni Puccini]]) as Ottavio Terenzi, padre di Marco
* ''[[Men and Noblemen|Uomini e nobiluomini]]'' (1959, by [[Giorgio Bianchi (director)|Giorgio Bianchi]]) as Marchese Nicola Peccori Macinelli di Afragola
* ''[[Winter Holidays|Vacanze d'inverno]]'' (1959, by [[Camillo Mastrocinque]]) as Maurice
* ''[[World of Miracles|Il mondo dei miracoli]]'' (1959, by [[Luigi Capuano]]) as Director Pietro Giordani
* ''[[The Moralist|Il moralista]]'' (1959, by [[Giorgio Bianchi (director)|Giorgio Bianchi]]) as The O. I. M. P. President
* ''[[General Della Rovere|Il generale della Rovere]]'' (1959, by [[Roberto Rossellini]]) as Bardone AKA 'Grimaldi'
* ''[[Ferdinando I, re di Napoli]]'' (1959, by [[Gianni Franciolini]]) as Salvatore Caputo
* ''[[Nel blu dipinto di blu (film)|Nel blu dipinto di blu]]'' (1959, by [[Piero Tellini]]) as Spartaco
* ''[[Policarpo (film)|Policarpo, ufficiale di scrittura]]'' (1959, by [[Mario Soldati]])
* ''[[Gastone (film)|Gastone]]'' (1960, by [[Mario Bonnard]]) as The prince
* ''[[The Angel Wore Red]]'' (1960, by [[Nunnally Johnson]] and [[Mario Russo]]) as Gen. Clave
* ''[[Austerlitz (1960 film)|Austerlitz]]'' (1960, by [[Abel Gance]]) as Pope Pius VII
* ''[[It Started in Naples]]'' (1960, by [[Melville Shavelson]]) as Mario Vitale
* ''[[Le tre eccetera del colonnello]]'' (1960, by [[Claude Boissol]]) as Colonel Belalcazar
* ''[[Le pillole di Ercole]]'' (1960, by [[Luciano Salce]]) as Piero Cuocolo
* ''[[The Millionairess]]'' (1960, by [[Anthony Asquith]]) as Joe
* ''[[The Traffic Policeman|Il vigile]]'' (1960, by [[Luigi Zampa]]) as Il sindaco
* ''[[Love in Rome|Un amore a Roma]]'' (1960, by [[Dino Risi]]) as Director
* ''[[The Orderly (1961 film)|Gli attendenti]]'' (1961, by [[Giorgio Bianchi (director)|Giorgio Bianchi]]) as Attore di Fumetti
* ''[[L'onorata società]]'' (1961, by [[Riccardo Pazzaglia]]) as Salvatore, the 'Capintesta'
* ''[[Vive Henri IV, vive l'amour]]'' (1961, by [[Claude Autant-Lara]]) as L'ambassadeur d'Espagne
* ''[[The Last Judgment (1961 film)|The Last Judgment]]'' (1961, director) as Defense lawyer
* ''[[The Wonders of Aladdin]]'' (1961, by [[Mario Bava]] and [[Henry Levin (film director)|Henry Levin]]) as Genie
* ''[[Gli incensurati]]'' (1961, by [[Francesco Giaculli]]) as Colonnello Filippo Bitossi
* ''[[The Two Marshals|I due marescialli]]'' (1961, by [[Sergio Corbucci]]) as Maresciallo Vittorio Cottone
* ''[[La Fayette (film)|La Fayette]]'' (1962, by [[Jean Dréville]]) as Bancroft
* ''[[Eva (1962 film)|Eva]]'' (1962, by [[Joseph Losey]] and [[Guidarino Guidi]]) (uncredited)
* ''[[The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders]]'' (1965, by [[Terence Young (director)|Terence Young]]) as The Count
* ''[[Io, io, io... e gli altri]]'' (1966, by [[Alessandro Blasetti]]) as Commendator Trepossi
* ''[[An Italian in America|Un italiano in America]]'' (1967, by [[Alberto Sordi]]) as Giuseppe's Father
* ''[[After the Fox]]'' (1966, director) as Himself (uncredited)
* ''[[Gli altri, gli altri e noi]]'' (1967, by [[Maurizio Arena]])
* ''[[The Biggest Bundle of Them All]]'' (1968, by [[Ken Annakin]]) as Cesare Celli
* ''[[Darling Caroline (1968 film)|Darling Caroline]]'' (1968, by [[Denys de la Patellière]]) as Le comte de Bièvre - le père de Caroline
* ''[[The Shoes of the Fisherman (movie)|The Shoes of the Fisherman]]'' (1968, by [[Michael Anderson (director)|Michael Anderson]]) as Cardinal Rinaldi
* ''[[If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium]]'' (1969, by [[Mel Stuart]]) as Shoemaker
* ''[[The Thirteen Chairs]]'' (1969, by [[Nicolas Gessner]] and [[Luciano Lucignani]]) as Carlo De Seta - The Commendatore
* ''[[Cose di Cosa Nostra]]'' (1970, by [[Stefano Vanzina|Steno]]) as Don Michele
* ''[[Io non-vedo, tu non-parli, lui non-sente]]'' (1971, by [[Mario Camerini]]) as Player in Venice casino
* ''[[Trastevere (film)|Trastevere]]'' (1971, by [[Fausto Tozzi]]) as Enrico Formichi
* ''[[Siamo tutti in libertà provvisoria]]'' (1972, by [[Manlio Scarpelli]]) as Giuseppe Mancini 'Pulcinella'
* ''[[Ettore lo fusto]]'' (1972, by [[Enzo G. Castellari]]) as Giove
* ''[[Snow Job (film)|Snow Job]]'' (1972, by [[George Englund]]) as Enrico Dolphi
* ''[[L'odeur des fauves]]'' (1972, by [[Richard Balducci (director)|Richard Balducci]]) as Milord
* ''[[Le avventure di Pinocchio (film)|Le avventure di Pinocchio]]'' (1972, by [[Luigi Comencini]] (both Film and TV versions)) as Il giudice
* ''[[The Small Miracle (film)|The Small Miracle]]'' (1973, TV Movie, by [[Jeannot Szwarc]]) as Father Damico
* ''[[Storia de fratelli e de cortelli]]'' (1973, by [[Mario Amendola]]) as Maresciallo Cenciarelli
* ''[[Il delitto Matteotti]]'' (1973, by [[Florestano Vancini]]) as [[Mauro Del Giudice]]
* ''[[Viaggia, ragazza, viaggia, hai la musica nelle vene]]'' (1973, by [[Pasquale Squitieri]])
* ''[[Blood for Dracula]]'' (1974, by [[Paul Morrissey]] and [[Antonio Margheriti]]) as Il Marchese Di Fiore
* ''[[We All Loved Each Other So Much|C'eravamo tanto amati]]'' (1974, by [[Ettore Scola]]) as Himself
* ''Intorno'' (1974, Short, by [[Manuel De Sica]])
* ''[[L'eroe]]'' (1976, TV Movie, by [[Manuel De Sica]]) (final film role)
{{Div col end}}

