Aldo Fabrizi

Aldo Fabrizi (born Aldo Fabbrizi;[1] Italian pronunciation: [ˈaldo faˈbrittsi]; 1 November 1905 – 2 April 1990) was an Italian actor, director, screenwriter and comedian, best known in United Kingdom for the role of the heroic priest in Roberto Rossellini's Rome, Open City and as partner of Totò in a number of successful comedies.

Aldo Fabrizi
Fabrizi on the set of Tombolo, paradiso nero (1947)
Born
Aldo Fabbrizi

(1905-11-01)1 November 1905
Rome, Italy
Died2 April 1990(1990-04-02) (aged 84)
Rome, Italy
Occupationactor, film director, screenwriter, comedian
Spouse(s)
Beatrice Rocchi (died 1981)
RelativesElena Fabrizi (sister)

Life and career

Born in Rome into a humble family, Fabrizi debuted on stage in a suburban theater in 1931.[2] He soon got a local success thanks to his comical sketches and macchiette (i.e. comical monologues caricaturing stock characters), and became a star of the Roman revue and avanspettacolo.[2] He made his film debut during the war, in 1942, and in a short time established himself as one of the most talented actors of the time, spacing from comedy to drama.[2][3] After a number of successful comedies, in 1945 he played the iconic Don Pietro in the neo-realist drama Rome, Open City, and following the critical and commercial success of the film he had a number of leading roles in other neo-realist films.[4] Already active as a screenwriter, in 1948 he debuted as a director with the drama Immigrants.[2][4] In the 1950s and 1960s he was often paired on the screen with Totò and with Peppino De Filippo.[3] In 1964 he got a large success on stage with the musical comedy Rugantino, he also toured across Europe, in Latin America and in Broadway.[2][4]

Like the Italian actor Totò and others, Fabrizi was also initiated to the Scottish Rite Freemasonry.[5][6]

Personal life

Fabrizi was married to the singer Beatrice Rocchi, best known with her stage name Reginella, until her death in 1981.[2] His sister Elena Fabrizi was also an actress.[3]

Awards and recognition

Fabrizi during his career won two Nastro d'Argento Awards, for best actor for Alessandro Blasetti's Prima comunione and for best supporting actor in Ettore Scola's We All Loved Each Other So Much, and a special David di Donatello for his career in 1988.[7] He was also awarded at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival for best screenplay for Cops and Robbers.[2] In 1990 Poste italiane issued a stamp in his honor.[4]

Actor filmography
Fabrizi in The Peddler and the Lady (1943)
Totò and Fabrizi in Cops and Robbers (1951)
Fabrizi in Of Life and Love (1954)
Totò and Fabrizi in The Overtaxed (1959)

Film director filmography
  • Emigrantes (script too) (1948)
  • Benvenuto, reverendo! (producer and script too) (1949)
  • La famiglia Passaguai (producer and script too) (1951)
  • La famiglia Passaguai fa fortuna (producer and script too) (1951)
  • Papà diventa mamma (producer and script too) (1952)
  • Una di quelle (producer and script too) (1953)
  • Questa è la vita (episode Marsina stretta, script too) (1954)
  • Hanno rubato un tram (script too) (1954)
  • Il maestro (script too) (1957)

References
  1. "Roma, morto Massimo Fabbrizi, figlio di Aldo, poeta romanesco e musicista" (in Italian). ilmessaggero.it. 12 November 2016.
  2. Roberto Chiti; Roberto Poppi; Enrico Lancia. Dizionario del cinema italiano : Gli attori dal 1930 ai giorni nostri. Gremese Editore, 2003. ISBN 8884402131.
  3. Sabrina Ramacci. 101 personaggi che hanno fatto grande Roma. Newton Compton Editori, 2011. ISBN 8854132675.
  4. Gino Moliterno. The A to Z of Italian Cinema. Scarecrow Press, 2009. ISBN 0810868962.
  5. "When Totò was a Freemason". ricerca.repubblica.it (in Italian). 11 July 1993. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  6. "From Belli to Totò and Gino Cervi, MASSONICamente narrows the Italian artist freemasons" (in Italian). 2 January 2016. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  7. Enrico Lancia. I premi del cinema. Gremese Editore, 1998. ISBN 8877422211.
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