Trivia

De Sica continued to act in films in order to finance his own projects.

Directed Sophia Loren to an Oscar nomination twice, for Two Women (1960) and for Marriage Italian Style (1964). Loren won an Oscar for the first nomination.

Brother-in-law of Ramón Mercader, the murderer of Lev Trotskiy.

De Sica lived with (his eventual second wife) María Mercader from 1942. He and Rissone divorced in France in 1954, and he married Mercader in Mexico in 1958. This marriage was not recognized in Italian law. In 1968, he obtained French citizenship and married Mercader in Paris.

He was a compulsive gambler

He continued acting in order to finance his films.

Directed about 25 films, four of which won Oscars as Best Foreign Film.

His movies Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963), Marriage Italian Style (1964), The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970) were Oscar-nomiinated for "Best Foreign Language Film". Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963) and The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970) won. Bicycle Thieves (1948) and Shoeshine (1946) received special Honarary Awards for their high and oustanding quality.

Supporter of the Italian Communist Party.

In addition to being famous as a great director, De Sica was renowned for his light earthy acting roles opposite Italy's most famous sex goddesses at the time: Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren.

Is portrayed by Edmund Purdom in Sophia Loren: Her Own Story (1980)

Father of Emilia, Manuel De Sica and Christian De Sica.

Has never appeared in a film nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.

Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume One, 1890-1945". Pages 229-237. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1987.

Former brother-in-law of Checco Rissone.

Father-in-law of Maria Lucia Langella and Silvia Verdone. Former father-in-law of Tilde Corsi. Grandfather of Andrea De Sica (Manuel's son), Mariarosa and Brando De Sica (Christian's children).

He's portrayed by Francesco Foti in Permette? Alberto Sordi (2020).