Dino De Laurentiis, producer of Barbarella, Army of Darkness, Dune and many other classics, passed away in Los Angeles Thursday morning. He was 91.
Besides helping to bankroll countless big budget and cult films, De Laurentiis made a big difference in the international market (he was one of the first to start pre-selling international distribution rights in order to fund production and development for new projects). But perhaps De Laurentiis is best known (recently) for giving smaller projects a bigger chance and being clever enough to purchase the rights to Thomas Harris' Hannibal.
Here's a short list of just a few of the incredibly influential genre films De Laurenttis produced:
Army of Darkness (1992)
Maximum Overdrive (1986)
Year of the Dragon (1985)
Cat's Eye (1985)
Dune (1984)
The Dead Zone (1983)
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Flash Gordon (1980)
The Serpent's Egg
King Kong (1976)
Serpico (1973)
Barbarella (1968)
Danger: Diabolik (1968)
The Flying Saucer (1964)
He will be missed.