One of the greats of post-war Italian cinema, Mario Monicelli, has killed himself by jumping out of a hospital window, media reports say.
Monicelli, 95, was dubbed “father of Italian comedy” for directing films such as Amici Mei (My Dear Friends) and I Soliti Ignoti (Persons Unknown).
He was said to have leapt from the fifth floor of a Rome hospital where he was being treated for terminal cancer.
He received numerous awards and was nominated four times for an Oscar.
Monicelli was admitted a few days ago to San Giovanni hospital where he was being treated for prostate cancer, reports said.
He made his debut as a director in 1949 and won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival 10 years later for The Great War.
Full Story: BBC News – Italian cinema great Mario Monicelli ‘kills himself’