Pino Donaggio
Italian recording artist; singer and composer
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 β Un poliziotto, una cittΓ (1993β94) Ho un segreto con papΓ (1994) Inka Connection (1995) Californian Quartet (1995) Die StraΓen von Berlin (1995β96) (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 (1998β99) Avvocati (1998β99) Only A Dead Man Is A Good Man (1999) Angels' Sin (1999) Commesse (1999β2002) Don Matteo (2000β14) Sospetti (2000β04) Lo zio d'America (2002β06) Un caso di coscienza (2003β06) Provaci ancora prof (2005β07) La moglie cinese (2006) Il segreto di Arianna (2007) Fuga con Marlene (2007) La vita rubata (2008) Fidati di me (2008β09) Ho sposato uno sbirro (2008β10) L'uomo che cavalcava nel buio (2009) Sisi (2009) La donna che ritorna (2011) Dove la trovi una come me? (2011) Rossella (2011β12) Un passo dal cielo (2011β12) Cesare Mori β Il prefetto di ferro (2012) Madre, aiutami (2013β14) La strada dritta (2014) Il sistema (2016)
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Important facts
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
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.
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