Vittorio De Sica facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vittorio De Sica
De Sica in General Della Rovere (1959)
Born	(1901-07-07)7 July 1901 Sora, Lazio, Kingdom of Italy
Died	13 November 1974(1974-11-13) (aged 73) Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France
Occupation	Film director, actor
Years active	1917–1974
Spouse(s)	Giuditta Rissone ​ ​ (m. 1937; div. 1954)​ María Mercader ​ (m. 1968)​
Children	Emilia (Emi) De Sica Manuel De Sica Christian De Sica

Vittorio De Sica (/də ˈsiːkə/ DƏ-_-SEE-kə, Italian: [vitˈtɔːrjo de ˈsiːka]; born July 7, 1901 – died November 13, 1974) was a famous Italian film director and actor. He was a very important person in the neorealist film movement. This style of filmmaking showed real-life stories, often about poor people, right after World War II.

Four of the movies he directed won Academy Awards, also known as Oscars. Sciuscià and Bicycle Thieves received special honorary awards. Later, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow and Il giardino dei Finzi Contini won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The success of Sciuscià and Bicycle Thieves helped create the permanent Oscar for Best Foreign Film. These two films are seen as classic movies. In 1958, Bicycle Thieves was even called the greatest film ever by a poll of filmmakers and critics.

De Sica was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1957. This was for his role as Major Rinaldi in the movie A Farewell to Arms. Many people thought his acting was the best part of that film.

About Vittorio De Sica's Life and Career

Vittorio De Sica in the late 1920s

Vittorio De Sica was born on July 7, 1901, in Sora, Lazio, Italy. His father worked for the Bank of Italy. Vittorio started acting in the theater in the early 1920s. In 1933, he started his own theater company with his wife, Giuditta Rissone. They mostly performed light comedies.

A very important moment for De Sica was meeting the writer Cesare Zavattini. Together, they made some of the most famous films of the neorealist period. These included Sciuscià (Shoeshine) and Bicycle Thieves. De Sica directed both of these movies. He also appeared in the British TV show The Four Just Men in 1959.

Vittorio De Sica's Personal Life

Vittorio De Sica had a strong interest in gambling. Because of this, he sometimes took on acting jobs that he might not have otherwise chosen. He even showed this interest through characters in some of his own movies, like The Gold of Naples.

In 1937, Vittorio De Sica married actress Giuditta Rissone. They had a daughter named Emilia, also known as Emi. Later, in 1942, he met Spanish actress María Mercader while working on a movie. They started a relationship and had two sons: Manuel, born in 1949, who became a musician, and Christian, born in 1951, who followed his father into acting and directing.

Vittorio De Sica was a Roman Catholic and a communist. Even though he had two families, he stayed connected to both. He made sure to celebrate holidays with both his first wife and daughter, and his second wife and sons.

Vittorio De Sica passed away at the age of 73 in Paris, France, after having surgery for lung cancer.

Awards and Recognitions for Vittorio De Sica

Vittorio De Sica received many awards for his work. In 1971, he was given the Interfilm Grand Prix by the Berlin International Film Festival.

Here are some of the major awards his films won:

• Miracolo a Milano won the Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or.
• Il Tetto won the Cannes Film Festival OCIC Award.
• Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini won the Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear and the Interfilm Award.
• He won the Nastro d'Argento for Best Director in 1946 for Sciuscià.
• Sciuscià also received an Academy Honorary Award in 1947.
• Bicycle Thieves won a Special Foreign Language Film Award at the Academy Awards in 1949. It also won a BAFTA (British Academy Award) for Best Film in 1950.
• Ieri, oggi, domani won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1965.
• Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1972.

Vittorio De Sica's Films as Director

Vittorio De Sica's Films as Actor

Television Appearances as Actor

• The Four Just Men, by Sapphire Films (1959) (10 episodes)

See also

In Spanish: Vittorio De Sica para niños