Biography

(2023) - Nominee for the U.S. Peace Prize

Francesco, from Washington, DC, went to the University of Maryland - College Park. His father was a prominent psychiatrist and author of over 30 self-help books, and his mother was a registered nurse.

From childhood on Francesco had a passion for space, photography, writing and film, but never thought of them as future professions.

After one year of Pre-medical, he decided to throw caution to the wind and make all of his 'hobbies' his life's calling.

Space: From the early days of the Apollo space program, he followed the space race and later, by happenstance, became best friends with astronaut Neil Armstrong for over 20 years. He also photographed astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, Alan Shepard, Jim Lovell, Guion Bluford, Jr., Wally Shirra, Gene Cernan, and John Glenn.

Photography: When Francesco was nine, his Uncle Amerigo, (named for America), taught him photography on a Leica camera. That's all it took and Francesco was hooked on 'drawing with light.' His photo career began in 1980 in Los Angeles, where he became a renowned celebrity portrait photographer. His work also focused on fashion-beauty, ballet, and street photography. On a regular basis his work appeared in Newsweek and other national magazines and newspapers. Getty Images represented his work for over ten years, and Francesco's photo of a child at a March for Our Lives rally was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize (2023). Recently, Francesco launched a social media series on his celebrity shoots and street photography - "Da Vinci's Camera".

Writing: (2026) Francesco re-published a memoir as a peace activist and conscientious objector to war on Amazon - I Refuse To Kill.

Film: Currently, (2026), Francesco is developing a documentary film based on his memoir - I Refuse To Kill. He has also completed a screenplay of the story, and is shopping it to production companies.

Francesco's hobbies include motivational talks, movies, mini-golf, and travel. His mantra is "Dream, believe the dream, and make it happen!"
- IMDb mini biography by: Francesco Da Vinci