T
Totò
Actor, Writer, Additional Credits
Born February 14, 1898Died April 15, 1967 (69 years)
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 import; his style and a number of his recurring jokes and gestures have become universally known memes in Italy.
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.
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.
Filmography
| 1975 | Un sorriso, uno schiaffo, un bacio in bocca · as (archive Footage) |
| 1968 | Caprice Italian Style · as Anziano Signore / Iago |
| 1968 | |
| 1967 | Il padre di famiglia · as Uomo Al Funerale |
| 1967 | The Witches · as Ciancicato Miao (segment "la Terra Vista Dalla Luna") |
| 1967 | Totò ciak · as Totò L'agente Segreto |
| 1967 | |
| 1967 | Totò a Napoli · as Totò, La Guida Non Autorizzata |
| 1967 | Il latitante · as Gennaro La Pezza |
| 1967 | Il grande maestro · as Mardoccheo Stonatelli |
| 1967 | The Earth As Seen from the Moon · as Ciancicato Miao |
| 1967 | La scommessa · as Oberdan Lo Cascio |
| 1967 | Don Giovannino · as Barnaba Parmiggiani Aka 'babà' |
| 1967 | Premio Nobel · as Il Professor Serafino Bolletta |
| 1966 | The Treasure of San Gennaro · as Don Vincenzo |
| 1966 | The Hawks and the Sparrows · as Totò Innocenti / Frate Cicillo |
| 1965 | Rita, the American Girl · as Serafino Benvenuti |
| 1965 | La mandragola · as Il Frate |
| 1965 | Latin Lovers · as Rag. Antonio Gargiulo (ep. Amore E Morte) |
| 1964 | Beautiful Families · as Filiberto Comanducci |
| 1964 | What Ever Happened to Baby Toto? · as Totò Baby / Il Padre |
| 1964 | |
| 1964 | Toto vs. the Black Pirate · as Josè |
| 1963 | The Commandant · as Col. Antonio Cavalli |
| 1963 | Gli onorevoli · as Antonio La Trippa |
| 1963 | Toto and Cleopatra · as Marc'antonio / Totonno |
| 1963 | Totosexy · as Nini Cantachiaro |
| 1963 | Le motorizzate · as Urbano Cacace (segment "il Vigile Ignoto") |
| 1963 | Il monaco di Monza · as Pasquale Cicciacalda / Don Manuel |
| 1963 | Toto vs the Four · as Commissario Antonio Saracino |
| 1963 | The Shortest Day · as Frate Bersagliere |
| 1963 | Two Colonels · as Colonnello Di Maggio |
| 1962 | Totò di notte n. 1 · as Nini |
| 1962 | Toto and Peppino Divided in Berlin · as Antonio La Puzza / Amministratore Di Canarinis |
| 1962 | Lo smemorato di Collegno · as Lo Smemorato |
| 1962 | Totò diabolicus · as Galeazzo / Carlo / Scipione / Antonio / Laudomia / Pasquale |
| 1962 | Toto vs. Maciste · as Totokamen |
| 1961 | The Two Marshals · as Antonio Capurro |
| 1961 | Totòtruffa '62 · as Antonio Loruffo |
| 1961 | Totò, Peppino e... la dolce vita · as Antonio Barbacane |
| 1961 | Sua Eccellenza si fermò a mangiare · as Dott. Biagio Tanzarella |
| 1960 | He Who Hesitates Is Lost · as Antonio Guardalavecchia |
| 1960 | The Passionate Thief · as Umberto 'infortunio' Pennazzuto |
| 1960 | Letto a tre piazze · as Antonio Di Cosimo |
| 1960 | Totò, Fabrizi e i giovani d'oggi · as Cavalier Antonio Cocozza |
| 1960 | Signori si nasce · as Ottone Degli Ulivi, Detto Zazà |
| 1960 | Noi duri · as L'algerino |
| 1959 | La cambiale · as Cesare Posalaquaglia |
| 1959 | You're on Your Own · as Il Nonno Illuminato |
