Born January 20, 1920, in Rimini, Italy; died of cardiac arrest, October 31,1993, in Rome, Italy. Film director and screenwriter. Winner of numerous awards for filmmaking, Fellini was known for crafting personal motion pictures that delved into the human condition, often using avant-garde or grotesque visual imagery. His work, which ran the gambit from neo-realism to surrealism, was often praised by critics for its originality and boldness. Fellini's careerin the entertainment field began in his youth, first as a cartoonist and later as a member of a vaudeville troupe. He moved on to radio comedy writing before venturing into screenwriting. His filmmaking career got a boost when hemet director Roberto Rossellini and began collaborating with him on various motion pictures, including the 1945 documentary Open City.
An accomplished and controversial director, he also wrote the scripts for each of his twenty feature films, such as La Dolce Vita ("The Sweet Life"), Cityof Women, Fred and Ginger, and Intervista ("Interview"). Such achievements earned him critical praise, including credit for reviving Italy's demoralizedfilm industry after World War II. Several of his works--8 1/2, La Strada ("The Road"), The Nights of Cabiria, and Amarcord ("I Remember")--won Academy Awards as best foreign films. Fellini himself was also the recipient of a lifetime achievement Oscar in 1993. During his career, Fellini also chronicled various facets of his life and film work in books such as Fellini on Fellini andLa mia Rimini.
September 2003: Rome, Italy, marks the 10th anniversary of Fellini's death with a festival called "Romacord," which features exhibits of memorabilia and screenings of the director's films. Source: Associated Press, http://customwire.ap.org, July 28, 2003.
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