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Totò

Acting Born Feb 14, 1898 Naples, Campania, Italy 24 credits

Biography

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.

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Known for

Film

The Witches

as Ciancicato Miao (segment "La Terra vista dalla Luna")
Film

Big Deal on Madonna Street

as Dante Cruciani
Film

The Hawks and the Sparrows

as Totò Innocenti / Frate Cicillo
Film

Toto, Peppino, and the Hussy

as Antonio Caponi

My Little Girl

as Felice Sciosciammocca

Marvel's The Punisher

as Michele Spillone detto Mike

Full filmography

  • Cinépanorama (1956) as Self
  • L'allegro fantasma (1941) as Nicolino & Gelsomino & Antonino
  • The Witches (1967) as Ciancicato Miao (segment "La Terra vista dalla Luna")
  • Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958) as Dante Cruciani
  • The Hawks and the Sparrows (1966) as Totò Innocenti / Frate Cicillo
  • Naples '44 (2016) as Self (archive footage)
  • The Treasure of San Gennaro (1966) as Don Vincenzo
  • The Shortest Day (1963) as frate bersagliere
  • The Gold of Naples (1954) as Don Saverio Petrillo (segment "Il guappo")
  • Toto, Peppino, and the Hussy (1956) as Antonio Caponi
  • The Law Is the Law (1958) as Giuseppe La Paglia
  • Il medico dei pazzi (1954) as Felice Sciosciammocca
  • Caprice Italian Style (1968) as Anziano Signore / Iago
  • Totò, Vittorio and the Doctor (1957) as Michele Spillone detto Mike
  • Toto and the Women (1952) as Antonio Scaparro
  • Cops and Robbers (1951) as Ferdinando Esposito
  • Kolossal - The Magnificent Macisti (1977)
  • Slave Girl (1947) as Gobbone il cammello (narratore)
  • The Monk of Monza (1963) as Pasquale Cicciacalda / Don Manuel
  • Poverty and Nobility (1954) as Don Felice Sciosciammocca
  • Toto, Fabrizi and the Young People Today (1960) as Cavalier Antonio Cocozza
  • The Band of Honest Men (1956) as Antonio Buonocore
  • The Two Marshals (1961) as Antonio Capurro
  • Toto Tours Italy (1948) as Prof. Totò Casamandrei