Philip D'Antoni (February 19, 1929 – April 15, 2018) was an American film and television producer. He was best known for producing the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning 1971 film '' The French Connection''.The New York Times
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Early life

D'Antoni attended Evander Childs High School in the Bronx.Menapace, Stephen A
"Liz Taylor London Tour A Rockland Man's Show"
'' The Record'', East Bergen, New Jersey, volume 69, number 105, October 7, 1963, page 48. He then served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

from 1946 to 1948 during the occupation of Japan after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He was eventually assigned to Special Services where he entertained troops by participating in theatrical productions.Philip D'Antoni, Oscar-Winning Producer on 'The French Connection,' Dies at 89.
''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

''. Retrieved February 23, 2020. After army service, he attended Fordham University from 1948 to 1950, where he worked during the day and attended school at night, and graduated with a degree in business administration.

Career

D'Antoni began his career on television with the production of the specials '' Sophia Loren in Rome'', '' Elizabeth Taylor in London'' and '' Melina Mercouri in Greece''. He produced ''

Bullitt ''Bullitt'' is a 1968 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Peter Yates and produced by Philip D'Antoni. The picture stars Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, and Jacqueline Bisset. The screenplay by Alan R. Trustman and Harry Kleine ...

'' in 1968. In 1971, he produced '' The French Connection'', which won the Best Picture award, among other wins at the Oscars. In 1973, he produced and directed ''

The Seven-Ups ''The Seven-Ups'' is a 1973 American neo-noir mystery action film produced and directed by Philip D'Antoni. It stars Roy Scheider as a crusading policeman who is the leader of the Seven-Ups, a squad of plainclothes officers who use dirty, unorth ...

''. After ''The Seven-Ups'', D'Antoni, who held the rights to '' French Connection II'' and Gerald Walker's novel ''Cruising'', eschewed feature filmmaking and turned his attention to television production where he enjoyed a lucrative contract with

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

. D'Antoni's crime dramas are characterized by a cold, gritty, "street" perspective with documentary style, often filmed during the bleak New York winter months, and offer the viewer a realistic and often dangerous sense of being an insider, as opposed to using glamorous locations or produced sets. D'Antoni's television production credits include: * ''Elizabeth Taylor in London'' (1963) * ''Sophia Loren in Rome'' (1964) * '' The Connection'' (1973) * ''Mr. Inside/Mr. Outside'' (1974) * ''In Tandem'' (1974; pilot film for ''Movin' On'') * '' Movin' On'' (1974) * ''Strike Force'' (1975) * '' Shark Kill'' (1976)

Awards

D'Antoni won the

in 1972 for

Best Picture This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

for '' The French Connection.'' He also won the Golden Globe award for Best Motion Picture Drama for ''The French Connection.''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:D'Antoni, Philip 1929 births 2018 deaths United States Army soldiers American film directors of Italian descent Burials at Gate of Heaven Cemetery (Hawthorne, New York) Businesspeople from New York City Film directors from New York City Film producers from New York (state) Fordham University alumni Golden Globe Award-winning producers People from the Bronx Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award Television producers from New York City 20th-century American businesspeople