list_text=          Roberto de Leonardis, who was raised in Italy, became fluent in colloquial American English during two years as a prisoner in a Japanese prison camp, which happened to be full of American GIs. It was a skill, which served him well when the war was over.
          In 1947, Roberto was hired by Disney to translate its films, including "Bambi," "Dumbo," "Pinocchio" and more, and dub them into Italian for audiences there to enjoy.
          As vice chairman of The Walt Disney Company Roy E. Disney recalled, "Roberto was a good friend to the Company. With his skilled English, he translated the Studio's films with great care and precision and subsequently, helped make Disney an integral part of the nation's entertainment landscape."
          Born in Naples on February 14, 1913, Roberto’s father was an admiral in the Italian Navy, and young Roberto, following in his footsteps attended the Military Academy in Livorno, Tuscany, the equivalent of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, where he graduated as an officer.
          As a captain, Roberto served as commanding officer of an Italian naval ship belonging to King Victor Emanuel III (1900-1946). When confronted by the Japanese, after Italy surrendered to the Allies on September 8, 1943, Roberto scuttled the ship in the Yangtze Kiang River in China. As a result, he was taken prisoner and detained until American troops freed him in 1945.
          Roberto returned to Italy after the war and with his newly-acquired English-speaking skills, began to work in the movie industry translating American films into his native language.  
          Then, in 1949, as a member of the association of Italian short film producers, Roberto developed Filmeco, a production house that created about 50 documentaries, including an episode of Disney's "People and Places" travelogue series, called "Sardinia," in 1956. 
          Two years later, he established his own dubbing company, Royfilm, which translated all Disney films into the Italian language, in addition to motion pictures produced by other major U.S. studios including, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount and Universal. Royfilm, located in Rome, continues to translate Disney television productions into Italian and is managed by Roberto's son, Roy.
          In 1961, Roberto was commissioned to work as executive producer on the "Circarama" film "Italia '61." This 360-degree motion picture, which features a tour of Italy with spectacular views of the harbor at Genoa and Mount Vesuvius, was prepared for the Italia '61 Exposition in Turin. Considered cutting-edge technology, at the time, the motion picture was filmed with a unique camera invented by Disney Imagineering technicians.
          Roberto de Leonardis died on September 21, 1984, in Rome.&