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IMDbPro

Dario Argento

  • Writer
  • Director
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Dario Argento in Dracula 3D (2012)
The last days of an elderly couple stricken by dementia.
Play trailer1:29
Vortex (2021)
5 Videos
17 Photos
Dario Argento was born on September 7, 1940, in Rome, Italy, the first-born son of famed Italian producer Salvatore Argento and Brazilian fashion model Elda Luxardo. Argento recalls getting his ideas for filmmaking from his close-knit family from Italian folk tales told by his parents and other family members, including an aunt who told him frighting bedtime stories. Argento based most of his thriller movies on childhood trauma, yet his own--according to him--was a normal one. Along with tales spun by his aunt, Argento was impressed by stories from The Grimm Brothers, Hans Christian Andersen and Edgar Allan Poe. Argento started his career writing for various film journal magazines while still in his teens attending a Catholic high school. After graduation, instead of going to college, Argento took a job as a columnist for the Rome daily newspaper "Paese Sera". Inspired by the movies, he later found work as a screenwriter and wrote several screenplays for a number of films, but the most important were his western collaborations, which included Cemetery Without Crosses (1969) and the Sergio Leone masterpiece Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). After its release Argento wrote and directed his first movie, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970), which starred Tony Musante and and British actress Suzy Kendall. It's a loose adoption on Fredric Brown's novel "The Screaming Mimi", which was made for his father's film company. Argento wanted to direct the movie himself because he did not want any other director messing up the production and his screenplay.

After "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage" became an international hit, Argento followed up with two more thrillers, The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971), starring 'Karl Madlen' (qv" and 'James Fransiscus', and Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) ("Four Flies On Black Velvet"), both backed by his father Salvatore. Argento then directed the TV drama Testimone oculare (1973) and the historical TV drama The Five Days (1973). He then went back to directing so-called "giallo" thrillers, starting with Deep Red (1975), a violent mystery-thriller starring David Hemmings that inspired a number of international directors in the thriller-horror genre. His next work was Suspiria (1977), a surreal horror film about a witch's coven that was inspired by the Gothic fairy tales of the Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Anderson, which he also wrote in collaboration with his girlfriend, screenwriter/actress Daria Nicolodi, who acted in "Profondo Rosso" ("Deep Red") and most of Argento's films from then to the late 1980s. Argento advanced the unfinished trilogy with Inferno (1980), before returning to the "giallo" genre with the gory Tenebrae (1982), and then with the haunting Phenomena (1985).

The lukewarm reviews for his films, however, caused Argento to slip away from directing to producing and co-writing two Lamberto Bava horror flicks, Demons (1985) and Demons 2 (1986). Argento returned to directing with the "giallo" thriller Opera (1987), which according to him was "a very unpleasant experience", and no wonder: a rash of technical problems delayed production, the lead actress Vanessa Redgrave dropped out before filming was to begin, Argento's father Salvatore died during filming and his long-term girlfriend Daria broke off their relationship. After the commercial box-office failure of "Opera", Argento temporarily settled in the US, where he collaborated with director George A. Romero on the two-part horror-thriller Two Evil Eyes (1990) (he had previously collaborated with Romero on the horror action thriller Dawn of the Dead (1978)). While still living in America, Argento appeared in small roles in several films and directed another violent mystery thriller, Trauma (1993), which starred his youngest daughter Asia Argento from his long-term relationship with Nicolodi.

Argento returned to Italy in 1995, where he made a comeback in the horror genre with The Stendhal Syndrome (1996) and then with another version of "The Phantom of the Opera", The Phantom of the Opera (1998), both of which starred Asia. Most recently, Argento directed a number of "giallo" mystery thrillers such as Sleepless (2001), The Card Player (2003) and Ti piace Hitchcock? (2005), as well as two gory, supernatural-themed episodes of the USA TV cable anthology series Masters of Horror (2005).

