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Francesco Costabile was born on 30 September 1980 in Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. Francesco is an assistant director and director, known for Una Femmina: The Code of Silence (2022), Familia (2024) and Dentro Roma (2006).

Francesco Mastroianni was born on 10 October 1991 in Rende, Province of Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. He is an actor, known for Mafia Mamma (2023), Caliber 9 (2020) and Dead Uncle (2016).

Tony Gaudio was born Gaetano Antonio Gaudio on November 20, 1883, in Cosenza, Italy, to a professional photographer. After attended art school in Rome, he became an assistant to his father and elder brother, who were portrait photographers. Eventually he segued into cinema, starting with "Napoleon Crossing the Alps" in 1903, and he eventually shot hundreds of short subjects for Italian film companies before moving to the US in 1906. Both he and his younger brother Eugene Gaudio, who served the same apprenticeship with both the family studio and with Italian filmmakers, would emigrate to America and become prominent cinematographers (Eugene was one of the founders of the American Society of Cinematographers in 1919; Tony would become a member of the organization and then serve as president).

In New York in 1906 Tony was employed by Al Simpson to produce "song slides" that could be shown in theaters so patrons could sing along with the music. After quitting Simpson in 1908, he worked in Vitagraph's film development laboratories in New York, then moved over to Carl Laemmle's IMP (Independent Moving Picture Co.) to supervise the construction of IMP's New York laboratories. From 1910-12 he became the chief of cinematographers at IMP, where he shot Mary Pickford's films for director Thomas H. Ince (he would later shoot The Gaucho (1927) for her husband, Douglas Fairbanks.)

Laemmle had wooed Pickford away from Biograph by offering her $175 a week, thus helping create the star system (Pickford soon left Laemmle for Adolph Zukor's Famous Players, where she was paid $10,000 per week; she left Zukor for First National, where she was paid $350,000 per film). Known as "Uncle Carl", Laemmle was famous for his nepotism, which extended even to a second cousin from Alsace, France, the future director William Wyler.

Tony's own brother Eugene would work for IMP as the superintendent of its development lab before switching to cinematography himself. As for Tony, he left IMP to work for Biograph and other companies before finding a home at Metro Pictures by 1916, where his brother Eugene now worked as a director. At Metro Tony shot 10 films for director Fred J. Balshofer and eventually wound up at First National in the early 1920s through his work as a cameraman for sisters Constance Talmadge and Norma Talmadge. From 1922-25 he shot nine Norma Talmadge pictures.

Eugene had died in 1920, and from 1923-24 Tony served as president of the American Society of Cinematographers, the professional body his brother had helped create to promote standardization in the industry and to serve as a clearinghouse for information for cameramen. Tony was at the forefront of technical innovation in his craft; in 1922 he invented a viewfinder for the new Mitchell camera. In the 1920s the Hollywood motion picture industry was dominated by Bell+Howell cameras, but Mitchell established a foothold and broke through by the end of the decade. While the Bell+Howell produced a superior image due to its innovative pressure plate behind the lens, it was too noisy for sound work, which opened up the market to Mitchell. The ASC helped promote innovations such as the viewfinder. This was rooted in the fact that in the first generation of cinema, cameramen owned their own cameras and modified them themselves. To be a cameraman one also had to be a tinkerer (Tony also would later invent the camera focusing microscope).

Tony also was an expert--as were many early cameramen--in the development of film, as most cinematographers took a hands-on approach to development in order to ensure not just the quality of their images, but to achieve effects in the lab. It was while he was employed by First National as the superintendent of the studio's film labs in 1925 that he directed two feature films released by the Poverty Row studio Columbia Pictures Corp.

In the 1920s he helped photograph Douglas Fairbanks' The Mark of Zorro (1920), pioneering the use of montage, and was lighting cameraman on Fairbanks' 1927 "The Gaucho", which featured one of the earliest two-strip Technicolor sequences (Gaudio also shot two-strip Technicolor scenes for On with the Show! (1929) and General Crack (1929)). He made his reputation during the 1920s as the chief cameraman for such top directors as Allan Dwan, Frank Borzage and Marshall Neilan, as well as for tyro director Howard Hughes' dialogue scenes with Harry Perry on the aerial scenes of Hell's Angels (1930).

When First National was acquired by Warner Bros. in 1928, Gaudio moved over to the new studio, signing a long-term contract with Warners in 1930. In time, he and his fellow Italian immigrant Sol Polito would become the co-chief-cinematographers at the studio and help fashion the distinct Warner Bros. "look" that was influenced by German Expressionism.

The opinionated Tony Gaudio was prone to clash with his directors, and Oscar-winning director Lewis Milestone'--who won his first Oscar on a film lensed by Gaudio, Two Arabian Knights (1927)--nearly fired him from The Front Page (1931) (Gaudio served as the second cameraman on Milesteone's anti-war masterpiece All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), for which the director won his second Oscar, and would shoot his last film for Milestone: The Red Pony (1949), which is renowned for its mastery of color). The studio tolerated his temperament as he was a master of black and white cinematography, winning six Academy Award nominations and one Oscar from 1930 through 1946, when he was nominated for Best Color Cinematography for the first time.

