Lucio Fulci
Writer

Lucio Fulci Net Worth

Lucio Fulci was born on June 17, 1927 in  Rome, Lazio, Italy, Italy, is Writer, Director, Actor. Lucio Fulci, born in Rome in 1927, remains as controversial in death as he was in life. A gifted craftsman with a sharp tongue and a wicked sense of dark humor, Fulci achieved some measure of notoriety for his gore epics of the late 1970s and early 1980s, but respect was long in coming.Abandoning his early career as a med student, Fulci entered the film industry as a screenwriter and assistant director, working alongside such directors as Steno and Riccardo Freda. Granted his debut feature in 1959, with a seldom seen comedy called I ladri (1959) (The Thieves), Fulci quickly established himself as a prolific craftsman adept at musicals, comedies and westerns.In 1968, Fulci made his first mystery thriller, Una sull'altra (1969), and its success was sufficient to garner the backing for his pet project Beatrice Cenci (1969). Based on a true story, the film details the trial of a young woman accused of murdering her sexually abusive father amid fear and superstition in 16th Century Italy. A scathing commentary on church and state, the film was the first to give voice to its director's passionate hatred of the Catholic Church. Predictably, the film was misunderstood, and Fulci's career was thrown into jeopardy. Deciding it would be best to leave his political feelings on the back burner, Fulci pressed on with a series of slickly commercial ventures.In 1971 and 1972, Fulci re-established himself in the thriller arena, directing two excellent giallos: the haunting Una lucertola con la pelle di donna (1971) and the disturbing Non si sevizia un paperino (1972). The former, with its vivid hallucinations involving murderous hippies and vivisected canines, and the latter, with its psychotic religious zealots and brutal child killings, were -- to say the least -- controversial. In particular, Non si sevizia un paperino (1972), despite a huge box-office success, painted too graphic a portrait of perverted Catholicism, and Fulci's career was derailed... some would say, permanently. Blacklisted (albeit briefly) and despised in his homeland, Fulci at least found work in television and with the adventure genre with two financially successful Jack London 'White Fang' adventure movies in 1973 and 1974 which were Zanna Bianca, and Il ritorno di Zanna Bianca. Also during the mid and late 1970s, Fulci also directed two 'Spaghetti Westerns'; I quattro dell'apocalisse (1975) and Sella d'argento (1978), (Silver Saddle) and another 'giallo'; Sette note in nero (1977), as well as a few sex-comedies which include the political spoof Nonostante le apparenze... e purchè la nazione non lo sappia... all'onorevole piacciono le donne (1972) (aka: The Eroticist), and the vampire spoof Il cav. Costante Nicosia demoniaco, ovvero: Dracula in Brianza (1975) (aka: Young Dracula), and the violent Mafia crime-drama Luca il contrabbandiere (1980).In 1979, Fulci's film making career hit another high point with him breaking into the international market with Zombi 2 (1979), an in-name-only sequel to George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead (1978), which had been released in Italy as 'Zombi'. With its flamboyant imagery, graphic gore and moody atmospherics, the film established Fulci as a gore director par excellence. It was a role he accepted, but with some reservations.Over the next three years, Fulci plied his trade with finesse and flair, rivaling even the popularity of his "opponent" Dario Argento, with such sanguine classics as Paura nella città dei morti viventi (1980) and ...E tu vivrai nel terrore! L'aldilà (1981). Frequently derided as sheer sensationalism, these films, as well as the reviled Lo squartatore di New York (1982) are actually intelligently crafted, with sound commentaries on everything from American life to religion. High on vivid imagery and pure cinematic style, Fulci's films from this period of the early 1980s represent some of his most popular work in America and abroad, even if they do pale in comparison to his 1972 masterpiece and personal favorite Non si sevizia un paperino (1972) (an impossible act to follow, as it happens).In the mid-1980s, at the peak of his most prolific period, Fulci became beset with personal problems and worsening health. Much of his work from the mid-1980s onward is disappointing, to say the least, but flashes of his brilliance can be seen in works like Murderock - Uccide a passo di danza (1984) and Il miele del diavolo (1986). Un gatto nel cervello (1990), one of Fulci's last works, remains one of his most original. Though strapped by budgetary restraints and marred by mediocre photography, the film is wickedly subversive and comical. With Fulci playing the lead role (as more or less himself, no less -- a harried horror director who fears that his obsession with sex and violence is a sign of mental disease), Fulci also proves to be an endearing and competent actor (he also has cameos in many of his films, frequently as a detective or doctor figure).By the 1990s, Fulci went on a hiatus with film making for further health and personal reasons as the Italian cinema market went into a further decline. While in pre-production for the Dario Argento-produced M.D.C. - Maschera di cera (1997), Lucio Fulci passed away at his home on March 13, 1996 at the age of 68. A serious diabetic most of his adult life, he inexplicably forgot to take his insulin before retiring to bed; some consider his death a suicide, others consider it an accident, but his many fans all consider it to be a tragedy. Whether one considers him to be a hack or a genius, there's no denying that he was unique.
Lucio Fulci is a member of Writer

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it? Writer, Director, Actor
Birth Day June 17, 1927
Birth Place  Rome, Lazio, Italy, Italy
Age 93 YEARS OLD
Died On 13 March 1996(1996-03-13) (aged 68)\nRome, Italy
Birth Sign Cancer
Occupation Film director, film producer, screenwriter, actor
Spouse(s) Marina Fulci (m. 1958–1969) (her death)
Children 2 daughters, Camilla Fulci, Antonella Fulci

💰 Net worth: $1 Million (2024)

Lucio Fulci, a highly regarded multi-talented figure in the Italian film industry, is estimated to have a net worth of $1 million in 2024. Known for his exceptional skills as a writer, director, and actor, Fulci has contributed immensely to the world of cinema. With a career spanning across decades, he has gifted audiences with memorable masterpieces that often fall within the horror and thriller genres, earning him a dedicated fanbase. Despite his unfortunate passing in 1996, Fulci's legacy continues to thrive, and his net worth stands as a testament to his enduring impact on the film industry.

Biography/Timeline

1927

Fulci was born in Rome on 17 June 1927. After studying Medicine in college and being employed for a time as an art critic, he opted for a film career, first as a Screenwriter working initially in the Italian comedy field, then later as a Director beginning with I Ladri in 1959. In the early 1960s, Fulci wrote or directed around 18 Italian comedies, many of them starring the famous Italian Comedian team of Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia.

1965

Most of these early films did not enjoy wider distribution in English-speaking countries, and are generally not available in English. Fulci's first film distributed theatrically in the USA was Oh! Those Most Secret Agents! in 1965. Only four of his other 1960s films were released in the U.S.: Massacre Time (as The Brute and the Beast in 1968), The Man Who Killed Billy the Kid (as I'll Kill Him and Return Alone in 1968), Una sull'altra (as One on Top of the Other in 1973) and Beatrice Cenci (as Conspiracy of Torture, in 1976).

1969

In the last decade of his life, Fulci suffered from emotional and physical health problems, reflected by a marked decline in the quality of his work. His wife's suicide in 1969 always weighed heavily on him (his wife Marina had killed herself with a gas oven after learning she had inoperable cancer). People who knew him spoke of a 3rd daughter he had once had who he said was killed in a car accident in the 1970s, but this story was never confirmed. Fulci suffered during the late 1980s from severe problems with his feet, which were caused by diabetes. He hid the severity of his illness from his friends and associates, so that he would not be deemed unemployable.

1977

Fulci and Screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti share many screen credits from 1977 to 1983. Indeed, most of Fulci's most celebrated horror films were written by Sacchetti. After collaborating with Sacchetti for six years, Fulci went off on his own in 1983 to direct Conquest in Mexico, failing to involve Sacchetti in the deal. The film was supposed to be a high budget production, and Sacchetti allegedly resented the fact that Fulci had not thought to involve him in the project. The film actually wound up doing quite poorly upon its release, and afterwards, Fulci had trouble jump-starting his working relationship with Sacchetti, who by this time had gone his own way.