Having always wanted to make a third chapter to his "Three Mothers" horror films, Argento finally completed the trilogy in 2007 with the release of Mother of Tears (2007), which starred Asia Argento as a young woman trying to identify and stop the last surviving evil witch from taking over the world. In addition to his Gothic and violent style of storytelling, "La terza madre" has many references to two of his previous films, "Suspiria" (1997) and "Inferno" (1980), which is a must for fans of the trilogy.

His movies may be regarded by some critics and opponents as cheap and overly violent, but second or third viewings show him to be a talented writer/director with a penchant for original ideas and creative directing.
BornSeptember 7, 1940
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornSeptember 7, 1940
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Unlock contact info on IMDbPro
  • Awards
    • 15 wins & 8 nominations

Photos17

Asia Argento and Dario Argento in Dracula 3D (2012)
Dario Argento, Thomas Kretschmann, and Marta Gastini in Dracula 3D (2012)
Asia Argento and Dario Argento at an event for Dark Glasses (2022)
Dario Argento
Dario Argento and Nicolas Winding Refn
Asia Argento, Dario Argento, and Thomas Kretschmann at an event for Dracula 3D (2012)
Dario Argento and Thomas Kretschmann at an event for Dracula 3D (2012)
Asia Argento and Dario Argento at an event for Dracula 3D (2012)
Asia Argento, Dario Argento, Unax Ugalde, and Marta Gastini at an event for Dracula 3D (2012)
Dario Argento and Thomas Kretschmann at an event for Dracula 3D (2012)
Dario Argento at an event for Dracula 3D (2012)
Asia Argento, Dario Argento, Thomas Kretschmann, and Marta Gastini at an event for Dracula 3D (2012)

Known for

Deep Red (1975)
Deep Red
7.5
  • Writer
  • 1975
Suzy Kendall in The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
7.1
  • Writer
  • 1970
Jennifer Connelly in Phenomena (1985)
Phenomena
6.7
  • Writer
  • 1985
Opera (1987)
Opera
6.9
  • Writer
  • 1987

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Writer

  • Dark Glasses (2022)
    Dark Glasses
    • screenplay by
    • 2022
  • Suspiria (2018)
    Suspiria
    • characters
    • 2018
  • Dracula 3D (2012)
    Dracula 3D
    • screenplay
    • 2012
  • Giallo (2009)
    Giallo
    • written by
    • 2009
  • Asia Argento in Mother of Tears (2007)
    Mother of Tears
    • screenplay
    • story
    • 2007
  • Elio Germano in Ti piace Hitchcock? (2005)
    Ti piace Hitchcock?
    • Writer
    • TV Movie
    • 2005
  • The Card Player (2003)
    The Card Player
    • screenplay
    • story
    • 2003
  • Chiara Caselli in Sleepless (2001)
    Sleepless
    • screenplay
    • story
    • 2001
  • The Phantom of the Opera (1998)
    The Phantom of the Opera
    • writer
    • 1998
  • The Wax Mask (1997)
    The Wax Mask
    • story
    • 1997
  • Asia Argento in The Stendhal Syndrome (1996)
    The Stendhal Syndrome
    • screenplay
    • story
    • 1996
  • Asia Argento in Trauma (1993)
    Trauma
    • story
    • written by
    • 1993
  • Kelly Curtis in The Sect (1991)
    The Sect
    • Writer
    • 1991
  • Two Evil Eyes (1990)
    Two Evil Eyes
    • Writer (segment Black Cat, The)
    • 1990
  • The Church (1989)
    The Church
    • screenplay
    • story
    • 1989