Gaudio, fellow co-cinematographer-in-chief Polito, Barney McGill and Sidney Hickox were instrumental in creating the Warner Bros. "look" of the 1930s. Warners, the most progressive studio in Hollywood, was prone to filming subjects torn from the day's headlines; the Brothers Warner, as represented by studio boss Jack L. Warner, did not demand a glamorous aesthetic as did MGM, for instance (Gaudio shot Mervyn LeRoy's gangster classic Little Caesar (1931) while Polito shot I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) for Leroy two years later). Gaudio, Polito and the other cinematographers they supervised thus were able to light their sets to evoke mood and atmosphere. The extremely versatile Gaudio shot all kinds of movies in every genre, from the prestigious A-pictures to B-movies.

Along with Polito, Gaudio shot Warners' most prestigious films, winning an Oscar for his black and white cinematography on Anthony Adverse (1936). He shot Warners' first three-strip Technicolor film, God's Country and the Woman (1937), directed by William Keighley, and, subsequently, the studio assigned Gaudio and Keighley to what was their most ambitious picture ever: The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), which was also to be shot in the difficult Technicolor. The film would eventually cost $4 million, making it the most expensive film in history to the time, but Gaudio and Keighley were removed from the project by producer Hal B. Wallis for working too slowly. The film was finished by Polito and director Michael Curtiz, though all four ultimately shared screen credit on the picture and Gaudio's footage remained in the film.

Gaudio was a regular cameraman for Bette Davis, who became the studio's greatest star during the 1930s. Gaudio originally gave Davis the glamor treatment, but by the time he shot Bordertown (1935), starring Paul Muni as a Mexican-American lawyer in a corrupt town, Gaudio didn't flinch when--shooting the film with a stark realism--he deglamorized Davis, as he would later in two period films, Juarez (1939) and The Old Maid (1939).

Critics believe that Gaudio reached the zenith of his craft on another Davis vehicle, director 'William Wyler (I)''s adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's novel, The Letter (1940). For the picture Gaudio's camera evoked a moodiness pregnant with violence. The opening shot of the film, a slow track through the Malaysian rubber plantation that is the setting for the story about to transpire, is extremely memorable.

When Gaudio shot High Sierra (1941) for Raoul Walsh, he worked in an ultra-realistic, documentary-like fashion that was a precursor of film noir. He parted company with Warners in 1943 after shooting Background to Danger (1943) to go freelance. His next picture, Universal's Corvette K-225 (1943), brought him an Oscar nomination. He won his last Oscar nomination, for color cinematography, in 1946, for A Song to Remember (1945).

Tony Gaudio died on August 10, 1951. He was 67 years old.

Gino Renni was born on 7 June 1943 in Corigliano Calabro, Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. He was an actor, known for Amándote (1988), Dr. Amor (2003) and Amándote II (1990). He died on 1 August 2021 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Notorious Chicago gangster--and one of the last of the "Mustache Petes", a nickname given to the old-line Italian gangsters by the "Young Turks" trying to take over--Giacomo "Big Jim" Colosimo was born in Colosimi, Italy. His family emigrated to Chicago in 1895, where "Big Jim" got an early start in the criminal underworld. He worked as a precinct captain and bagman for a succession of corrupt Chicago politicians, garnering himself some valuable political connections. that came in very handy later in his career. In 1902 he married a woman who was a madam at a long-established Chicago brothel, and he soon opened a second one. Colosimo had a knack for the prostitution business, and it wasn't long before he had expanded his holdings from two brothels to more than 200. This brought him into close contact with the men who ran Chicago's underworld, many of whom patronized Colosimo's houses, which not only offered women but gambling.

His success attracted the attention of the dreaded Black Hand extortion gang, and he turned to Johnny Torrio, a New York gangland figure he had befriended, and brought him to Chicago to take care of this problem, which Torrio promptly did--the Black Hand hoods who threatened Colosimo were sound found dead. With the threat of the Black Hand no longer hanging over his head, Colosimo indulged his penchant for the good life--which resulted in his being nicknamed "Diamond Jim"--and opened an exclusive restaurant named after himself. Torrio also helped Colosimo open several new brothels, and in one of them he installed a friend and colleague from his Brooklyn days to be a combination bartender/bouncer/enforcer--a tough cookie named Al Capone.

