Sergio Leone Biography

Fast Facts

• Best known as a director, producer and writer for Spaghetti Western films, including "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and "The Last Days of Pompeii․"
• Won the 1972 David di Donatello Award for Best Director for the movie "Duck, You Sucker!"
• Son of Italian director Roberto Roberti and actress Bice Waleran
• Started his career as an assistant director in the late 1940s
• Quote: "I know more about the West than most Americans․ I feel more qualified to make a good Western than most American directors․"
• Quote: "The universal attraction of the western is that it is a great fable, a myth like Achilles․ For me personally, the attraction is the joy of making justice․․․without asking permission-bang, bang․"
• Frequently collaborated with actors Benito Stefanelli, Antonio Molino Rojo, Aldo Sambrell and Lorenzo Robledo
• Often used the "Mexican standoff" in films, as well as extreme close-ups