Gigi Ballista
Biography
Gigi Ballista was born on 1 December 1918 in Florence, Tuscany, Italy, and died on 2 August 1980 at the age of 61. After graduating in law, he worked as a public‑relations consultant in advertising and industrial documentaries before beginning an acting career in his thirties. He entered Italian cinema in the early 1960s, initially taking minor parts, and achieved a breakthrough in 1966 with a significant role in Pietro Germi’s The Birds, the Bees and the Italians. The film’s critical and commercial success prompted him to pursue acting full‑time. Between 1961 and 1980 he appeared in roughly sixty films, becoming noted for his characteristic hoarse, dysphonic voice, which made him a recognizable presence in both film and television.
Career overview
Gigi Ballista was born on 1 December 1918 in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. After completing a degree in law, he entered the world of public relations, working as a consultant for advertising and industrial documentary projects. He began his acting career relatively late, taking on minor film roles in the early 1960s while still engaged in his PR work.
Ballista’s first significant breakthrough arrived in 1966 when he was cast in Pietro Germi’s comedy The Birds, the Bees and the Italians. The film’s critical and commercial success prompted him to abandon his previous profession and devote himself fully to acting. Known for a distinctive hoarse and dysphonic voice, he quickly became a recognizable presence in Italian cinema and television. Between 1961 and 1980 he appeared in roughly sixty films, with a credited filmography that lists fifty‑six titles.
Throughout the remainder of his career he remained active in both film and television, building a reputation as a character actor whose vocal qualities set him apart. Ballista continued to work until his death on 2 August 1980, at the age of 61, leaving behind a substantial body of work that reflects his transition from a legal and PR background to a dedicated career in the performing arts.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- L'assistente sociale tutto pepe... (1981) as Bishop
- I Hate Blondes (1980) as Psychiatrist
- Liquirizia (1979) as Bartolozzi
- Midnight Express (1978) as Chief Judge
- Il furto della gioconda (1978) as Poupardin
- The Schoolmate (1977) as Girardi
- Mala, Love and Death (1977) as Carlo Alberto Giorgi
- Salon Kitty (1976) as Nazi General
- Under the Sheets (1976) as Professor Ciotti
- Confessions of a Lady Cop (1976) as Questore Moretti
- Horse Fever (1976) as Count Dallara
- La madama (1976) as The Venetian
- Un amore targato Forlì (1976)
- The Family Vice (1975) as Conte Giosuè
- The Sunday Woman (1975) as Vollero
- Il fratello (1975)
- Cassiodorus Is the Hardest Praetorian (1975) as Cornelius da Mediolanum
- The Noon Vigilante (1975) as direttore Filiberto Rossetti
- Stavisky... (1974) as Gaston Henriet
- Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia (1974) as doctor
- Policewoman (1974) as avvocato
- Poker in Bed (1974) as comm. Gervasio Caminata
- Italian Sex (1974) as padre di Carletto
- Fischia Il Sesso (1974) as Mr. Lewis
- Anima mia (1974) as Filippo Tornabuoni
- Permettete signora che ami vostra figlia? (1974) as Gino's Friend
- Giovannona Long-Thigh (1973) as Commendatore La Noce
- Blume in Love (1973) as Older Man
- Increase and Multiply (1973) as Dottore
- The Lady Has Been Raped (1973) as Carini
- Black Turin (1972) as Marinotti
- 1001 Nights of Pleasure (1972) as Genie in Lamp
- Snow Job (1972)
- Blessed Are the Rich (1972) as Commendatore
- No One Will Notice You're Naked (1971) as Silvio Borelon
- Trastevere (1971) as Count
- Roma bene (1971) as Vitozzi
- Do Not Commit Adultery (1971) as Padre Spiridione
- The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1970) as Padre Polenta
- Lady Caliph (1970) as Il principe industriale
- Una storia d'amore (1970) as Borgognini
- Kill the Fatted Calf and Roast It (1970) as Il medico
- Il Circolo Pickwick (1968) as Nathaniel Winkle
- Emma Hamilton (1968) as Cardinal Ruffo
- Galileo (1968) as commissario domenicano
- Torture Me But Kill Me with Kisses (1968) as Engineer
- Sunstroke (1968) as Conte Malvezzi
- The Man Who Betrayed the Mafia (1967) as Aldo
- The Seventh Floor (1967) as medico
- The Climax (1967) as Don Michele
- How I Learned to Love Women (1966) as sir Archibald
- The Birds, the Bees and the Italians (1966) as Giacinto Castellan
- The Queens (1966) as The Priest ("Fata Marta")
- Pleasant Nights (1966) as Luca di Montemerlo
- Il morbidone (1965)
- The Maniacs (1964) as Count at the Party (segment "l'hobby") (uncredited)