Antonio De Curtis was an Italian actor, poet, author and lyrics writer. He is widely considered one of the greatest Italian artists of the 20th century. Totò, byname of Antonio de Curtis Gagliardi Griffo Focas, (born Nov. 7, 1898, Naples, Italy—died April 15, 1967, Rome), Italian comic, most popular for his film characterization of an unsmiling but sympathetic bourgeois figure, likened by international film critics to the American film comic Buster Keaton.. Totò was born to a family of impoverished Italian nobility. Vittorio De Sica was one of the leading Italian actors and directors from the 1940s until the 1970s. 1956 . Steve Lukather and Joseph Williams of Toto perform on stage at Mediolanum Forum of Assago on March 10, 2018 in Milan, Italy. Portrait of Italian actor, playwright, poet and scriptwriter Totò . On air on Rai 1 channel. Italian comic actor Toto at a polling booth on election day, Rome, 10th June 1962. He is widely considered one of the greatest Italian artists of the 20th century. Here, Totò and Peppino (the Neapolitan actor Peppino de Filippo) have just arrived in Milano from Napoli in search of their nephew who has fallen in love with una malafemmina (a bad woman). 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. 1950s. Soon he became an icon of Italian comic cinema, although he was not always appreciated by critics. Totò is his pseudonym, while is full name was Antonio Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno De Curtis di Bisanzio Gagliardi. Italian comic actor Toto at a polling booth on election day, Rome, 10th June 1962. He began his acting career in theater, following with film comedies. Vogue, French edition, March 1956, pp. He was a noted Italian-born film actor who created the role of Totò. Franca Valeri, an elegant, ironic and versatile actor who pioneered Italian female comic roles in the post-war years, has died Actor. Italy’s one-time favourite comic actor is being honoured on the 50th anniversary of his death. The Federico II University in his native Naples has awarded him a posthumous honorary degree. He started out working in an office to support his family, but had been drawn to acting since his teen years. Portrait of Italian actor, playwright, poet and scriptwriter Totò . The wife of the Italian comic actor known as Toto, helps him into his costume for the show Bada che ti mangio. After cheating an American out of 50 dollars, he is chased by a policeman, Lorenzo, who lets him escape. RAI 1 - Modestamente, Totò "Modestamente Totò" - opening sequence. 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. After decades in which comic roles in Italy were virtually the exclusive province of men, Valeri held her own against top male comic actors, starring against Toto’ and Alberto Sordi. Books by Totò In 1937, after several proposals, he interpreted his first movie. High quality Toto gifts and merchandise. Italy’s one-time favourite comic actor is being honoured on the 50th anniversary of his death. He used a huge range of comic techniques and was incredibly creative with language. In 1940 he began directing and achieved great success. Special Notice. Totò clearly shows why he is the legend of legends of Italian comedy. Prince Antonio Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno De Curtis di Bisanzio Gagliardi, best known by his stage name Totò or as Antonio De Curtis, and nicknamed il principe della risata, was an Italian comedian, film and theatre actor, writer, singer and songwriter. The wife of the Italian comic actor known as Toto, helps him into his costume for the show Bada che ti mangio. Toto was the stage name of Antonio de Curtis, who starred in over 100 much-loved films that are still frequently screened on Italian TV. Of the six films she made with Sordi, arguably her most popular role came in “Il Vedovo” (The Widower), a 1959 hit directed by Dino Risi, a master of Italian comedy films. Starting from this point, the rise of Totò as an actor was unstoppable and a few years later he acted in his first movie. Toto' one of the best Italian Comic actor, and Nino Taranto are among the cast of the film, together with attractive actress Moira Orfei, who plays the part of famous ''nun of Monza''. Civic Sense is a lightly comic interlude from Mauro Bolognini (The Lady of the Camelias) with a dark conclusion, and The Earth as Seen from the Moon sees Italian comedy legend Totò team up with Pier Paolo Pasolini (Theorem) for the first time for a tale of matrimony and a red-headed father and son. Photo shows A comic scene playing Toto' as ''the Monk of Monza'' and Nino Taranto, don Rodrigo. The Federico II University in his native Naples has awarded him a posthumous honorary degree. 