Born in North Carolina (USA) in 1953, He graduated in 1979 in Directing at the New York University’s Graduate Film School. While he was studying, he made some short films, one of which, Interview, won the Paulette Godard Scholarship Award. Having just graduated, he studied performance and worked as director of photography on eight films, including Stranger Than Paradise, by Jim Jarmusch. The monologue Johnny Suede, a theatrical text, that he wrote and performed himself in 1987 at the Home for Contemporary Theater, gave rise to his first full-length film of the same name. Shot in 1991 with Brad Pitt and Catherine Keener in the leading roles, the film won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Festival in 1992. In 1995 his second film, Living in Oblivion won the award for Best Script at the Sundance Film Festival and the award for Best Film at festivals in Deauville, Stockholm and Valladolid, as well as having the honour of opening the New Directors/New Films retrospective at the MOMA in New York. His third film, Box of Moonlight, 1996), starring John Turturro and Sam Rockwell, was premiered at the Venice Festival, the Toronto Festival and the Sundance Film Festival. The Real Blonde, DiCillo’s fourth film, starring Matthew Modine, Catherine Keener and Daryl Hannah, was the closing film at the Deauville Festival in 1997 and the opening film at the Sundance Film Festival in 1998. His latest film for the moment is Double Whammy, with Denis Leary and Steve Buscemi. Selected for Sundance and Deauville, it was also shown at the Gijón Festival in 2001. At the present time he is preparing his next film, Delirious, with his friend Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt and Scarlett Johansson, which will start shooting in December this year.