Biographie
Born to restaurateur parents, Richard DiLello grew up in Queens, New York, and his life was profoundly impacted after watching the Beatles for the first time on the Ed Sullivan show in February 1964.
After finishing high school, he moved to California, spending several years around Los Angeles and San Francisco, frequently attending concerts and often encountering former Beatles press officer Derek Taylor, who was then handling publicity for various musical acts. When the Beatles launched Apple Corps, Taylor returned to London and encouraged DiLello to visit him if he ever came to the city.
In the summer of 1968, following a brief stay in Morocco, DiLello traveled to London and connected with Derek as promised. Within weeks, he obtained a British work visa and secured a position at The Beatles' press office.
From 1968 to 1970, he served as the "house hippie" (officially the Client Liaison Officer), managing promotional campaigns for The Beatles, Badfinger, and other Apple Records artists.
In the winter of 1971, DiLello wrote a memoir about his time at Apple called "The Longest Cocktail Party," which was published in 1972.
Starting in 1975, DiLello began writing screenplays, dedicating five years to this pursuit while supporting himself through photography. He completed three or four scripts, leading to a meeting with producer Robert Solo, who commissioned him to write a screenplay about a young James Cagney in a contemporary reform school. This project resulted in the 1983 crime-drama film "Bad Boys," starring Sean Penn.
Officially established as a screenwriter, DiLello wrote the screenplay for the 1986 TV movie "Popeye Doyle," starring Ed O'Neill, and the 1988 police procedural action-crime film "Colors," featuring Sean Penn and Robert Duvall.
In addition, DiLello worked in television, writing and directing a segment of the 1997 TV film "Riot," starring Luke Perry and Lucy Liu, as well as writing and producing episodes for the series "Midnight Caller," "DEA," and "Dellaventura.
