[1][2] He was born in Naples in an aristocratic family and moved to Rome immediately after the end of World War II and spent his professional life there.

Patroni Griffi would later direct Charlotte Rampling, Elizabeth Taylor, Marcello Mastroianni, Laura Antonelli, Florinda Bolkan, Terence Stamp, Fabio Testi.

[citation needed] Patroni Griffi was also involved with numerous television productions of lyric opera, including Verdi's La Traviata.

His many theatrical productions include works by Pirandello, Eduardo De Filippo, Jean Cocteau and Tennessee Williams.

Later, he contributed significantly to the body of Italian gay literature with Scende giù per Toledo and La morte della bellezza, both set in Naples.