Major Italian nature documentary filmmaker, he was the son of painter Emma Buzzacchi (Medole, 28 August 1903 - 16 June 1990, Rome), and journalist Nello Quilici (Livorno, 21 November1890 - 28-06-1940) who died in Tobruk, Lybia in the airplane crash that also killed
Italo Balbo. He is the father of
Brando Quilici.