Ercole Patti ( 16 February 1903 – 15 November 1976) was an Italian author, dramatist, screenwriter and journalist.Born in Catania into an upper-middle-class family, the nephew of author Giuseppe Villaroel, Patti started working as a journalist at very young age, before graduating in law in 1925. After practicing for a year in his father's firm, he decided to move to Rome where earning a living from journalism.