NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Roberto Benigni

Roberto Remigio Benigni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI^[1] (born October 27, 1952) is an Academy Award-winning Italian film and television actor, writer and director. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... Coordinates: Country Italy Region Tuscany Province Arezzo Settled 4th century B.C. Area - City 43. ... Arezzo (It. ... Nicoletta Braschi worked with Roberto Benigni in a lot of his films. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the awards given to actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... Life Is Beautiful (Italian: La vita Ã¨ bella) is a 1997 Italian language film which tells the story of a Jewish Italian, Guido Orefice (played by Roberto Benigni, who also directed and co-wrote the film), who must learn how to use his fertile imagination to help his son survive their... The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was established in 1958. ... Life Is Beautiful (Italian: La vita Ã¨ bella) is a 1997 Italian language film which tells the story of a Jewish Italian, Guido Orefice (played by Roberto Benigni, who also directed and co-wrote the film), who must learn how to use his fertile imagination to help his son survive their... BAFTA Award The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organisation that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ... The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role has been presented to its winners since 1952 and actors of all nationalities are eligible to receive the award. ... Life Is Beautiful (Italian: La vita Ã¨ bella) is a 1997 Italian language film which tells the story of a Jewish Italian, Guido Orefice (played by Roberto Benigni, who also directed and co-wrote the film), who must learn how to use his fertile imagination to help his son survive their... The CÃ©sar Award is the national film award of France first given out in 1975. ... CÃ©sar Award for Best Foreign Film: 1976: Scent of a Woman (Italy), directed by Dino Risi 1977: We All Loved Each Other So Much (Italy), directed by Ettore Scola 1978: A Special Day (Italy), directed by Ettore Scola 1979: The Tree with the Wooden Clogs (Italy), directed by Ermanno... Life Is Beautiful (Italian: La vita Ã¨ bella) is a 1997 Italian language film which tells the story of a Jewish Italian, Guido Orefice (played by Roberto Benigni, who also directed and co-wrote the film), who must learn how to use his fertile imagination to help his son survive their... Razzie Award The Raspberry Awards or Razzies, first awarded in 1981, were created by John Wilson in 1980, intended to counterpoint the Academy Awards by dishonoring the worst acting, screenwriting, songwriting, directing, and films that the film industry had to offer. ... The Razzie Award for Worst Actor was an honor given out at the Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst actor of the previous year. ... For other uses, see Pinocchio (disambiguation). ... There are currently five Italian orders of merit (Italian: ) that recognise contributions to the Republic of Italy. ... is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... For other uses, see Actor (disambiguation). ... A writer is anyone who creates a written work, although the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ...

Biography

Early years

His first experiences as a theatre actor took place in 1972, in Prato. During that autumn he moved to Rome where he took part in some experimental theatre shows, some of which he also directed. In 1975, Benigni had his first theatrical success with Cioni Mario di Gaspare fu Giulia, written by Giuseppe Bertolucci. For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ...

Benigni became famous in Italy in the 1970s for a shocking TV series called Televacca, on RAI2, by Renzo Arbore, in which he interpreted the satirical piece "anthem of the melt body" (L'inno del corpo sciolto, a hymn to defecation).^[2] A great scandal for the time, the series was suspended due to censorship. His first film was 1977's Berlinguer ti voglio bene, also by Giuseppe Bertolucci. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... Satire is a literary technique of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject (individuals, organizations, states) often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. ... Anatomy of the anus and rectum Defecation is the act or process by which organisms eliminate solid or semisolid waste material (feces) from the digestive tract via the anus. ... For other uses, see Censor. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ...

Afterwards, he appeared during a public political demonstration of the Italian Communist Party, of which he was a sympathiser, and in this occasion he took in his arms and dangled the national leader Enrico Berlinguer, a very serious figure. It was an unprecedented act, given that until that moment Italian politicians were proverbially serious and formal (and Berlinguer was perhaps the most serious of them all). It represented a breaking point, after which politicians experimented with newer habits and "public manners", attended fewer formal events and, generally speaking, modified their lifestyle in order to exhibit a more popular behaviour. Benigni was censored again in the 1980s for calling the Pope John Paul II something impolite during an important live TV show ("Wojtylaccio", meaning "Bad Wojtyla" in Italian). The Partito Comunista Italiano (PCI) or Italian Communist Party emerged as Partito Comunista dItalia or Communist Party of Italy from a secession by the Leninist comunisti puri tendency from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) during that bodys congress on 21 January 1921 at Livorno. ... Enrico Berlinguer. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... Coat of Arms of Pope John Paul II. The Letter M is for Mary, the mother of Jesus, to whom he held strong devotion Pope John Paul II (Latin: , Italian: Giovanni Paolo II, Polish: Jan PaweÅ‚ II) born []; 18 May 1920 â€“ 2 April 2005) reigned as the 264th Pope of...

His popularity increased with another Arbore's show, L'altra domenica (1978), in which Benigni portrayed a lazy film critic who has never watched the film for which he is called to review.