Director

  • Dark Glasses (2022)
    Dark Glasses
    • Director
    • 2022
  • Dracula 3D (2012)
    Dracula 3D
    • Director
    • 2012
  • Giallo (2009)
    Giallo
    • Director
    • 2009
  • Asia Argento in Mother of Tears (2007)
    Mother of Tears
    • Director
    • 2007
  • Masters of Horror (2005)
    Masters of Horror
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2005–2006
  • Elio Germano in Ti piace Hitchcock? (2005)
    Ti piace Hitchcock?
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 2005
  • The Card Player (2003)
    The Card Player
    • Director
    • 2003
  • Eridania: Zefiro (2002)
    Eridania: Zefiro
    • Director
    • Short
    • 2002
  • Chiara Caselli in Sleepless (2001)
    Sleepless
    • Director
    • 2001
  • AIMA: Vicolo cieco (1999)
    AIMA: Vicolo cieco
    • Director
    • Short
    • 1999
  • The Phantom of the Opera (1998)
    The Phantom of the Opera
    • Director
    • 1998
  • Asia Argento in The Stendhal Syndrome (1996)
    The Stendhal Syndrome
    • Director
    • 1996
  • Asia Argento in Trauma (1993)
    Trauma
    • Director
    • 1993
  • The King of Ads (1991)
    The King of Ads
    • Director (segment Fiat Croma commercial)
    • 1991
  • Two Evil Eyes (1990)
    Two Evil Eyes
    • Director (segment The Black Cat)
    • 1990

Producer

  • Alice Krige in She Will (2021)
    She Will
    • executive producer
    • 2021
  • Asia Argento in Mother of Tears (2007)
    Mother of Tears
    • producer
    • 2007
  • The Card Player (2003)
    The Card Player
    • producer
    • 2003
  • Chiara Caselli in Sleepless (2001)
    Sleepless
    • producer
    • 2001
  • Asia Argento in Scarlet Diva (2000)
    Scarlet Diva
    • producer
    • 2000
  • The Wax Mask (1997)
    The Wax Mask
    • producer
    • 1997
  • Asia Argento in The Stendhal Syndrome (1996)
    The Stendhal Syndrome
    • producer
    • 1996
  • Asia Argento in Trauma (1993)
    Trauma
    • producer
    • 1993
  • Kelly Curtis in The Sect (1991)
    The Sect
    • producer
    • 1991
  • Two Evil Eyes (1990)
    Two Evil Eyes
    • executive producer
    • 1990
  • The Church (1989)
    The Church
    • producer
    • 1989
  • Gli incubi di Dario Argento
    • producer
    • TV Series
    • 1987
  • Opera (1987)
    Opera
    • producer
    • 1987
  • Turno di notte (1987)
    Turno di notte
    • producer
    • TV Series
    • 1987
  • Demons 2 (1986)
    Demons 2
    • producer
    • 1986
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos5

Bloody Beginnings of the Summer Camp Slasher
Clip 7:00
Bloody Beginnings of the Summer Camp Slasher
'Suspiria': A Bloody Horror Epic 25 Years in the Remaking
Interview 2:17
'Suspiria': A Bloody Horror Epic 25 Years in the Remaking
Dario Argento's World of Horror
Interview 1:59
Dario Argento's World of Horror
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:29
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:51
Official Trailer

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Official Site
  • Alternative names
    • Argento
  • Height
    • 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
  • Born
    • September 7, 1940
    • Rome, Lazio, Italy
  • Spouse
    • Marisa Casale1968 - 1972 (divorced, 1 child)
  • Children
      Fiore Argento
  • Parents
      Salvatore Argento
  • Relatives
    • Claudio Argento(Sibling)
  • Other works
    "Trussardi Action" Fashion show for Trussardi, which re-enacted opening from Suspiria (1977) on national TV and got Argento into trouble.
  • Publicity listings
    • 4 Biographical Movies
    • 8 Print Biographies
    • 4 Interviews
    • 9 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Opened up a store and museum in Rome called "Profondo Rosso". It is similar to Forbidden Planet in London, and has memorabilia from many horror, sci-fi and fantasy movies. In the basement of the store there are special effect pieces from some of his films.
  • Quotes
    I like women, especially beautiful ones. If they have a good face and figure, I would much prefer to watch them being murdered than an ugly girl or man. I certainly don't have to justify myself to anyone about this. I don't care what anyone thinks or reads into it. I have often had journalists walk out of interviews when I say what I feel about this subject.
  • Trademarks
      Closeups of eyes, frequently that of the killer. Main character is usually involved in an "artistic" profession, like writing or music.
  • Nicknames
    • Master of Horror
    • Visconti of Violence
    • Italian Hitchcock

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