CECCHI GORI, VITTORIO

(1942-)

Producer. Vittorio Cecchi Gori has produced or coproduced over 150 films since he entered the industry in 1980, first working with his father, veteran producerMario Cecchi Gori, and then assuming control of the family company on his father's death in 1993. Although an interest in politics, several television stations, and the difficult financial situation of the Fiorentina soccer team, which the family also owned, have frequently diverted his attention from the cinema, he has continued since his father's death to produce a host of commercially viable films, scoring huge successes in particular withLeonardoPieraccioni'sIl ciclone(The Cyclone, 1996) andRoberto Benigni'sLa vita e bella(Life Is Beautiful, 1997). In 1996 he shared an Oscar nomination and a BAFTA award for his coproduction of Michael Radford'sIl postino(The Postman, 1994) and in 2000 he was awarded a specialDavid di Donatellofor his general services to Italian cinema.