Note: on many sources, ''[[Fontana di Trevi (film)|Fontana di Trevi]]'' by [[Carlo Campogalliani]] (1960) and ''[[La bonne soupe]]'' by [[Robert Thomas (director)|Robert Thomas]] (1964) are included but de Sica does not appear in those films.

===Television appearances as actor===
* ''[[The Four Just Men (TV series)|The Four Just Men]]'', by [[Sapphire Films]] (1959) (10 of the 39 episodes made)

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |last=Cardullo |first=Bert |date=2002 |title=Vittorio De Sica: Director, Actor, Screenwriter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ia1aAAAAMAAJ |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |isbn=0-7864-1135-X}}
* {{cite book |last1=Curle |first1=Howard |last2=Snyder |first2=Stephen |date=2000 |title=Vittorio De Sica: Contemporary Perspectives |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gj2qbAsmHK4C |location=Toronto |publisher=[[University of Toronto Press]] |isbn=0-8020-0654-X}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|1120}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20020607124826/http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/garden/crew/sica.html Vittorio De Sica director bio for ''The Garden of the Finzi-Continis''] Sony Pictures Entertainment website, retrieved 8 April 2006
* [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704269204575271021338187684 Vittorio De Sica Review] Wall Street Journal article, retrieved 9 March 2013

