Ruggero Deodato, the Cannibal Holocaust director died on December 29, 2022, aged 83, reported Italian media on Thursday. 

Who is Ruggero Deodato?

Ruggero Deodato was born on May 7, 1939, in Potenza, Italy. His family later moved to Rome. At seven,  he started playing the piano and conducting a small orchestra. At 18, he lived in the neighbourhood of Rome’s major film studios. 

Also Read | Who is Dragon Lee? Masked professional wrestler signs with WWE

One of his close friends at the time was Renzo, son of Roberto Rossellini, an Italian director. He learned direction under Roberto Rossellini and Sergio Corbucci. 

He worked with Corbucci as an assistant director in The Slave (1962) and Django (1966). During the 1960s, he directed comedy, musical and thriller films. He also directed some TV commercials including Esso Oil, Band-Aid and Fanta.

Also Read | Broadway’s Death of a Salesman disrupted by a heckler, Wendell Pierce abused: watch

He re-entered the big screen with his ultra-violent police flick Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man (1976). In 1977, he directed a jungle adventure, Last Cannibal World (famous as Jungle Holocaust).  Another cannibal subgenre was incredibly controversial, Cannibal Holocaust in 1979. He made some slasher films including Body Count, Phantom of Death and Dial Help during the 1980s. 

After some TV dramas in the 1990s, he made an on-screen appearance in Hostel: Part II in the role of a cannibal in 2007. His direction varied into different genres including action films,  western, barbarian films and even family films.

Also Read | Did George Santos lie about his mother’s death in 9/11 terrorist attack?

Deodato married an Italian actress, Silvia Dionisio in 1971 whom he met on set while directing her movie. The couple had a son together, Saverio Deodato-Dionisio, who also worked as an actor. They got separated in 1979. Deodato lives in Rome with his current partner, Micaela Rocco, and still works in movies and occasional TV series. Prior to his death, Deodato lived in Rome with his current partner, Micaela Rocco and was still working in movies and occasional TV series.