Vittorio De Sica

Born in Italy on 7 July 1901, De Sica became a leading figure in the neorealist movement, shooting stories of ordinary struggle with non-actors and available light. Sciuscià became the first foreign film recognized by the Academy, and its success alongside Bicycle Thieves led the Oscars to establish a permanent Best Foreign Film category. He won that award twice more — for Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow and Il giardino dei Finzi Contini — and earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination playing Major Rinaldi in the 1957 adaptation of A Farewell to Arms, a box office failure where his performance w…