Raffaella de Laurentiis

Raffaella DeLaurentiis has followed in the footsteps of her illustrious father Dino DeLaurentiis to become a highly successful and powerful producer of major feature films. She began her career in 1977, working on location in Bora Bora for her father on his disaster movie Hurricane. She produced her first solo effort, Beyond the Reef (1980), in the same locale on a shoestring budget, using a handful of professionals and a largely native cast. Her second production effort, Conan the Barbarian (1982), was a hit and made Arnold Schwarzenegger a star. Her third film, David Lynch's colossal Dune, provided the young producer with her first big flop. Undaunted, she continued on. She was appointed head of production at her father's DeLaurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) and held the post through 1988, when she left to form her own company, Raffaella Productions. Under this company, Raffaella DeLaurentiis has produced or executive produced such big budget features as Backdraft (1991) and Daylight (1996).

~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide