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Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi De Curtis di Bisanzio[1] (15 February 1898 – 15 April 1967), best known by his stage name Totò[a] (pronounced[toˈtɔ]), or simply as Antonio de Curtis, and nicknamed il principe della risata ("the prince of laughter"), was an Italian actor, comedian, screenwriter, dramatist, poet, singer and lyricist. He is commonly referred to as one of the most popular Italian performers of all time. While best known for his funny and sometimes cynical comic characters in theatre and then many successful comedy films made from the 1940s to the 1960s, he also worked with many iconic Italian film directors in dramatic roles.[2]
Early life
Totò was born Antonio Vincenzo Stefano Clemente on 15 February 1898 in the
Rione Sanità, a poor district of
Naples, the illegitimate son of Anna Clemente (1881–1947), a Sicilian woman, and the Neapolitan
marquis Giuseppe de Curtis (1873–1944).[3] His father did not legally recognize him, and Totò so regretted growing up without a father that in 1933, at age 35, he managed to have the marquis Francesco Maria Gagliardi Focas adopt him in exchange for a
life annuity.[3] As a consequence, when Marquis de Curtis finally recognized him in 1937 Totò had become an heir of two noble families, ultimately claiming an impressive slew of titles.[3]
Totò's mother wanted him to become a priest, but as early as 1913, 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.[3] In the minor venues where he performed, Totò had the chance to meet famous artists like
Eduardo and
Peppino De Filippo. He served in the
Italian Army during
World War I and then went back to acting. He learned the art of the guitti, the Neapolitan scriptless comedians, heirs to the tradition of the
Commedia dell'Arte, and began developing the trademarks of his style, including a puppet-like, disjointed gesticulation, emphasized facial expressions, and an extreme, sometimes surrealistic, sense of humor, largely based on emphasizing primitive urges such as hunger and sexual desire.[4]
Career
In 1922, he moved to Rome to perform in bigger theatres. He performed in the genre of avanspettacolo, a
vaudevillian mixture of music, ballet and comedy preceding the main act (hence its name, which roughly translates as "before show"). He became adept at these shows (also known as rivista – Revue), and in the 1930s he had his own company, with which he travelled across Italy. In 1937, he appeared in his first movie Fermo con le mani, and later starred in 96 other films.[5]
In his vast cinematographic career, Totò had the opportunity to act side by side with virtually all major Italian actors of the time.[7] With some of them he paired in several films, the most renowned and successful teams being established with
Aldo Fabrizi and
Peppino De Filippo. De Filippo was one of the few actors to have his name appear in movie titles along with that of Totò, for example in Totò, Peppino e la malafemmina and Totò e Peppino divisi a Berlino.
Partly because of the radical, naive immorality of his roles, some of his more spicy gags raised much controversy in a society that was both strictly
Catholic and ruled by the conservative
Democrazia Cristiana (Christian Democracy) party. For example, Totò's 1964 movie Che fine ha fatto Totò Baby? (a parody of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?) included a humorous celebration of
cannabis[8] in an era when drugs were perceived by the Italian audience as something exotic, depraved and dangerous.[9]
Writing
During the 1950s, he started to compose poetry. The best-known is probably 'A Livella, in which an arrogant rich man and a humble poor man meet after their deaths and discuss their differences. Totò was also a songwriter: Malafemmena (Wayward Woman), dedicated to his wife Diana after they separated, is considered a classic of the
Neapolitan popular music.[10]
Personal life
Totò had a reputation as a
playboy. One of his lovers, the well known
chanteuse and
dancerLiliana Castagnola [
it], committed suicide after their relationship ended.[11] This tragedy marked his life. He buried Liliana in his family's chapel, and named his only daughter
Liliana (born 10 May 1933 to his wife, Diana Bandini Rogliani, whom he married in 1935).
Another personal tragedy was the premature birth of his son Massenzio in 1954. The child died a few hours later. He was the son of Totò's mistress
Franca Faldini.[12] During a tour in 1956, he lost most of his eyesight due to an eye infection that he had ignored to avoid cancelling his show and disappointing his fans. Arguably however, the handicap almost never affected his schedule and acting abilities.
Totò died at the age of 69 on 15 April 1967 in Rome after a series of heart attacks. Due to overwhelming demand, there were no fewer than three funeral services: the first in Rome, a second in his birth city of
Naples—and a few days later, in a third one by the local
Camorra boss, an empty
casket was carried along the packed streets of the popular Rione Sanità quarter where he was born.[13]
Noble titles
In 1946, when the
Consulta Araldica—the body that advised the
Kingdom of Italy on matters of nobility—ceased operations, the Tribunal of Naples recognized his numerous titles, so his complete name was changed from Antonio Clemente to Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Ducas Komnenos Gagliardi de Curtis of
Byzantium, His Imperial Highness, Palatine Count, Knight of the
Holy Roman Empire,
Exarch of
Ravenna, Duke of
Macedonia and
Illyria, Prince of
Constantinople,
Cilicia,
Thessaly,
Pontus,
Moldavia,
Dardania,
Peloponnesus, Count of
Cyprus and
Epirus, Count and Duke of
Drivasto and
Durazzo. For someone born and raised in one of the poorest Neapolitan neighbourhoods, this must have been quite an achievement, but in claiming the titles (at the time they had become meaningless) the comedian also mocked them for their intrinsic worthlessness. In fact, when he was not using his stage name Totò, he mostly referred to himself simply as Antonio de Curtis.[3]
Totò Diabolicus (1962) as Marquis Galeazzo di Torrealta / Gen. Scipione di Torrealta / Prof. Carlo di Torrealta / Baroness Laudomia di Torrealta / Mons. Antonino di Torrealta / Pasquale Bonocore
Caprice Italian Style (1968) as Anziano signore (segment "Mostro della domenica, Il") / Iago (segment "Che cosa sono le nuvole?") (final film role, released posthumously)