1979

Several of Fulci's movies were prohibited in Europe or were released in heavily cut versions. Of the original 72 films on the infamous video nasty list in the United Kingdom, three belonged to Fulci: Zombi 2 (1979), The Beyond (1981), and House by the Cemetery (1981). After viewing Fulci's The New York Ripper, not only did the British Board of Film Classification refuse the film a certificate, but every single print in the country was taken to an airport and returned to Italy by order of James Ferman; it was not until later that VIPCO allowed the release of the film, initially outsourcing production to a foreign source under police supervision before releasing a VHS in 2002 and a DVD in 2007.

1983

After collaborating with Screenwriter Sacchetti for six years, Fulci went off on his own in 1983 to direct the movie Conquest (a Conan-like barbarian fantasy) in Mexico, failing to involve Sacchetti in the deal. The film did poorly upon its release, and afterwards, Fulci had trouble jump-starting his working relationship with Sacchetti, who by that time had gone his own way.

1984

Fulci became ill from hepatitis in 1984, right after he finished directing Murder Rock in New York City, and had to be hospitalized in Italy for many months. Fulci spent most of 1984 hospitalized with cirrhosis, and much of 1985 recuperating at home. After 1986, with his diabetes plaguing him and the departure of Screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti from Fulci's circle of friends, Fulci's endeavors as a Director suffered.

1987

In 1987, Fulci accused Sacchetti of stealing a story idea of his, a project which they were planning to do together in 1983 after Fulci returned from Mexico. He claimed that Sacchetti later allowed Director Lamberto Bava to direct the project (under the title Per Sempre / Until Death) in 1987 without Fulci's knowledge that the film was even being made. Luca M. Palmerini and Gaetano Mistretta's book Spaghetti Nightmares, publishes two full interviews, one with Fulci and one with Sacchetti, explaining the reasons for the fallout.

1988

In 1988, he had directed about two-thirds of Zombi 3 in the Philippines before having to return abruptly to Italy due to a second bout of hepatitis. The film was finished by an un-credited Bruno Mattei. Fulci later said that he hated the finished product and tried unsuccessfully to get his name removed from the credits. Mattei has said in interviews that the film was Fulci's, and that he (Mattei) just added a few extra scenes to pad out the running time.

1989

In 1989, Fulci was hired to direct a pair of made-for-TV horror movies for the Italian market, neither of which aired in Italy due to the high amount of gore and violence. They were released later on DVD, however, outside of Italy. Fulci's intended comeback films Demonia and A Cat in the Brain were produced in 1990. Both films struggled to see release and were considered critical disappointments. His final project, the 1991 psychological thriller The Door to Silence, based on one of his short stories, also received poor reviews. The release of this film is seen by some as the critical lowest point of his career.

1994

Fulci and Argento met in 1994 and agreed to collaborate on a horror film called The Wax Mask, a remake of the 1953 Vincent Price horror classic House of Wax, also based on a story called "The Waxwork Museum" by Gaston Leroux. Argento claimed he had heard about Fulci's miserable circumstances at the time and wanted to offer him a chance at a comeback. It is said that Argento was shocked at how thin and sickly Fulci appeared at their meeting at the 1994 Rome Fanta Festival, and said he felt very sorry for him.

1996

Fulci made an appearance at the January 1996 Fangoria Horror Convention in New York City, two months before his death. Walking on crutches with a bandaged foot, he told attendees that he had had no idea his films were so popular outside of his native Italy, as hordes of starstruck gore fans braved blizzard conditions that weekend to meet him.

1998

Fulci's films had remained generally ignored or dismissed for many years by the mainstream critics, who regarded his work as exploitation. However, genre fans appreciated his films as being stylish exercises in extreme gore. At least one of his films, The Beyond, has "amassed a large and dedicated following". In 1998, The Beyond was re-released to theaters by Quentin Tarantino, who has often cited the film, and Fulci himself, as a major source of inspiration. Fulci's earlier, lesser-known giallo Don't Torture a Duckling (1972) received some critical acclaim as well. Fulci regarded two of his films, Don't Torture a Duckling and Beatrice Cenci, as his best work (the latter which he said his wife had liked the best of all his films), and considered both Zombi 2 and The Beyond as the two films that forever catapulted him to cult film stardom. His daughter Camilla Fulci served as an assistant Director on his last five films (from 1989-1991) and has gone on to become an assistant Director in the Italian film industry.

Some Lucio Fulci images

About the author

Lisa Scholfield

As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.