Dante Spinotti was born in Tolmezzo, Udine, in the northeastern Italian Region of Friuli. He began his career at RAI (Italian TV), before that he spent lot of time in Kenia as cinematographer for his uncle. In 1985, producer Dino De Laurentiis offered him a chance to work in USA for the first time with Michael Mann for the feature İnsan Avcısı (1986). From that experience, Spinotti became one of the most appreciated cinematographer in Hollywood. His particular vision gives a movie a great sense of reality. Among his works are: Son Mohikan (1992) (Academy Nomination), Büyük Hesaplaşma (1995), Los Angeles Sırları (1997) (Academy Nomination), Köstebek (1999) (Academy Nomination), and Harika Çocuklar (2000). He married his wife Marcella, and they live in Los Angeles, Rome, and Tolmezzo.