Albert R. Broccoli | |
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(1976)
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Born |
Albert Romolo Broccoli April 5, 1909 Queens, New York City, U.S. |
Died | June 27, 1996 Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
(aged 87)
Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) |
Occupation | Film producer |
Years active | 1953–1996 |
Spouse(s) |
Gloria Blondell (1940–1945) Nedra Clark (1951–1958; her death) Dana Natol (1959–1996; his death) |
Albert Romolo Broccoli (April 5, 1909 – June 27, 1996), nicknamed "Cubby," was an American film producer who made more than 40 motion pictures throughout his career. Most of the films were made in the United Kingdom and often filmed at Pinewood Studios. Co-founder of Danjaq, LLC and Eon Productions, Broccoli is most notable as the producer of many of the James Bond films. He and Harry Saltzman saw the films develop from relatively low-budget origins to large-budget, high-grossing extravaganzas, and Broccoli's heirs continue to produce new Bond films.
Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli was born in the borough of Queens, New York City, the younger of two children of immigrants from the Calabria region of Italy, Giovanni Broccoli and Kristina Vence. He acquired his nickname after his cousin, mobster Pat DiCicco, began calling him "Kabibble," eventually shortened to "Kubbie" and adopted by Broccoli as "Cubby." The family later bought a farm in Smithtown, New York, on Long Island, near their relatives the DiCiccos.
At the beginning of the 1950s, Broccoli moved once more, this time to London, where the British government provided subsidies to film productions made in the UK with British casts and crews. Together with Irving Allen, Broccoli formed Warwick Films that made a prolific and successful series of films for Columbia Pictures.
When Broccoli became interested in bringing Ian Fleming's James Bond character into features, he discovered that the rights already belonged to the Canadian producer Harry Saltzman, who had long wanted to break into film, and who had produced several stage plays and films with only modest success. When the two were introduced by a common friend, screenwriter Wolf Mankowitz, Saltzman refused to sell the rights, but agreed to partner with Broccoli and co-produce the films, which led to the creation of the production company EON Productions and its parent (holding) company Danjaq, LLC, named after their two wives' first names—Dana and Jacquiline.