Contents
Sergio Leone
Reinventing the screen Western through the Dollars trilogy and Once Upon a Time in the West.
A Fistful of Dollars · The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
- Born
- 3 January 1929
- Birthplace
- Rome, Italy
- Died
- 30 April 1989
More people
Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone combined prolonged suspense, extreme close-ups and Ennio Morricone scores into an instantly recognisable style.
Early life
Cinema family
His father directed silent films and his mother acted in them.
Early apprenticeship
Worked on Italian productions, including Bicycle Thieves, before directing.
Career
- 1950s
Large productions
Assisted on historical epics filmed in Italy.
- 1961
Solo debut
Directed The Colossus of Rhodes.
- 1964–1966
Dollars trilogy
Made three Westerns with Clint Eastwood that reached international audiences.
- 1984
Final epic
Released the gangster saga Once Upon a Time in America.
Selected work
A Fistful of Dollars
A wandering gunman exploits a town's rival factions.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Three men pursue buried gold during the American Civil War.
Once Upon a Time in the West
Railroad expansion drives a struggle over land and revenge.
Beyond work
Musical partnership
Reunited with former schoolmate Ennio Morricone, whose scores became integral to his films.
Unfinished project
Planned a film about the siege of Leningrad but died before making it.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗British Film Institute: film and context ↗Photo: Unknown author Unknown author. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
