Italian erotic cinema director Tinto Brass dies in Rome aged 93

Italian film director Tinto Brass has died in Rome at the age of 93. Euronews, AOL, ANSA, The Malta Independent, Deadline, and Diari ARA all reported his death on 4 November 2026. Euronews reported that he died in Rome, where he had lived in Isola Farnese on the outskirts of the city in recent years. [1][2][3][4][5][6]

Euronews reported that his wife, Caterina Varzi, whom he married in 2017, was at his side when he died. She had also curated his work. Euronews described Brass as a filmmaker who freed desire and brought Italian erotic cinema to a broad audience across a career spanning more than half a century. [1]

Giovanni Tinto Brass was born in Milan on 26 March 1933 to a family with artistic roots, as his grandfather Italico Brass was a noted painter. In the 1960s and 1970s, he directed experimental and avant-garde films of various genres that received critical attention for their innovative style. [1][7][8]

By the late 1970s, Brass shifted toward erotic cinema. He became widely known for directing films such as Salon Kitty in 1976, Caligula in 1979, The Key in 1983, Paprika in 1991, and All Ladies Do It in 1992, as well as Monella and Trasgredire. [1][7][8]