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Dino Risi became a movie director by chance. In 1940 he met Alberto Lattuada at a friend`s boutique. Lattuada told him: "We need an assistant director for the movie Piccolo mondo antico (1941). Would you be interested?". Risi accepted, just for fun, not for work. After that, he became a psichiatrist and, in the spare time, he wrote some articles for a local newspaper. After the second world war, he met a producer who financed his short films. One of these, Buio in sala (1948), was bought from Carlo Ponti. At that point, Risi decided to become a movie director. So he went to Rome and wrote the plot of Poveri ma belli (1957),the movie who gave him notoriety. But the movie that changed his life was Sorpasso, Il (1962). On opening night, Risi and producer Mario Cecchi Gori were waiting outside the movie theatre: they were worried because no audience was coming to see the movie. So Risi went back home, unhappy. But, three hours later a friend called him: "Dino, wonderful news! Il Sorpasso has been a success!". The day after the movie theatre was sold out. And Risi became a star. "I made more than 50 movies because I was sure that one of them could become a masterpiece". Dino Risi lives in a suite of a famous Roman hotel since he left (18 years ago) his wife Claudia, a Swiss woman. About his son Marco Risi, director himself, he says: "I never helped Marco to find a job. He came on the set sometimes when he was a child, but now he always worked without my suggestions. I think he is a excellent director".