winning film producer Dino de Laurentiis has died, aged 91, his family said Thursday, drawing tributes from Italian politicians – and Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger. De Laurentiis, whose career included art house masterpieces and box office blockbusters, worked with some of Italy's best-known directors such as Federico Fellini and Roberto Rossellini before breaking into Hollywood. He died in Los Angeles after being gravely ill for two weeks. “Cinema has lost one of its greats,” said Walter Veltroni, an Italian lawmaker and former mayor of Rome who founded the Rome Film Festival. De Laurentiis helped build the Italian film industry during the heyday of its “new wave,” oversaw seminal American films such as “Serpico” and “Blue Velvet,” and pursued blockbusters in flops like “Dune” and critical fiascos such as the 1976 remake of “King Kong,” which nearly ended the career of a young Jessica Lange. His nephew, Aurelio de Laurentiis, also a well-known producer, confirmed his uncle's death as he spoke to reporters in Rome ahead of his departure for the funeral in the United States. De Laurentiis described his uncle as an “intellectual” who used cinema as “a way of embracing and understanding life.” He said his uncle's passion for film began when Dino was a young boy and flourished in the “magic climate” of the 1950s. “There wasn't a fascination with television at the time, but a great fascination with cinema,” he said. “When you talked about work with Dino one thing was sure: it was fun, you would toss ideas back and forth,” he said. Film star turned politician Arnold Schwarzenegger paid tribute to the man who gave him his break in cinema. “The world lost a great entrepreneur, genius and salesman today with the passing of Dino de Laurentiis,” said the former Austrian bodybuilding champion and actor, who is due to quit his job as California governor in January. “Dino always treated me like a son and gave me my first big break in the movie business with ‘Conan the Barbarian,' which launched my career. – Agence France
