Sergio Grieco (13 January 1917 – 30 March 1982) was an Italian

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

Biography

Sergio's father was the Italian Communist Ruggero Grieco. Grieco first started in film in the Soviet Union in 1931, working as an assistant to

Nikolai Ekk Nikolai Vladimirovich Ekk (russian: Николай Владимирович Экк; 14 June 1902 – 14 July 1976) was a Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter. "Ekk" was in fact a pseudonym; his real surname was Ivakin (russian: � ...

on the first Soviet sound film '' Road to Life''. He began his Italian film career as a script supervisor in 1939, working his way up to an

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have t ...

the following year. In 1949 he worked as an assistant to

René Clément René Clément (; 18 March 1913 – 17 March 1996) was a French film director and screenwriter. Life and career Clément studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. In 1936, he directed hi ...

on his film ''

The Walls of Malapaga ''The Walls of Malapaga'' ( it, Le mura di Malapaga, french: Au-delà des grilles (''Beyond the Gates'')), is a 1949 French-Italian drama film directed by René Clément and starring Jean Gabin, Isa Miranda and Andrea Checchi. It was a co-prod ...

'' (1949). His directorial debut was ''

Il sentiero dell'odio ''Il sentiero dell'odio'' (translation: The Pathway of Hate) is a 1950 Italian melodrama film directed by Sergio Grieco in his directoral debut. Cast * Marina Berti * Andrea Checchi * Carla Del Poggio * Vittorio Duse * Checco Rissone ...

'' (1950), beginning a prolific career in a variety of genres. He met his wife Teresa Terrone (renamed Susan Terry by her agent), who appeared in several of his films, beginning with ''The Mysterious Swordsman''/''Lo spadaccino misterioso'' in 1955. He directed nearly 40 films between 1950 and 1977, often also writing his own screenplays. Grieco is best known for his adventure,

swashbuckler A swashbuckler is a genre of European adventure literature that focuses on a heroic protagonist stock character who is skilled in swordsmanship, acrobatics, guile and possesses chivalrous ideals. A "swashbuckler" protagonist is heroic, daring ...

sword and sandal Sword-and-sandal, also known as peplum (pepla plural), is a subgenre of largely Italian-made historical, mythological, or Biblical epics mostly set in the Greco-Roman antiquity or the Middle Ages. These films attempted to emulate the big-budget ...

and

Eurospy Eurospy film, or Spaghetti spy film (when referring to Italian-produced films in the genre), is a genre of spy films produced in Europe, especially in Italy, France, and Spain, that either sincerely imitated or else parodied the British James B ...

films with Ken Clark, including the Secret Agent 077 series of imitation

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 19 ...

films, which he directed under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

'Terence Hathaway' (see filmography). His final film was '' The Mad Dog Killer'' (1977). Grieco also co-wrote the screenplay for '' The Inglorious Bastards'' (1978). His nephew is David Grieco, who has worked as a writer, producer and director.

Filmography as director

*''

'' * '' Loving You Is My Sin'' (1954) *'' Island Sinner'' (with

Sergio Corbucci Sergio Corbucci (; 6 December 1926 – 1 December 1990) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed both very violent Spaghetti Westerns and bloodless Bud Spencer and Terence Hill action comedies. He is the older bro ...

) (1954) *''Tua per la vita'' (1955) *'' The Violent Patriot'' (1956) *''The Mysterious Swordsman'' (1956) * '' The Black Devil'' (1957) *'' Pirate of the Black Hawk'' (1958} *''Pia of Ptolomey'' (1958} *'' Ciao, ciao bambina!'' (1959) *''The Nights of Lucretia Borgia'' (1959) *''

The Loves of Salammbo ''The Loves of Salammbo'' ( it, Salambò, french: Salammbô) is a 1960 historical drama directed by Sergio Grieco. It is loosely based on the novel '' Salammbô'' by Gustave Flaubert. Cast * Jacques Sernas: Mathos * Jeanne Valérie: Salammb ...

'' (1960) *'' The Huns'' (1960) *'' Slave of Rome'' (1961) *'' Julius Caesar Against the Pirates'' (1962) *' (''Revenge of the Mercenaries'', 1962) *'' Son of the Circus'' (1963) *''La chica del trébol '' (1964) *'' Sword of the Empire'' (1964) *'' Agent 077: Mission Bloody Mary'' (as Terence Hathaway) (1965) *'' Agent 077: From the Orient with Fury'' (as Terence Hathaway) (1965) *'' Password: Kill Agent Gordon'' (as Terence Hathaway) (with

Alberto De Martino Alberto De Martino (12 June 1929 – 2 June 2015) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Born in Rome, De Martino started as a child actor and later returned to the cinema where worked as a screenwriter, director and dubbing supervis ...

) (1966) *'' Special Mission Lady Chaplin'' (as Terence Hathaway) (1966) *'' Rififi in Amsterdam'' (as Terence Hathaway)( 1966) *'' Argoman the Fantastic Superman'' (as Terence Hathaway) (1967) *''

Tiffany Memorandum ''Tiffany Memorandum'' (also known as ''The Tiffany Memorandum'') is a 1967 Eurospy film directed by Sergio Grieco. It is an international co-production between Italy, France (where the film is known as ''Coup de force à Berlin'') and West Germa ...

'' (as Terence Hathaway) (1967) *''

The Fuller Report ''The Fuller Report'' ( it, Rapporto Fuller, base Stoccolma, french: Trahison à Stockholm) is a 1968 Italian-French Eurospy film directed by Sergio Grieco and starring Ken Clark and Beba Loncar.Marco Giusti. ''007 all'italiana''. Isbn Edizioni, ...

'' (as Terence Hathaway) (1968) *' (1971) *''All the Brothers of the West Support Their Father''/''Miss Dynamite/'' (1972) *'' The Sinful Nuns of Saint Valentine'' (1974) *''One Man Against the Organization'' (1975) *''La nipote del prete'' (1976) *''

Terror in Rome ''Terror in Rome'' ( it, I violenti di Roma bene), also known as ''Violence for Kicks'', is a 1976 Italian " poliziottesco" film. written and directed by Sergio Grieco and Massimo Felisatti, credited as Segri & Ferrara. It is loosely inspired b ...

'' (1976) *''Il signor Ministro li pretese tutti e subito'' (as Sergio Alessandrini) (1977) *'' The Mad Dog Killer'' (1977)

References

External links and sources

*
Biography at Mymovies.it
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grieco, Sergio Italian film directors 20th-century Italian screenwriters Italian male screenwriters 1917 births 1982 deaths 20th-century Italian male writers