| 1959 | The Overtaxed · as Torquato Pezzella |
| 1959 | I ladri · as Commissario Di Savio |
| 1959 | Toto in Madrid · as Totò Scorceletti |
| 1958 | Toto in the Moon · as Pasquale Belafronte |
| 1958 | Toto in Paris · as Marchese Gastone De Chemantel / Chateau-Boiron / Il Vagabondo Totò |
| 1958 | Big Deal on Madonna Street · as Dante Cruciani |
| 1958 | The Law Is the Law · as Giuseppe La Paglia |
| 1958 | Legs of Gold · as Barone Luigi Fontana |
| 1958 | Totò, Peppino e le fanatiche · as Antonio Vignarello |
| 1958 | Toto and Marcellino · as Il Professore |
| 1957 | The Lady Doctor · as Michele Spillone Detto Mike |
| 1956 | Totò, Peppino e i fuorilegge · as Antonio |
| 1956 | Toto, Peppino, and the Hussy · as Antonio Caponi |
| 1956 | Toto Double or Nothing · as Duca Gagliardo Della Forcoletta |
| 1956 | The Band of Honest Men · as Antonio Buonocore |
| 1955 | Il coraggio · as Gennaro Vaccariello |
| 1955 | Roman Tales · as Professor Semprini |
| 1955 | Destination Piovarolo · as Antonio La Quaglia |
| 1955 | Are We Men or Corporals? · as Totò Esposito |
| 1955 | Totò all'inferno · as Antonio Marchi |
| 1955 | Toto and Carolina · as Antonio Caccavallo |
| 1954 | The Gold of Naples · as Don Saverio Petrillo (segment "il Guappo") |
| 1954 | Totò cerca pace · as Gennaro Piselli |
| 1954 | Il medico dei pazzi · as Felice Sciosciammocca |
| 1954 | I tre ladri · as Tapioca |
| 1954 | Miseria e nobiltà · as Don Felice Sciosciammocca |
| 1954 | The Anatomy of Love · as Dionillo |
| 1954 | Where Is Freedom? · as Salvatore Lojacono |
| 1954 | Of Life and Love · as Rosario Chiarchiaro |
| 1953 | Funniest Show on Earth · as Tottons |
| 1953 | One of Those · as Rocco Bardelli |
| 1953 | Neapolitan Turk · as Felice Sciosciammocca |
| 1953 | L'uomo la bestia e la virtù · as Prof. Paolino |
| 1952 | Toto and the Women · as Antonio Scaparro |
| 1952 | Toto and the King of Rome · as Ercole Pappalardo |
| 1952 | Toto in Color · as Antonio Scannagatti |
| 1951 | Cops and Robbers · as Ferdinando Esposito |
| 1951 | Sette ore di guai · as Totò De Pasquale |
| 1951 | Toto the Third Man · as Piero / Paolo / Totò |
| 1950 | 47 morto che parla · as Il Barone Antonio Peletti |
| 1950 | Totò sceicco · as Antonio Sapone |
| 1950 | Le sei mogli di Barbablù · as Totò Esposito |
| 1950 | Tototarzan · as Antonio Della Buffas |
| 1950 | Figaro qua, Figaro là · as Figaro |
| 1950 | Side Street Story · as Pasquale Miele |
| 1949 | Totò le moko · as Antonio Lumaconi / Totò Le Moko |
| 1949 | The Emperor of Capri · as Antonio De Fazio |
| 1949 | Totò cerca casa · as Beniamino Lomacchio |
| 1949 | Yvonne of the Night · as Nino, Il Fantasista |
| 1948 | Totò al giro d'Italia · as Prof. Totò Casamandrei |
| 1948 | Fifa e arena · as Nicolino Capece |
| 1947 | The Two Orphans · as Gasparre |
| 1947 | Slave Girl · as Gobbone Il Cammello (narratore) |
| 1945 | Il ratto delle sabine · as Aristide Tromboni |
| 1941 | L'allegro fantasma · as Nicolino & Gelsomino & Antonino |
| 1940 | San Giovanni decollato · as Mastro Agostino Miciacio |
| 1939 | Animali pazzi · as Barone Tolomeo Dei Tolomei |
| 1937 | Hands Off Me! · as Conte Toto Di Torretota |