Biography.guide
Home β€Ί People β€Ί Composer β€Ί Pino Donaggio
Portrait of Pino Donaggio

Pino Donaggio

b. 1941

Italian recording artist; singer and composer

Don't just read it β€” keep itBiographies to ownE-book Β· Audio Β· Video From $7 β†’

About Pino Donaggio

Born 1941. Pino Donaggio is an Italian composer, songwriter, film score composer, singer, recording artist and musician.

Giuseppe "Pino" Donaggio (born 24 November 1941) is an Italian musician, singer, and composer of film and television scores. A classically-trained violinist, Donaggio is known for his collaborations with director Brian De Palma, and for his work in both European and American genre cinema. He has won two Italian Golden Globe Awards, and has been nominated for two David di Donatello, four Golden Ciak, two Nastro d'Argento, and a Saturn Award.

Life and career

Born in Burano (an island of Venice), into a family of musicians, Donaggio began studying violin at the age of ten, first at the Benedetto Marcello conservatory in Venice, followed by the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan. At the age of 14, he made his solo debut in a Vivaldi concert for Italian radio, then went on to play for both the I Solisti Veneti and the Solisti di Milano. The discovery of rock and roll during the summer of 1959 ended Donaggio's classical career when he made his singing debut with Paul Anka. He then began to write his own songs and established himself as one of Italy's prominent singer-songwriters. He took part in the Sanremo Festival with "Come sinfonia" (1961) and had a string of successes including "Una casa in cima al mondo".

However, his greatest hit was the 1965 hit "Io che non vivo", which sold 80 million records worldwide and was performed most popularly in English as "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" by Dusty Springfield and Elvis Presley.

His first film was the British/Italian horror film Don't Look Now. Since then he has composed music for several films, including Dario Argento's Two Evil Eyes, Trauma and Do You Like Hitchcock? He also composed the scores for several horror films including Piranha, Tourist Trap, The Howling, The Black Cat and Seed of Chucky. He works regularly with US director Brian De Palma, scoring De Palma's Carrie, Home Movies, Dressed to Kill, Blow Out, Body Double, Raising Cain and Passion.

In 2012 he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Soundtrack Academy.

Filmography

Film

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Television

Strada senza uscita (1986) The Fifth Missile (1986) Tabloid Crime (1987) Ocean (1989) Non aprite all'uomo nero (1990) (1991) Pray for Ricki Forster (1991) La stella del parco (1991) Scoop (1992) Colpo di coda (1993) Missione d'amore (1993) Cliffs of the Death (1993) L'ispettore Sarti – Un poliziotto, una cittΓ  (1993–94) Ho un segreto con papΓ  (1994) Inka Connection (1995) Californian Quartet (1995) Die Straßen von Berlin (1995–96) (1996) New York Crossing (1996) Die Stunden vor dem Morgengrauen (1997) Racket (1997) Inquietudine (1997) Rescuers: Stories of Courage (1998) Il tesoro di Damasco (1998) Le ragazze di Piazza di Spagna (1998–99) Avvocati (1998–99) Only A Dead Man Is A Good Man (1999) Angels' Sin (1999) Commesse (1999–2002) Don Matteo (2000–14) Sospetti (2000–04) Lo zio d'America (2002–06) Un caso di coscienza (2003–06) Provaci ancora prof (2005–07) La moglie cinese (2006) Il segreto di Arianna (2007) Fuga con Marlene (2007) La vita rubata (2008) Fidati di me (2008–09) Ho sposato uno sbirro (2008–10) L'uomo che cavalcava nel buio (2009) Sisi (2009) La donna che ritorna (2011) Dove la trovi una come me? (2011) Rossella (2011–12) Un passo dal cielo (2011–12) Cesare Mori – Il prefetto di ferro (2012) Madre, aiutami (2013–14) La strada dritta (2014) Il sistema (2016)

Biography shop

Don’t just read it β€”
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop β€” from $7

Instant download Β· yours to keep Β· every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Conservatorio di Musica Benedetto Marcello di Venezia
Awards
Time Machine Award
Also known as
Giuseppe "Pino" Donaggio, Giuseppe Donaggio

People in Pino Donaggio's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Pino Donaggio's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Pino Donaggio?

Italian recording artist; singer and composer

When was Pino Donaggio born?

Pino Donaggio was born on 24 November 1941 in Burano.

What is Pino Donaggio's occupation?

Pino Donaggio is a composer, songwriter, film score composer, singer, recording artist and musician.

What nationality is Pino Donaggio?

Pino Donaggio is Italian.

Sources & further reading

Β· Wikipedia: Pino Donaggio

Β· Wikidata: Q964311

Β· DBpedia: Pino Donaggio

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Pino Donaggio. https://biography.guide/pino-donaggio/

MLA: "Pino Donaggio." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/pino-donaggio/.

Chicago: "Pino Donaggio." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/pino-donaggio/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 Β· Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:22 UTC