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. Find the perfect Toto Actor stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. ... scene with the traffic warden in Piazza del Duomo in Milano, from his 1956 film Totò, Peppino e la Malafemmina. Toto -- … The other actors in this film with Totò are Titina De Filippo, Silvana Jachino and Franco Coop. The film was directed by Steno and starred the comic actor Totò. Roberto Remigio Benigni Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (Italian pronunciation: [roˈbɛrto beˈniɲɲi]; born 27 October 1952) is an Italian actor, comedian, screenwriter and director. Prince Antonio Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno De Curtis di Bisanzio Gagliardi, best known by his stage name Totò or as Antonio De Curtis, and nicknamed il principe della risata, was an Italian comedian, film and theatre actor, writer, singer and songwriter. Toto was the stage name of Antonio de Curtis, who starred in over 100 much-loved films that are still frequently screened on Italian TV. Italy's pioneering comic actor, Franca Valeri, dies at 100. Movies collection of the most famous Italian comic actor Totò. (26 x 33 cm.) Italian comedian Totò is with Italian film director Camillo Mastrocinque during the shooting of 'Totò, Peppino and the outlaws', Italy 1956. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images Italian actor Totò in the film The Band of Honest Men. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. His early repertoire mostly consisted in imitations of Gustavo De Marco's characters. 154-155; Hall (editor), Photography Year Book 1957, Photography Magazine Ltd, p. 138. Toto in Color (Italian: Totò a colori) is a 1952 Italian comedy film, and was the first Italian color film shot with the Ferraniacolor system. To be or not to be? 1950s. Toto’s breed is not specified in the Baum books, but in the 1939 movie he was played by a female Cairn Terrier named Terry… Toto is also the name of an American rock band and the nickname of Italian comic actor Antonio Clemente (1898-1967). Among the precursors of Italian comedy there were two major actors of the twentieth century: Aldo Fabrizi who anticipated the genre in the early 1950s, and Totò a forerunner of the Italian Comedy in the popular line of “Totò e Peppino” movies in which another giant of comedy, Neopolitan Peppino De Filippo, appeared. Tutto Toto: A Comic Actor's Centenary By Frederika Randall. Franca Valeri, an elegant, ironic and versatile actor who pioneered female comic roles in Italy’s post-war years and helped the nation laugh at its foibles, has died at 100. Literature. March 6, 1998 12:01 am ET Rome. Select from premium Toto Actor of the highest quality. He was born in Naples in 1901. With his deadpan Buster Keaton mask, he was the unforgettable star of Naples Millionaire and The Gold of Naples.' Ferdinando Esposito, played by Totò, is a swindler who, with his partner Amilcare, likes to execute his tricks on foreigners who visit the Roman Forum. The wife of the Italian comic actor known as Toto, helps him into his costume for the show Bada che ti mangio. The Vogue caption introduces Toto as Italy's greatest comic actor, 'A refined and distinguished figure, who had honed his craft in the tough world of music-hall. ROME -- Iconic Italian comic actor Toto will be honored at this year's RomaCineFest with a special retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of his passing. Italian comedian Totò is with Italian film director Camillo Mastrocinque during the shooting of 'Totò, Peppino and the outlaws', Italy 1956. Inspired designs on t-shirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more by independent artists and designers from around the world. Italian actor Toto', Antonio De Curtis, wearing a cardigan, a tie and a ring, portrayed making a thoughtful expression, 1950. Rock group Toto pose for a portrait in May 1982 in los Angeles, California. Writer and philosopher Umberto Eco has thus commented on the importance of Totò in Italian culture: Mario Monicelli, who directed some of the most appreciated of Totò's movies, thus described his artistic value: 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. In 1938 he makes his second film with Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia "Animali pazzi", but it is with the director Amleto Palermi, in the film "San Giovanni Decollato", taken from a Nino Martoglio comedy, that Totò shows the measure of his possibilities as a cinematographic comic actor. At the age of 15, he was already acting as a comedian in small theatres, under pseudonym "Clerment". signed and titled 'Toto Italian Actor' and annotated in pencil (verso) 10¼ x 13¼ in.