Di Fate was born November 21, 1945, in
Yonkers, New York, to Victor and Carmina ( Sgueglia) Di Fate. He married Roseanne Panaro on March 10, 1968. He studied at the Phoenix School of Design in
New York City and received his MA in Illustration at
Syracuse University. He broke into speculative fiction
pulp magazines with illustrations for three different stories in the August 1969 issue of
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, edited by
John W. Campbell, and did his first cover illustration for the November issue. Di Fate calls his 1997 book
Infinite Worlds "the first comprehensive history of science fiction art in America". ==Awards==