Motion Picture Director and Actor. He grows up in a modest family in Ciociaria, halfway between the two cities of his life, Naples and Rome. He graduated in accounting and before entering the world of theater, still very young, he worked at the Bank of Italy. He made his debut in the theater at sixteen, alternating various jobs to support the family. In the same years he also made his debut in cinema with a small part in 'L'Affaire Clemenceau' (1917), by Alfredo De Antoni. In 1923 he joined the theater company of Tatiana Pavlova, interpreting roles of a macchiettistico type that were a great success among the public. In 1932 he obtained his first cinematic success playing Bruno in the film 'Gli uomini... che mascalzoni!', By Mario Camerini, a triumph at the Venice Film Festival. In 1933 he founded a theater company with Giuditta Rissone, who became his wife in 1938. Soon after, the first daughter Emy was born. The directorial debut is in 1940 with 'Rose scarlatte', of which he is also the protagonist. The film of his career turning point, which marks the beginning of the fruitful collaboration with the screenwriter Cesare Zavattini, is 'I bambini ci guardano' (1943), the story of a divided family seen from the eye of a child tossed between parents and relatives. After the war he directed two works that are among the masterpieces of neorealism, 'Sciuscià' (1946) and 'Ladri di biciclette' (1948), both of which won the special Oscar, subsequently replaced by the prize for the best foreign film. In 1951 he shot 'Miracolo a Milano' which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes. The following year he created another of his masterpieces, 'Umberto D', considered by critics to be the highest point of his work. In the second part of his career, De Sica shifts his interest on folkloric comedy with light tones. He directs 'L'oro di Napoli' (1954), played by Totò, Eduardo De Filippo and Sophia Loren. In 1960 he chooses Loren to interpret the role of the protagonist in 'La Ciociara', based on the novel of the same name by Alberto Moravia. With this interpretation the actress wins the Academy Award and the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival as best actress. De Sica wins two more Oscars with 'Ieri, oggi, domani' (1963) and with 'Il giardino dei Finzi Contini' (1970). Separated from his first wife, the director obtained French citizenship, he married in 1968 the Spanish actress Maria Mercader with whom he had already had the children Manuel (composer) and Christian (actor and director). He dies in Paris after an operation to remove a lung tumor.