FACTBOX: Life and times of Michelangelo Antonioni

(Reuters) - Michelangelo Antonioni, one of Italy's most famous film directors, died late on Monday, the same day as Swedish director Ingmar Bergman.

Antonioni, who was 94, achieved fame in the 1960s and early 70s with a series of highly individual films.

Here are some key facts on Antonioni:

* EARLY LIFE:

-- Michelangelo Antonioni was born in the north-east Italian city of Ferrara on September 29, 1912. After studying business and economics at Bologna university and a brief period working at a bank, he became a film critic on a local paper.

-- In 1939 he moved to Rome and contributed work to the Fascist official film magazine "Cinema".

-- His first real involvement in film-making came three years later when he helped write the script of Roberto Rossellini's Fascist-sponsored "Una Pilota Ritorna" (A Pilot Returns) in 1942.

-- He won favorable reviews at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival for "Il Grido" (The Outcry).

* RECOGNITION:

-- His first big international success was "L'Avventura" (The Adventure) -- marked by lingering camera-work that underscored the characters' alienation and futile attempts to communicate.

-- With "L'Avventura", Antonioni also introduced Italian actress Monica Vitti to big-screen international stardom. Vitti was to be Antonioni's close companion over the next decade.

-- She also starred in the director's next three films - "La Notte" (The Night) in 1961, "L'Eclisse" (Eclipse) in 1962 and "Il Deserto Rosso" (The Red Desert) in 1964.

* WORK ABROAD:

-- From 1964 to 1979 he moved abroad, directing his next film "Blow Up" in English in the "swinging" London of 1966. The film was awarded the Grand Prix at the 20th Cannes Festival.

-- A four-year gap came before the next feature, "Zabriskie Point", filmed in California in 1970. Set in the heady environment of American campus radicalism and "flower power", the film had mixed reviews.

-- In 1974, Antonioni filmed "Professione: Reporter" (The Passenger) with American actor Jack Nicholson.