Aurelio De Laurentiis

Considered among the most significant movie producers in Italian entertainment, Aurelio De Laurentiis and his company Filmauro are responsible for bringing some of the biggest films of the past 40 years to audiences around the world. De Laurentiis first entered the film industry with help from his uncle Dino De Laurentiis, arguably one of the greatest movie producers in history. Among Filmauro's largest distribution projects are Luc Besson's "Leon: The Professional," David Lynch's "Blue Velvet," and Ridley Scott's "Hannibal." Laurentiis himself most often produces films in his native Italy, including such recent box-office hits as the 2004 comedy "Le barzellette" and his series of "Christmas" films, which move from city to city for each production. He won the coveted Vittorio De Sica award for Italian film in 2002, and as of 2003, has been placed at the top of the list designating the most powerful people in Italian cinema. Among De Laurentiis's most high-profile recent production credits are the 2004 star-studded sci-fi fantasy "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," which boasted a cast including Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, and 2011's equally starry "Manuale d'amore 3," which featured both Robert De Niro and Monica Bellucci. In addition to his film work, Laurentiis is president and chairman of the soccer club Napoli.