Born in 1941, Parma, Italy, into a family of artists. After serving as assistant director to Pier Paolo Pasolini on Accattone (1961), Bertolucci discontinued his literary studies to focus on filmmaking. Today recognized as one of the greatest figures in the history of Italian cinema, Bertolucci is the recipient of two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement and an honorary Golden Palm. He died in 2018.