Federico De Laurentiis (February 28, 1955 – July 15, 1981) was an Italian film producer. He was the son of producer

Dino De Laurentiis Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian film producer and businessman who held both Italian and American citizenship. Following a brief acting career in the late 1930s and early 1940s, he moved into f ...

and actress

Silvana Mangano Silvana Mangano (; 21 April 1930 – 16 December 1989) was an Italian film actress. She was one of a generation of thespians who arose from the neorealist movement, and went on to become a major female star, regarded as a sex symbol for the 19 ...

. De Laurentiis was the executive producer of the film ''

King Kong King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has since become an international pop culture icon,Erb, Cynthia, 1998, ''Tracking Kin ...

'' (1976) and he produced the films ''King of the'' ''Gypsies'' (1978) and ''She Dances Alone'' (1981). In 1981, De Laurentiis was killed in the mid-air collision of two light planes while he was shooting a documentary in Alaska.

Life and career

Federico De Laurentiis was born in Rome on February 28, 1955. He was the son of film producer

and actress

. He had three sisters:

Veronica De Laurentiis Veronica De Laurentiis (born 13 January 1950) is an Italian-American author and actress. She is the daughter of Silvana Mangano and Dino De Laurentiis, and sister of film producer Raffaella De Laurentiis. At the age of eighteen, she was cast in ...

Raffaella De Laurentiis Raffaella De Laurentiis (born 28 June 1952) is an Italian film producer. Films which she has produced include ''Conan the Barbarian'', ''Conan the Destroyer'', ''Dune'', '' Prancer'', '' Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story'', all films in the ''Dragonhe ...

, and Francesca De Laurentiis. He was doted on by his father because he was the only boy in the family. De Laurentiis attended the American Overseas School of Rome. He was a classmate of actress

Blanche Baker Blanche Baker (born December 20, 1956) is an American actress. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress for her work in the television miniseries ''Holocaust''. Baker is known for her role as Gi ...

. He dated Monica Saraceni, daughter of film producer

Fausto Saraceni Fausto Saraceni (1920–2000) was an Italian film producer and director. He was married to the actress Teresa Pellati.Kezich & Levantesi p.131 He produced several comedies starring Alberto Sordi, and worked frequently with Dino De Laurentiis. Se ...

, in the early 1970s. De Laurentiis began working with his father on film projects as a teenager. In 1973, it was reported that his father had relocated his headquarters to New York, and at 18 years old, he had joined him in the office as the vice president of television. He was an assistant to the producer in the films ''

Three Days of the Condor ''Three Days of the Condor'' is a 1975 American spy thriller film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, and Max von Sydow. The screenplay by Lorenzo Semple Jr. and David Rayfiel was based on the ...

'' (1975) and '' Mandingo'' (1975). He was then the executive producer of the film ''

'' (1976), which was produced by his father. He was given full reign to produce the film ''

King of the Gypsies The title King of the Gypsies has been claimed or given over the centuries to many different people. It is both culturally and geographically specific. It may be inherited, acquired by acclamation or action, or simply claimed. The extent of the ...

'' (1978) and he later produced ''She Dances Alone'' (1981).

Death

De Laurentiis was killed at age 26 in a plane crash over

Kvichak Bay Kvichak Bay is an arm on the northeast side of Bristol Bay in southern Alaska, at . It is long and wide. The Kvichak River flows into the bay at its furthest northeast point, while the Naknek River Naknek River is a stream, long, in the Bri ...

Naknek Naknek () is a census-designated place located in and the borough seat of Bristol Bay Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census, the population of the CDP was 470, down from 544 in 2010. Naknek is located on the north bank o ...

while shooting a documentary on Alaska's annual fish harvest on July 15, 1981. In order to film the fishing fleet at work, his plane, a

Cessna 185 The Cessna 185 Skywagon is a six-seat, single-engined, general aviation light aircraft manufactured by Cessna. It first flew as a prototype in July 1960, with the first production model completed in March 1961. The Cessna 185 is a high-winge ...

with a camera on one wing, was flying low over the bay. The other aircraft, a

Cessna 206 The Cessna 205, 206 and 207, known primarily as the Stationair (and marketed variously as the Super Skywagon, Skywagon and Super Skylane), are a family of single-engined, general aviation aircraft with fixed landing gear, used in commercial air ...

flown by a fish supplier, had just cleared a rise after lifting from the beach when they collided. The pilots of both planes were killed as well. He is buried at Pawling Rural Cemetery in

Pawling, New York Pawling may refer to: *Pawling (town), New York, in Dutchess County **Pawling (village), New York, in the town of Pawling *** Pawling (Metro-North station), train station for the village **Pawling Nature Reserve, in the northern section of the t ...

. The film ''

Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

'' (1984), which his father produced, was dedicated to him.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:De Laurentiis, Federico 1955 births 1981 deaths Italian film producers Italian emigrants to the United States Accidental deaths in Alaska Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States De Laurentiis family Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1981