Angelo Rizzoli

From Milano, Italy • 1889 - 1970

Angelo Rizzoli, OML (Italian pronunciation: [ˈandʒelo ritˈtsɔːli]; 31 October 1889 – 24 September 1970) was an Italian publisher and film producer, one of the most influential and wealthiest men in Italy of his time, a Knight of the Order of Merit for Labour (OML). Orphaned at the age of eight, he attended the Martinitt orphanage, fought in the First World War, and at the age of 20 opened his first small printing shop. Over the following decades, he turned his RCS MediaGroup into an international media empire that published over 20 periodicals and released books by the best contemporary and classical authors. By the early 1940s, Rizzoli was already one of the wealthiest men in Italy. In the early 1950s, he turned his attention to film production. As a producer, Rizzoli owned and co-owned numerous companies, most notably Cineriz. Thanks to Rizzoli, masterpieces such as Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita and 8½, Michelangelo Antonioni’s Red Desert, and others were brought to the screen. He was nominated four times for the Nastro d'Argento award as Best Producer and won it twice. Following Rizzoli’s death, his heirs were unable to save the company and preserve their father’s legacy; due to poor management and under the influence of unscrupulous advisers, RCS accumulated billions of debt, forcing the family to sell the business itself and virtually all their assets; Rizzoli’s son and grandson became embroiled in numerous legal disputes, whilst another son and his granddaughter took their own lives. (Via Wikipedia)