Totò
Totò was born Antonio Clemente in a poor district of Naples, the illegitimate son of Anna Clemente from Sicily and Marquis Giuseppe De Curtis from Naples. Nicknamed “il principe della risata’ (the prince of laughter), he was an Italian comedian, film and theatre actor, writer, singer and songwriter, and widely considered one of the greatest Italian artists of the 20th century. While he first gained his popularity as a comic actor, his dramatic roles, poetry, and songs are all of cultural
As a comic actor, Totò is classified as an heir of the Commedia dell'Arte tradition, and has been compared to such figures as Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. At the age of 15, he was already acting as a comedian in small theatres, under the pseudonym "Clerment". His early repertoire mostly consisted in imitations of Gustavo De Marco's characters. He served in the army during World War I and then went back to acting to develop the trademarks of his style.
In 1937, he appeared in his first movie "Fermo con le mani", and later starred in 96 more films, many of which are still frequently broadcast on Italian television. In his vast cinematographic career, Totò had the opportunity to act side by side with virtually all major Italian actors of the time. Totò's unmistakable figure, with his peculiarly irregular face (due to an accident in his teen years), and his unique trademark ability to disarticulate his body like a marionette, soon became very popular and his comic gags became part of the Italian culture. Totò died at the age of 69 in Rome after a series of heart attacks. Due to overwhelming popularity there were three funeral services: the first in Rome, and the second and third in Naples. Totò's birth home has been recently opened to the public as a museum.
Born
Feb 14, 1898
Naples, Campania, Italy
Died
Apr 15, 1967
Known For
Acting
Movies
124 acting
10 crew
Popularity
1.5
Known For
Poverty and Nobility
1954
as Don Felice Sciosciammocca
Totò, Peppino e i fuorilegge
1956
as Antonio
Totòtruffa '62
1961
as Antonio LoRuffo
Big Deal on Madonna Street
1958
as Dante Cruciani
Neapolitan Turk
1953
as Felice Sciosciammocca
The Treasure of San Gennaro
1966
as Don Vincenzo
The Gold of Naples
1954
as Don Saverio Petrillo (segment "Il guappo")
The Overtaxed
1959
as Torquato Pezzella
Toto, Peppino, and the Hussy
1956
as Antonio Caponi
Cops and Robbers
1951
as Ferdinando Esposito
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