In 1920 the Volstead Act, prohibiting the manufacture and sale of alcohol, went into effect. Torrio saw that there would be huge amounts of money to be made supplying a thirsty population with booze and advised Colosimo to get in on the ground floor, but he refused. Shortly afterwards Colosimo, who had abandoned his first wife, left Chicago to marry his second wife. He returned to Chicago a week later and was contacted by Torrio, who asked Colosimo to meet him at his restaurant for an important meeting. Colosimo arrived there, sat down at a table to wait for Torrio and was promptly shot and killed by several unknown gunmen. Torrio, Capone and New York gangster Frankie Yale were suspected of being the triggermen, but nothing was ever proved and they were never charged with the murder.

Colosimo's funeral was, as was the custom among gangsters at the time, an epic. Huge, expensive floral arrangements surrounded an ornate bronze coffin. There were more than 50 pallbearers, many of them judges and Congressmen. More than 1000 marchers followed the coffin to Oak Woods cemetery. Colosimo was scheduled to be buried in a Catholic cemetery, but the Archbishop of New York forbade Colosimo from being buried in any Catholic cemetery in the city. It wasn't because of the innumerable murders, thefts, beatings, corruption, gambling, prostitution and other crimes he was responsible for--he was banned from burial in a Catholic cemetery because he had divorced his first wife.

Giuseppe Gagliardi was born in 1977 in Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. Giuseppe is a director and writer, known for Tatanka (2011), Doichlanda (2003) and The True Legend of Tony Vilar (2006).

Max Mazzotta was born on 12 November 1968 in Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. He is an actor and director, known for Tell Me About Love (2008), Fiabeschi torna a casa (2013) and Paz! (2002).

Italian professional dancer and model, but also a TV presenter and an actor. Valerio Pino has always known what he was going to do with his life. Study, dedication, sacrifices and travels have made him an eclectic, competent and experienced professional that in his twenty-five-year career has achieved success and affection of audiences around the world, from Europe to the Americas.

Valerio Pino is ambitious, hard working, determined and always focused on the direction of his life. An avid traveler, who has lived in Spain, US and Mexico, makes Valerio a diverse and experienced professional.

Pier Luigi Misasi is an Italian actor born in 1962, known for his performances in TV series such as "Il Capo dei Capi" (2007) and "La Mafia Uccide solo D'estate" (2018). Misasi has performed in major roles in important stage productions, including T.S. Eliot's "Murder in the Cathedral" (1984). Misasi is an expert in verse drama and dramatic verse, particularly with regards Dante's Divine Comedyacting, and thus also works as an acting coach.

Pasquale Anselmo was born on 14 April 1958 in Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. He is an actor, known for Treasure Planet (2002), The Wire (2002) and La piovra (1984).

Daniele Demma was born on 22 August 1957 in Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. He was an actor and writer, known for Arriva Cristina (1988), Cristina (1989) and Les Mille et Une Nuits (1993). He died on 6 November 2017 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy.

Cesare Lanza was born on 8 July 1942 in Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. He is a writer and director, known for La perfezionista (2008), Sweet Adolescents (1977) and Festival di Sanremo (1951).

Franco Piro was born on 23 July 1948 in Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. He died on 20 February 2017 in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.

Maria Perrusi was born on 13 September 1991 in Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. She is an actress, known for The Tailor's Wife (2014).

Ada Dondini was born on 18 March 1883 in Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. She was an actress, known for Malombra (1942), Piccolo mondo antico (1941) and Circo equestre Za-bum (1944). She died on 3 January 1958 in Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy.

Francesco Leonetti was born on 27 January 1924 in Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. He was an actor and writer, known for The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964), Oedipus Rex (1967) and Caprice Italian Style (1968). He was married to Eleonora Fiorani. He died on 17 December 2017 in Milan, Italy.

Flavia Fortunato was born on 16 March 1964 in Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. She is an actress, known for Victor Victoria (1993), Discoring (1977) and Festival di Sanremo (1951).

Domenico Strati was born on 27 August 1967 in Fuscaldo, Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. He is an actor and writer, known for Carta vetrata (1999), La corsa (2019) and Saremo Film (2006).

Fabio Nunziata was born on 21 February 1965 in Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. He is an editor and director, known for Il caricatore (1996), Il caricatore (1995) and Il ritorno di Cagliostro (2003).

Brunori Sas was born on 28 September 1977 in Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. He is an actor and composer, known for The Guest (2018), I Hate Summer (2020) and Il grande giorno (2022).

Onofrio Coppola was born on 28 July 1950 in Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. He is known for Nirvana (1997), The Other Man (2008) and The Uranium Conspiracy (1978).

Larissa Volpentesta was born on 27 July 1987 in Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. She is an actress, known for Vipera (2000), Don Matteo (2000) and E dopo cadde la neve (2005).

Elsa Serrano was born on 13 July 1947 in Corigliano Calabro, Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. She was married to ??? and Alfredo Serrano. She died on 16 September 2020 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Domenico Berardi was born on 1 August 1994 in Cariati, Province of Cosenza, Calabria, Italy.

Stefano Rodotà was born on 30 May 1933 in Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. He died on 23 June 2017 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.