Dario Argento facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dario Argento
Argento in 2014
Born	(1940-09-07) 7 September 1940 (age 84) Rome, Kingdom of Italy
Other names	Sirio Bernadotte
Occupation	Film director screenwriter producer
Style	Horror giallo
Spouse(s)	Marisa Casale ​ ​ (m. 1968; div. 1972)​
Partner(s)	Daria Nicolodi (1974–1985)
Children	2, including Asia Argento
Relatives	Claudio Argento (brother)

Dario Argento (born September 7, 1940) is a famous Italian film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for his exciting and sometimes scary movies, especially those in the horror and giallo styles. Giallo films are a type of Italian mystery-thriller, often with suspenseful plots and surprising twists. Because of his work in the 1970s and 1980s, people often call him the "Master of Thrill" or "Master of Horror."

Some of his well-known films include his "Animal Trilogy": The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970), The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971), and Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971). He also made the "Three Mothers" trilogy, which features Suspiria (1977), Inferno (1980), and The Mother of Tears (2007). Other popular movies he directed are Deep Red (1975), Tenebrae (1982), Phenomena (1985), and Opera (1987). He also helped write the script for the famous Western movie Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) and worked as a consultant for Dawn of the Dead (1978), for which he also helped create the music.

Early Life and First Steps in Film

Dario Argento was born in Rome, Italy. His father, Salvatore Argento, was a film producer, and his mother, Elda Luxardo, was a photographer. From a young age, Dario was interested in films.

As a teenager, while still in high school, he started working as a film critic. He wrote for magazines and a newspaper in Rome called Paese Sera. This early experience helped him learn a lot about movies. While working at the newspaper, he also began writing screenplays, which are the scripts for films. One of his most important early writing jobs was for the famous director Sergio Leone. He helped create the story for Leone's Western film Once Upon a Time in the West in 1968.

Career Highlights

1970s: Becoming a Director

Dario Argento, Adriano Celentano and Enzo Cerusico during the filming of The Five Days, 1973

Dario Argento started directing his own films in 1970 with a giallo movie called The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. This film was a big success in Italy. He continued to make more successful thrillers in the giallo style, like The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971) and Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1972). These three films are often called Argento's "Animal Trilogy."

After these films, he tried directing other types of movies, including two TV dramas and a comedy. But he soon returned to thrillers with Deep Red (1975). Many film experts consider Deep Red to be one of the best giallo films ever made. This movie helped Argento become known around the world and inspired many other directors. For example, director John Carpenter has said that Argento's early work influenced his famous film Halloween (1978).

Argento's next film was Suspiria (1977), which was a supernatural horror movie. He planned Suspiria to be the first part of a trilogy about "The Three Mothers," who are ancient witches. The second film in this trilogy was Inferno (1980), and the final film, The Mother of Tears, came out much later in 2007.

In 1978, Argento worked with American director George A. Romero on the zombie film Dawn of the Dead. Argento was a producer for the film and also helped with the music. He was in charge of the film's release in Europe, where it was called Zombi. This version was shorter and featured more music from the band Goblin.

1980s: Exploring New Styles

Argento in 1985

After Inferno, Argento went back to making more traditional giallo films with Tenebrae (1982). He then tried to mix giallo with fantasy in his 1985 film Phenomena, also known as Creepers. This film was one of the early movies for actress Jennifer Connelly. Phenomena also showed Argento's interest in new film technology, like the Steadicam, which is a special camera mount that allows for very smooth, flowing shots. Both Tenebrae and Phenomena were not very popular when they first came out, but many people appreciate them more now.

Argento took a break from directing to write two screenplays for director Lamberto Bava, called Dèmoni (1985) and Dèmoni 2 (1986).

In 1987, he directed Opera. This film was set in a theater during a performance of Verdi's opera Macbeth. The making of Opera faced many real-life problems. Argento's father passed away during filming, and there were difficulties working with his former partner, Daria Nicolodi. The cast and crew also had several small accidents.

From 1987 to 1988, Argento produced a TV series called Turno di Notte. He also wrote screenplays for two horror films directed by Michele Soavi: The Church (1989) and The Sect (1991).

1990s: American Settings and New Ideas

Argento interviewed in 1994

In 1990, Dario Argento co-directed Two Evil Eyes with George Romero. This film was an anthology, meaning it had two separate stories, both inspired by the writings of Edgar Allan Poe.

