35 Facts About Dario Argento

Dario Argento is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and critic.

Dario Argento co-wrote the screenplay for Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West and served as George A Romero's script consultant on Dawn of the Dead, for which he composed the soundtrack with his long-time collaborators Goblin.

Dario Argento began work on his directorial debut, the giallo film The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, which was a major hit in Italy.

Dario Argento continued to concentrate largely on the giallo genre, directing two more successful thrillers, The Cat o' Nine Tails and Four Flies on Grey Velvet.

Dario Argento returned to thrillers with Deep Red, frequently cited by many critics as the best giallo ever made.

The film made Dario Argento known internationally and inspired other directors to work in the genre.

Dario Argento planned for Suspiria to be the first of a trilogy about "The Three Mothers", three ancient witches residing in three different modern cities.

In 1978, Argento collaborated with George A Romero on Dawn of the Dead, earning a producer credit and providing soundtrack work for the zombie film.

Dario Argento oversaw the European release of the film, where it was titled Zombi, which was much shorter and featured more of the score written and performed by Goblin.

Dario Argento then attempted to combine giallo and supernatural fantasy in 1985's Phenomena, known as Creepers, which was one of Jennifer Connelly's earliest movies.

Dario Argento subsequently took a break from directing to write two screenplays for Mario Bava's son, Lamberto Bava: Demoni and Demoni 2.

Dario Argento's father died during its production, Vanessa Redgrave quit the project before filming began, he had problems working with his former long-time girlfriend and collaborator Daria Nicolodi on-set, and the cast and crew were plagued by several minor accidents and mishaps.

Daria Nicolodi and Asia Dario Argento starred in several of the episodes.

Dario Argento later produced and wrote the screenplays for two horror films directed by Michele Soavi, The Church and The Sect.

In 1990, Dario Argento co-directed Two Evil Eyes with George Romero, a two-story anthology film inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

In 1992, Dario Argento filmed Trauma, starring his daughter Asia Dario Argento, in Minneapolis, MN.

Dario Argento is the only director ever granted permission to shoot there.

In 1996, Dario Argento was able to gather the funding, but was unable at that point to collaborate with Fulci who died in March of that year.

Dario Argento later directed 1998's The Phantom of the Opera and 2001's Sleepless.

In 2004, Dario Argento directs The Card Player, a giallo about a killer whose murders are conducted during Internet poker matches with the Rome police, earned a mixed reception; some fans appreciated the techno music score composed by ex-Goblin member Claudio Simonetti, but felt the film was too mainstream, with little of Dario Argento's usual flourish.

For season two of the series, Argento directed "Pelts", an adaption of the F Paul Wilson short story of the same name.

In 2007, Dario Argento finished the final film of his Three Mothers trilogy, The Mother of Tears, which is set in Rome and centers on the titular "third mother", Mater Lacrimarum.

Dario Argento then announced his decision to write a new screenplay.

In 2021, Dario Argento returned to acting and portrayed Lui in Gaspar Noe's 2021 psychological drama film Vortex.

In 2022, Dario Argento directs Dark Glasses, in his first directorial work since the 2012 film Dracula 3D.

In 2014, Dario Argento was slated to direct The Sandman, which had Iggy Pop attached to star and a script by David Tully.

The American screenplay is based on the original script Dario Argento wrote with Daria Nicolodi, his former long-term partner.

In 2019, Dario Argento announced that he was developing a female-led serial movie, consisting of eight episodes, for a streaming service.

Dario Argento is involved in operating a horror memorabilia store located at Via dei Gracchi 260 in Rome named Profondo Rosso, after his classic film Deep Red.

Dario Argento has contributed in the development of the survival horror video game Dead Space, and in the dubbing of the Dr Kyne character in the Italian version of the game.

Dario Argento is acting as an artistic director on Clod Studio's upcoming video game Dreadful Bond.

Between 1968 and 1972, Dario Argento was married to Marisa Casale, the great-granddaughter of Italian composer, pianist and conductor Alfredo Casella.

Dario Argento had a professional and romantic relationship with Italian actress and screenwriter Daria Nicolodi; they met in 1974 during casting for Deep Red, and their daughter Asia Dario Argento was born in 1975.

Dario Argento is the subject of Art of Darkness, a collection of critical essays, reviews, promotional stills, and poster art edited by Chris Gallant.

In 2012, Dario Argento was highlighted in the retrospective Dario Argento: Il Cinema Nel Sangue at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City.