D. Constantine Conte

June 25, 1937 - June 24, 2015 D. Constantine Conte, "Dino" to all of us who knew and loved him, passed away on June 24th, 2015, the day before his 78th birthday. He was born in the Bronx, New York, on June 25th, 1937. Dino graduated from the Greek American Institute in Bronx, NY, after which he served proudly as a US Marine. While serving in the Marine Corps, he attended the Presidio Language School in Monterey, California, where Military Intelligence Specialists received training in foreign languages. Dino was a deeply kind and generous man and he valued family and loyalty above all else. His dear friend and business partner, Fred Caruso, tells us that Dino whispered the US Marines' motto semper fi ("always faithful") to himself before meetings and important events. For the last 45 years, Dino worked as a film producer in Hollywood. For 20 of those years, Judy K. Powell worked as his dedicated assistant, truly his right hand. Early in his career he served as executive producer for "48 Hours" and "Conan the Barbarian." His production companies Zeus God of Gods, Pegasus and Cine-Prod Services brought to audiences such films as "Hard to Hold," "Presidio," "No Mercy," and "Born Yesterday," and he served as executive producer of the film, "November Man." A collaborative project with Christopher Glatis entitled "Liberty," on which Dino would have served as producer, is still in development. Dino is survived by his devoted sister Peggy Fallis and her husband Tom Fallis; nephew George "Pasta Shoes" Fallis and his daughter Alexa; nephew Dean "Destructo" Fallis, his wife Susan, and their children Lauren and Andrew, all of Jacksonville FL; his beloved aunt Katie Manthos of Monroe, NC; cousin Anna Petronakis and her husband Sam Petronakis; nephews Alexander "the Great," Andrew "the Magician," and Nicky "the Blond" Petronakis (all lifelong nicknames were given to his nephews by Uncle Dino), all of Santa Ynez, CA. He is pre-deceased by his cherished mother, Thelma Harris, born Efthemia Manthos; dear brothers Jimmy and Teddy Harris; and uncles George and Jim Manthos. A private family funeral service was held in New York. A memorial service will be held in Los Angeles at a later date.