The Most Famous
PRODUCERS from Italy
This page contains a list of the greatest Italian Producers. The pantheon dataset contains 140 Producers, 4 of which were born in Italy. This makes Italy the birth place of the 4th most number of Producers behind United Kingdom, and India.
Top 6
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Italian Producers of all time. This list of famous Italian Producers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Carlo Ponti (1912 - 2007)
With an HPI of 67.25, Carlo Ponti is the most famous Italian Producer. His biography has been translated into 47 different languages on wikipedia.
Carlo Fortunato Pietro Ponti Sr. (11 December 1912 – 10 January 2007) was an Italian film producer with more than 140 productions to his credit. Along with Dino De Laurentiis, he is credited with reinvigorating and popularizing Italian cinema post-World War II, producing some of the country's most acclaimed and financially-successful films of the 1950s and 1960s. Ponti worked with many of the most important directors of Italian cinema of the era, including Federico Fellini, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Vittorio De Sica, as well as many international directors such as Agnès Varda and David Lean. He helped launch the career of his wife, international film star Sophia Loren. He won the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film for La Strada (1954) and was nominated for Best Picture for producing Doctor Zhivago (1965). In 1996, he was appointed as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
2. Dino De Laurentiis (1919 - 2010)
With an HPI of 63.92, Dino De Laurentiis is the 2nd most famous Italian Producer. His biography has been translated into 42 different languages.
Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (Italian: [ˈdiːno de lauˈrɛnti.is]; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian film producer and businessman who held both Italian and American citizenship. Following a brief acting career in the late 1930s and early 1940s, he moved into film production; alongside Carlo Ponti, he brought Italian cinema to the international scene in the post-World War II period. He produced or co-produced over 500 films, with 38 of his Hollywood films receiving Academy Award nominations. He was also the creator and operator of DDL Foodshow, a chain of Italian specialty foods stores.
3. Alberto Grimaldi (1925 - 2021)
With an HPI of 56.63, Alberto Grimaldi is the 3rd most famous Italian Producer. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Alberto Grimaldi (28 March 1925 – 23 January 2021) was an Italian film producer.
4. Aurelio De Laurentiis (b. 1949)
With an HPI of 56.23, Aurelio De Laurentiis is the 4th most famous Italian Producer. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Aurelio De Laurentiis (born 24 May 1949) is an Italian film producer. He owns the film production company Filmauro and the Italian football club Napoli (of which he is also chairman). He is the nephew of film producer Dino De Laurentiis and first cousin once removed of chef Giada De Laurentiis. De Laurentiis serves on the board of directors of the National Italian American Foundation. In 1995, he was a member of the jury at the 19th Moscow International Film Festival. After Napoli went bankrupt in 2004 and were relegated to the third division of Italian Football, De Laurentiis bought the club with the ambition of bringing them back up the divisions whilst ensuring financial stability. After two promotions in three years, Napoli were back in Serie A. They spent the first few years in mid-table, and in the 2010–11 season qualified for the UEFA Champions League. Napoli spent the 2010s competing at the top of the table and in European football. The club won the Serie A under his ownership in the 2022–23 Serie A season.
5. Franco Cristaldi (1924 - 1992)
With an HPI of 54.47, Franco Cristaldi is the 5th most famous Italian Producer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Franco Cristaldi (3 October 1924 – 1 July 1992) was an Italian film producer, credited with producing (or co-producing) feature films from the 1950s to the 1990s.
6. Mario Cecchi Gori (1920 - 1993)
With an HPI of 47.56, Mario Cecchi Gori is the 6th most famous Italian Producer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Mario Cecchi Gori (Italian pronunciation: [ˈmaːrjo ˈtʃekki ˈɡɔːri]; 21 March 1920 – 5 November 1993) was an Italian film producer and owner of companies. He produced over 200 films, notably with Damiano Damiani, Dino Risi (The Easy Life, I Mostri) and Ettore Scola. Gabriele Salvatores' film Mediterraneo won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. With Lamerica, directed by Gianni Amelio, he received the Best Film Award at European Film Awards in 1994. Il Postino: The Postman (1995, directed by Michael Radford) was the first Italian film to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Film. From 1990 to his death, he was the president of Fiorentina. His son Vittorio Cecchi Gori is also a film producer.
People
Pantheon has 6 people classified as Italian producers born between 1912 and 1949. Of these 6, 1 (16.67%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Italian producers include Aurelio De Laurentiis. The most famous deceased Italian producers include Carlo Ponti, Dino De Laurentiis, and Alberto Grimaldi. As of April 2024, 2 new Italian producers have been added to Pantheon including Franco Cristaldi, and Mario Cecchi Gori.
Living Italian Producers
Go to all RankingsDeceased Italian Producers
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Carlo Ponti
1912 - 2007
HPI: 67.25
Dino De Laurentiis
1919 - 2010
HPI: 63.92
Alberto Grimaldi
1925 - 2021
HPI: 56.63
Franco Cristaldi
1924 - 1992
HPI: 54.47
Mario Cecchi Gori
1920 - 1993
HPI: 47.56
Newly Added Italian Producers (2024)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Producers were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 5 most globally memorable Producers since 1700.