{{Vittorio De Sica}}
{{Academy Award Best Foreign Language Film}}
{{David di Donatello Best Director}}
{{David di Donatello Best Actor}}
{{Nastro d'Argento Best Director}}
{{Nastro d'Argento Best Actor}}
{{National Board of Review Award for Best Director}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:De Sica, Vittorio}}
[[Category:1901 births]]
[[Category:1974 deaths]]
[[Category:People of Campanian descent]]
[[Category:Italian Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Italian male comedians]]
[[Category:Italian communists]]
[[Category:Italian male film actors]]
[[Category:Italian film directors]]
[[Category:Italian male silent film actors]]
[[Category:People from Sora, Lazio]]
[[Category:Male actors from Lazio]]
[[Category:David di Donatello winners]]
[[Category:Nastro d'Argento winners]]
[[Category:20th-century Italian male actors]]
[[Category:Italian-language film directors]]
[[Category:Christian communists]]
[[Category:Deaths from lung cancer in France]]
[[Category:Directors of Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Directors of Palme d'Or winners]]
[[Category:Directors of Golden Bear winners]]
[[Category:20th-century Italian comedians]]

Latest revision as of 12:07, 27 April 2024

"De Sica" redirects here. For Vittorio De Sica's sons, see Christian De Sica and Manuel De Sica.
In this Romance language name, the surname is De Sica, not Sica.

Vittorio De Sica
De Sica in 1959
Born(1901-07-07)7 July 1901
Sora, Lazio, Kingdom of Italy
Died13 November 1974(1974-11-13) (aged 73)
Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Occupations
  • Film director
  • actor
Years active1917–1974
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1937; div. 1954)​
  • ​
    (m. 1968)​
Children3, including

Vittorio De Sica (/də ˈsiːkə/ də SEE-kə, Italian: [vitˈtɔːrjo de ˈsiːka]; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement.

Widely considered one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: Sciuscià and Bicycle Thieves (honorary), while Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow and Il giardino dei Finzi Contini won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Indeed, the great critical success of Sciuscià (the first foreign film to be so recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) and Bicycle Thieves helped establish the permanent Best Foreign Film Award. These two films are considered part of the canon of classic cinema.[1] Bicycle Thieves was deemed the greatest film of all time by Sight & Sound magazine's poll of filmmakers and critics in 1958,[2] and was cited by Turner Classic Movies as one of the 15 most influential films in cinema history.[3]

De Sica was also nominated for the 1957 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for playing Major Rinaldi in American director Charles Vidor's 1957 adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms, a movie that was panned by critics and proved a box office flop. De Sica's acting was considered the highlight of the film.[4]

Life and career[edit]

De Sica in the late 1920s

De Sica was born on 7 July 1901 in Sora, Lazio, the son of Neapolitan parents.[5] His father was an officer of the Bank of Italy, and was transferred from Naples to Sora, Italy.[6] De Sica began his career as a theatre actor in the early 1920s and joined Tatiana Pavlova's theatre company in 1923. In 1933 he founded his own company with the actress, Giuditta Rissone, who later became his wife, and Sergio Tofano. The company performed mostly light comedies, but they also staged plays by Beaumarchais and worked with famous directors like Luchino Visconti.[7]

His meeting with the screenwriter Cesare Zavattini was a very important event: together they created some of the most celebrated films of the neorealistic age, like Sciuscià (Shoeshine) and Bicycle Thieves (released as The Bicycle Thief in America), both of which De Sica directed.[8]

De Sica appeared in the British television series The Four Just Men (1959).[9]

Personal life[edit]

His passion for gambling was well known and because of it, he often lost large sums of money and accepted work that might not otherwise have interested him. He never kept his gambling a secret from anyone; in fact, he projected it on characters in his own movies, like Count Max (which he acted in but did not direct) and The Gold of Naples,[9] as well as in General Della Rovere, a film directed by Rossellini in which De Sica played the title role.[10]

In 1937 Vittorio De Sica married the actress Giuditta Rissone, who gave birth to their daughter, Emilia (Emi). In 1942, on the set of Un garibaldino al convento, he met Spanish actress María Mercader (cousin of Ramon Mercader, Leon Trotsky's assassin), with whom he started a relationship. After divorcing Rissone in France in 1954, he married Mercader in 1959 in Mexico, but this union was not considered valid under Italian law. In 1968 he obtained French citizenship and married Mercader in Paris. Meanwhile, he had already had two sons with her: Manuel, in 1949, a musician, and Christian, in 1951, who would follow his father's path as an actor and director.[11]

He was a Roman Catholic[12] and a communist.[13][14] Although divorced, De Sica never parted from his first family. He led a double family life, with double celebrations on holidays. It is said that, at Christmas and on New Year's Eve, he used to put back the clocks by two hours in Mercader's house so that he could make a toast at midnight with both families. His first wife agreed to keep up the facade of a marriage so as not to leave her daughter without a father.