In 1992, Argento filmed Trauma in Minneapolis, USA. His daughter, Asia Argento, starred in it. It was a giallo film but set in America. Like many of his movies, it featured a clever trick where a character sees something, like a murder, but misunderstands what actually happened. This kind of visual trick is a common part of Argento's films.

His film The Stendhal Syndrome (1996) had its opening scene filmed in Florence at Italy's famous Uffizi Gallery. Argento is the only director who has ever been allowed to film there.

In the early 1990s, Argento wanted to work with Italian director Lucio Fulci on a horror film, but they faced money problems. In 1996, Argento finally got the money, but Fulci passed away. The film was later directed by Sergio Stivaletti and called Wax Mask, with Argento and Fulci both getting credit for the story.

Argento also directed The Phantom of the Opera (1998) and Sleepless (2001).

2000s and 2010s: Later Works

Argento discusses his film Pelts at the Torino Film Festival in 2006

In 2004, Argento directed The Card Player, a giallo film about a killer who commits murders during online poker games with the Rome police. Some fans liked the electronic music in the film, but others felt it was too ordinary compared to his usual style.

In 2005, Argento directed a TV movie called Do You Like Hitchcock?, which was a tribute to the famous director Alfred Hitchcock. Later that year, he directed an episode for the TV series Masters of Horror called "Jenifer". For the second season of the show, he directed another episode called "Pelts".

In 2007, Argento completed the "Three Mothers" trilogy with The Mother of Tears. This film is set in Rome and focuses on the last of the three ancient witches. His daughter, Asia Argento, played the main role, and his former partner, Daria Nicolodi, also had a supporting part.

In 2009, his film Giallo premiered. The following month, he announced plans to make a 3D remake of Deep Red, but this project was put on hold. He then decided to write a new screenplay. In 2011, it was announced that actor Rutger Hauer would play Van Helsing in Argento's Dracula 3D. This film was released in 2012 but received mostly negative reviews.

Argento at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival

2020s: Recent Work

In 2021, Argento returned to acting in the film Vortex, where he played the character Lui. His performance in the film received praise from critics.

In 2022, Argento directed Dark Glasses, which was his first film as a director since Dracula 3D in 2012.

Other Film Projects

In 2014, Argento was set to direct a film called The Sandman, with musician Iggy Pop attached to star. The film successfully raised money online, but as of 2023, filming has not yet started.

Italian director Luca Guadagnino directed Suspiria (2018), which was a remake of Argento's 1977 film. The new film's script was based on the original story Argento wrote with Daria Nicolodi.

In 2019, Argento announced that he was working on a new TV series with a female lead character, which would have eight episodes for a streaming service.

Other Work and Interests

Dario Argento is also involved in running a horror movie souvenir shop in Rome called Profondo Rosso. The shop is named after his classic film Deep Red. In the basement of the store, there is a collection of items from his movies. His long-time friend and collaborator Luigi Cozzi manages the store.

He has also helped with the development of the survival horror video game Dead Space. He even provided the voice for the character Dr. Kyne in the Italian version of the game.

Currently, he is working as an artistic director for an upcoming video game called Dreadful Bond.

Personal Life

Argento in 1993 with his daughter Asia

Dario Argento was married to Marisa Casale from 1968 to 1972. They had one child together, a daughter named Fiore Argento, who was born in 1970 and is an actress and costume designer.

He also had a professional and personal relationship with Italian actress and screenwriter Daria Nicolodi. They met in 1974 while casting for Deep Red, and their daughter, Asia Argento, was born in 1975. Daria Nicolodi helped write Argento's film Suspiria (1977) and appeared in many of his movies, including Deep Red (1975), Inferno (1980), Tenebrae (1982), Phenomena (1985), Opera (1987), and The Mother of Tears (2007). Argento and Nicolodi separated in 1985.

His daughter, Asia Argento, is also an actress and director. She appeared in her father's productions like Demons 2 (1986) and The Church (1989) early in her career. She was later directed by her father in films such as Trauma (1993), The Stendhal Syndrome (1996), The Phantom of the Opera (1998), The Mother of Tears (2007), and Dracula 3D (2012).

Filmography

Film

Acting Roles

Television

Acting Roles

Awards and Recognition

Dario Argento has received many awards for his work in film. These awards celebrate his long and important career as a director and filmmaker.

See also

In Spanish: Dario Argento para niños