Motion Picture Director. Son of art, his father was Vincenzo Leone, better known under the pseudonym of Roberto Roberti pioneer of the Italian film industry and director of silent cinema, and his mother was the actress Bice Waleran ( Edvige Valcarenghi). Raised in the Cinecittà studios, after graduating in Law he began working in the world of cinema as assistant director for various Italian and foreign authors, collaborating on the great Hollywood blockbusters shot in the Rome studios as "Quo Vadis?" (1951) by Mervyn LeRoy and "Ben Hur" (1959) by William Wyler. In 1959 he took over from Mario Bonnard, seriously ill, to direct "Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei" and thanks to the success he achieved he made his first film "Il colosso di Rodi" (1960). In the mid-60s, under the pseudonym of Bob Robertson, he made the 'dollar trilogy' , "Per un pugno di dollari" (1964), "Per qualche dollaro in più" (1965) and "Il buono il brutto e il cattivo" (1966) played by the then unknown Clint Eastwood and progenitor of the spaghetti-western genre. His innovative technique, attentive to the detail of gestures, faces and silence, with skinny dialogues, close-ups and long shots has marked the history of cinema and has been a source of inspiration for the directors of postmodern cinema such as Quentin Tarantino . In 1972 he won the David di Donatello for best direction with "Giù la testa" (1971) and in 1985 the Nastro d'Argento for best direction with "Once Upon a Time in America" ​​(1984), winner of four other Nastro d'Argento (best photography, best scenography, best music and best special effects), two BAFTAs (best costumes and best music) and 2 Golden Globe nominations (best direction and best music). He favored the film debut of Carlo Verdone, producing his first film "Molto Bello" (1979). The two collaborated again in 1986, writing together with Rodolfo Sonego and Alberto Sordi the screenplay for "Troppo Forte," directed by Verdone himself. He died of a heart attack in his Eur villa where he used to receive friends, leaving several projects unfinished including a film on the German siege of Leningrad.