Vittorio De Sica died at 73 after surgery due to lung cancer at the Neuilly-sur-Seine hospital in Paris.[15]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Vittorio De Sica was given the Interfilm Grand Prix in 1971 by the Berlin International Film Festival.

Filmography[edit]

Directing credits[edit]

English title Original title Notes Released
Red Roses Rose scarlatte Co-director 1940
Maddalena, Zero for Conduct Maddalena, zero in condotta
Do You Like Women Teresa Venerdi 1941
A Garibaldian in the Convent Un garibaldino al convento 1942
The Children Are Watching Us I bambini ci guardano 1944
The Gate of Heaven La porta del cielo 1945
Shoeshine Sciuscià Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Film (Special Award) 1946
Heart and Soul Cuore Co-director 1948
Bicycle Thieves Ladri di biciclette Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Film (Special Award)
Miracle in Milan Miracolo a Milano 1951
Umberto D. 1952
Terminal Station Stazione Termini 1953
The Gold of Naples L'oro di Napoli 1954
The Roof Il Tetto 1956
Anna of Brooklyn Anna di Brooklyn Co-director 1958
Two Women La Ciociara 1960
The Last Judgment Il Giudizio universale 1961
The Condemned of Altona I sequestrati di Altona 1962
Boccaccio '70 Short film – segment La riffa
Il Boom 1963
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Ieri, oggi e domani Academy Award Winner, Best Foreign Film[19]
Marriage Italian-Style Matrimonio all'italiana Academy Award Nominee, Best Foreign Film[20] 1964
Un monde nouveau 1966
After the Fox Caccia alla volpe
Woman Times Seven Sette Volte Donna 1967
The Witches Le streghe Short film – segment Una sera come le altre
A Place for Lovers Amanti 1968
Sunflower I Girasoli 1970
The Garden of the Finzi-Continis Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini Academy Award Winner, Best Foreign Film[21]
The Couples Le Coppie Short film – segment Il Leone
From Referendum to the Constitution: 2 June Dal referendum alla costituzione: Il 2 giugno Documentary 1971
The Knights of Malta I Cavalieri di Malta
We'll Call Him Andrea Lo chiameremo Andrea 1972
A Brief Vacation Una breve vacanza 1973
The Voyage Il viaggio 1974

Acting credits[edit]

Note: on many sources, Fontana di Trevi by Carlo Campogalliani (1960) and La bonne soupe by Robert Thomas (1964) are included but de Sica does not appear in those films.

Television appearances as actor[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Ebert, Roger. "The Bicycle Thief / Bicycle Thieves (1949)". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 5 November 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  2. ^ Ebert, Roger (19 March 1999). "The Bicycle Thief / Bicycle Thieves (1949) review". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 27 February 2009. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  3. ^ Ebert, Roger. "TCM's 15 most influential films of all time, and 10 from me". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  4. ^ "A Farewell To Arms - TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  5. ^ Lambiase, Sergio (20 February 2013). "Foto e lettere inedite di De Sica, il ciociaro cosmopolita che voleva essere napoletano". Corriere del Mezzogiorno (in Italian). Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  6. ^ "De Siza - Actor Director". Continental Film Review. July 1965. p. 14. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  7. ^ Cardullo 2002, p. 29.
  8. ^ Cardullo 2002, pp. 128, 164.
  9. ^ a b Curle & Snyder 2000, p. 12.
  10. ^ Bondanella, Peter (1993). The Films of Roberto Rossellini. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 119. ISBN 0-521-39236-5.
  11. ^ Cardullo 2002, p. 3.
  12. ^ "Famous Catholics". www.adherents.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  13. ^ Ariela Bankier (22 April 2010). "All About My Father". Haaretz. Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. Retrieved 26 June 2021. "They were both communists, both Cesare and De Sica," his son says.
  14. ^ Gino Moliterno (2000). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Italian Culture. Routledge. p. 409. ISBN 9780415145848.
  15. ^ Kaufman, Michael T. (14 November 1974). "Vittorio De Sica, 73, Dies; Neorealist Movie Director". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  16. ^ "IMDB.com: Awards for Anna di Brooklyn". imdb.com. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  17. ^ "4th Moscow International Film Festival (1965)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  18. ^ "Berlinale 1971: Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
  19. ^ "The 37th Academy Awards (1965) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  20. ^ "The 38th Academy Awards (1966) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  21. ^ "The 44th Academy Awards (1972) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 27 November 2011.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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