Sergio Leone Biography

Sergio Leone was the son of the cinema pioneer, Vincenzo Leone, and the actress, Francesca Bertini. Given this background, it is no surprise that he started working in film in his teens.

He began writing screenplays in the 1950s and made his solo directorial debut in 1960. He did not invent the Spaghetti Western genre, but he created some of its most memorable films, overblown Cinemascope excesses that pushed the relative unknown, Clint Eastwood, to stardom.

'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly', made in 1966, stars Clint Eastwood as "the Good", Lee van Cleef as "the Bad", and Eli Wallach as "the Ugly". The film is set at the tail end of the American Civil War, and details a race to capture some buried gold. It is perhaps best known for its sparse soundtrack, created by Ennio Morricone.

The film is often considered to be part of a trilogy with Leone's earlier films, 'A Fistful of Dollars' and 'For a Few Dollars More'.

Based on these successes, in 1967 he was invited to America to direct what he hoped would be his masterwork, Once Upon a Time in the West for Paramount. Filmed mostly in Spain and Italy, and briefly Monument Valley, Utah, and starring Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, and Claudia Cardinale it emerged as a long, violent, dreamlike meditation upon the mythology of the American West. It was scripted by Leone's longtime friend and collaborator Sergio Donati.

The story was written by Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario Argento, both of whom went on to have significant careers as directors. Before its release, however, the film was ruthlessly edited by Paramount, which perhaps contributed to its poor box-office results in America. Nevertheless, it was a huge hit in Europe and highly praised amongst film students in the US. It has come to be regarded by many as Leone's best film.

He directed a quick, money-making project starring James Coburn, then turned down the opportunity to direct 'The Godfather', building up instead to another epic work, this time centred on American gangsters, 1984's 'Once Upon A Time In America'.

At his death in 1989 he was part way through planning yet another epic, this time on the Second World War battle for Leningrad.