Angelo Rizzoli, OML (Italian pronunciation: [ˈandʒelo ritˈtsɔːli]; 31 October 1889 – 24 September 1970) was an Italian publisher and film producer.

Cavaliere
Angelo Rizzoli
Angelo Rizzoli, photo by Emilio Sommariva (1932)
Born(1889-10-31)31 October 1889
Died24 September 1970(1970-09-24) (aged 80)
Milan, Italy
NationalityItalian
EducationMartinitt
OccupationBusinessman
Years active1911–1970
Known forFounder of RCS MediaGroup and Cineriz
ChildrenAndrea
Alberto
Anna Grazia
Giuseppina
Giuditta
Angelo Rizzoli
AllegianceKingdom of Italy
Service / branch Royal Italian Army
Years of service1915–1917
RankCorporal
Battles / warsWorld War I

Early life

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Rizzoli was born in Milan on 31 October 1889.[1] Orphaned at a young age and raised in poverty, he rose to prosperity. He apprenticed in the printer trade and later became an entrepreneur in his twenties.[2]

Career

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In 1927, Rizzoli founded the company A. Rizzoli & Co. (later RCS MediaGroup). In 1927 Rizzoli acquired Novella magazine, a bi-weekly primarily for women that reached a circulation of 130,000 copies,[1] from Mondadori an independent publisher who specialized in books and magazines.[3] After his initial purchase, he added several new publications including Annabella, Bertoldo, Candido, Omnibus, and Oggi e L'Europeo.[2] In 1949 he began publishing books including both classics and popular novels. He purchased Cartiera di Lama di Reno in 1954, the foundation for what would become an Italian publishing empire.[4] His operations were moved in 1960 to a complex on Via Civitavecchia in Milan.

He was amongst the first producers of daily newspapers within the relatively newly established nation[5][6] of Italy.[3]

Active in film, he had control of the French company Francinex with which he co-produced Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita (1960) and (1963), as well as French films such as Une Parisienne (1957). In 1964 Rizzoli opened the original Rizzoli International Bookstore[7] in New York City at 712 Fifth Avenue, designed by architect Ferdinand Gottlieb. The bookstore was featured in various Hollywood films, most notably, Woody Allen's Manhattan and Falling in Love with Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep. He also produced the controversial documentary film Africa Addio.

A museum about Rizzoli's life and career is located at Villa Arbusto within the guest house of that place,[8] at Lacco Ameno. Within this are held 500 photographic-records or evidence of his activities taken on-set during production. The museum also holds the Pithekoussai[9] Archaeological Museum.[4]

Personal life

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Rizzoli married Anna Marzorati with whom he had two children, Andrea and Giuseppina. Rizzoli died aged 81 years of age.

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b Deirdre Pirro (29 September 2011). "Angelo Rizzoli. From magazines to movies". The Florentine (149). Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Le grandi famiglie: i Rizzoli". Mariateresa Truncellito. 2000. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  3. ^ a b Georgios Terzis, ed. (2007). European Media Governance: National and Regional Dimensions. Intellect. ISBN 9781841501925. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Museo Angelo Rizzoli – Museums – Ischia – Napoli". InCampania. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  5. ^ "Google Drive Viewer". Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Viva l'Italia! The Risorgimento on Screen". Harvard Film Archive. September 2011. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  7. ^ "Rizzoli Bookstore". Rizzoli USA. 21 November 2013. Archived from the original on 29 August 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  8. ^ [1] Archived 18 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Giorgio Buchner. "Pithekoussai: Oldest Greek Colony in the West" (PDF). Penn museum. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
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