Christian De Sica

Christian De Sica is the son of the great Italian director Vittorio De Sica-best known for his landmark post-WWII neorealist films "Shoeshine" and "Bicycle Thieves," and for his later works "Umberto D." and "Two Women"-and the actress Maria Mercader. It is always difficult for the child of a film legend wishing to follow in the entertainment business to carve out his own niche. Although the younger De Sica may not be as renowned for his acting work as his father was for his directing, Christian De Sica has maintained a prolific career starring in many successful Italian films. He is most notable for a series of 24 farces with the comic actor Massimo Boldi set during the Christmas season (a genre formally known as "cine-panettone"), including "Paparazzi," "Tifosi," and "Christmas in Love." Starting in the 1990s, De Sica parlayed his decades of on-set experience (and the accrued mentorship of such Italian filmmakers as Roberto Rossellini) into a lucrative behind-the-scenes venture of his own, writing and directing the comedies "Faccione," "Tre," and "The Clan" among others.