Dario Argento

Argento in 2012, photo by Denis Makarenko/Bigstock.com

Place of Birth: Rome, Kingdom of Italy

Date of Birth: 7 September, 1940

Ethnicity: Italian [including Sicilian]

Dario Argento is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and critic. Known as a horror film master, particularly in the giallo genre, he has directed the films The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Cat o’ Nine Tails, Four Flies on Grey Velvet, Deep Red, Suspiria, Inferno, Tenebre, Phenomena, Opera, Trauma, The Stendahl Syndrome, The Phantom of the Opera (1998), Sleepless, The Mother of Tears, Giallo, Dracula 3D, and Dark Glasses, all of which he wrote or co-wrote. He has also co-produced Dawn of the Dead (1978), and produced Demons and Demons 2, among others. He has also been billed as Sirio Bernadotte.

Dario is the son of Elda Luxardo, a photographer, and Salvatore Argento, a film producer. His mother was born in Socoraba, São Paulo, Brazil. His maternal uncle, Elio Luxardo, was a famous photographer. Dario has a daughter with his former wife Marisa Casale; and a daughter, actress and filmmaker Asia Argento, with his former partner, actress and screenwriter Daria Nicolodi.

Dario’s paternal grandfather was Domenico Argento (the son of Salvatore Argento and Teresa Vinti). Domenico’s parents were Sicilian, from Girgenti, now Agrigento. Salvatore was the son of Domenico Argento and Concetta Pennica.

Dario’s paternal grandmother was Laudomia Mosca Moschini (the daughter of Nazareno/Nazzareno Mosca Moschini and Letizia Genovefa Biscini). Laudomia was born in Perugia, Umbria, Italy. Through Laudomia, Dario is related to Rolando Mosca Moschini, a prominent Italian army general.

Dario’s maternal grandfather was named Alfredo Luxardo. Alfredo was from Santa Margherita Ligure, Province of Genoa, Liguria, Italy.

Dario’s maternal grandmother was named Margherita Perissinotto. Margherita was from Mestre, Province of Venice, Veneto, Italy, and immigrated to Brazil with her family when she was four years old.

Sources: Genealogy of Dario Argento – https://www.geni.com

Genealogy of Dario’s father – http://www.ancestry.com