1980s

Benigni's first film as director was Tu mi turbi (You upset me, 1983). On the set he met the Cesenate actress Nicoletta Braschi, who was to become his wife, and who has starred in most of the films he directed. // February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Lets Spend the Night Together opens in New York North Americas Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi Tootsie Trading Places, starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy WarGames, starring Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy Superman III Flashdance Staying Alive Octopussy Mr. ... Cesena (ancient Caesena) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, south of Ravenna and west of Rimini, on the Savio River, co-chief of the Province of ForlÃ¬-Cesena. ... Nicoletta Braschi worked with Roberto Benigni in a lot of his films. ...

In 1984, he played in Non ci resta che piangere ("Nothing left to do but cry") with the very popular comic actor Massimo Troisi. The story was a fable in which the protagonists are suddenly thrown back in time to the 15th century, just a little before 1492. They start looking for Columbus in order to stop him from discovering the Americas (although for very personal love reasons), but are not able to reach him. This article is about the year. ... Massimo Troisi. ... Christopher Columbus (1451 â€“ May 20, 1506) was a navigator and colonialist who is one of the first Europeans to discover the Americas, after the Vikings. ...

Benigni in America and the collaboration with Cerami

Beginning in 1986, Benigni starred in three films by American director Jim Jarmusch. In Down By Law (1986) (which in Italy had its title spelled "Daunbailò", in Italian phonetics) he played Bob, the innocent abroad, convicted for murder, whose irrepressible good humour and optimism help him escape and find love (also starring Braschi as his beloved.) In Night on Earth, (1991) he plays a cabbie in Rome, causing his passenger, a priest, great discomfort by confessing his revolting sexual experiences. Later, he also starred in the first of Jarmusch's series of short films, Coffee and Cigarettes (2003). Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... Jim Jarmusch Jim Jarmusch (born January 22, 1953 in Akron, Ohio) is a noted American independent film director. ... Promotional poster for Down by Law Down by Law (1986) is the fourth feature film by director Jim Jarmusch. ... // April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Gos Belinda Carlisle Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver. ... Night on Earth is a 1991 film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. ... The year 1991 in film involved many significant films. ... Coffee and Cigarettes is a 2003 independent film directed by Jim Jarmusch. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1993, he starred in Son of the Pink Panther, directed by veteran Blake Edwards. There, he played Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau's illegitimate son who is assigned to save the Princess of Lugash. The film bombed in the US, but was a hit in Italy, his home country. The year 1993 in film involved many significant films. ... Son of the Pink Panther (1993) was the ninth entry in the 30-year-old Pink Panther film series. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Peter Sellers, CBE (8 September 1925 â€“ 24 July 1980) was a British comedian and actor best known for his three roles in Dr. Strangelove and as Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther films. ...

A serious role was in Federico Fellini's last film, La voce della luna (1989). In earlier years Benigni had started a long-lasting collaboration with screenwriter Vincenzo Cerami, for a series of films which scored great success in Italy: Il piccolo diavolo ("The little devil", with Walter Matthau), Johnny Stecchino ("Johnny Toothpick"), and Il Mostro ("The Monster"). Federico Fellini (January 20, 1920 â€“ October 31, 1993) was one of the most influential and widely revered film-makers of the 20th century. ... La voce della luna is a 1990 film by Italian director Federico Fellini. ... The Little Devil (original Italian name Il piccolo diavolo) is a 1988 Italian film directed by Roberto Benigni, also starring Walter Matthau, Stefania Sandrelli, Nicoletta Braschi and John Lurie. ... Walter Matthau (October 1, 1920 â€“ July 1, 2000) was an Academy Award-winning American comedy actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with fellow Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon. ... Johnny Stecchino is a 1991 Italian comedy film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni. ... Il Mostro (The Monster) is a 1994 Italian comedy film. ...

Life Is Beautiful and beyond

Benigni is probably best known outside Italy for his 1997 tragicomedy Life Is Beautiful (La vita è bella), filmed in Cortona and Arezzo, also written by Cerami. The film is about an Italian Jewish man who tries to protect his son during his internment at a Nazi concentration camp, by telling him that the Holocaust is an elaborate game and he must adhere very carefully to the rules to win. Benigni's father had spent two years in a concentration camp in Bergen-Belsen, and La Vita è bella is based in part on his father's experiences. In 1998, the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and Benigni personally won the Best Actor. The Best Foreign Language Film is awarded to the film itself, but Academy rules stipulate that the director will accept the award.^[3] The score by Nicola Piovani also won an Oscar. Famously, in the midst of being so giddy with delight, he climbed on the back of the seat for his procession to the stage and applauded the audience after he was told he had won one of his Oscars. The next year's ceremony, when he read the nominees for the Academy Award for Best Actress, host Billy Crystal playfully appeared behind him with a large net to restrain Benigni if he got excessive with his antics again. The year 1997 in film involved some significant events. ... Tragicomedy refers to fictional works that blend aspects of the genres of tragedy and comedy. ... Life Is Beautiful (Italian: La vita Ã¨ bella) is a 1997 Italian language film which tells the story of a Jewish Italian, Guido Orefice (played by Roberto Benigni, who also directed and co-wrote the film), who must learn how to use his fertile imagination to help his son survive their... André Rieu Concert in Piazza Della Republica, Cortona Cortona is a small town in Tuscany, Italy. ... Arezzo (Latin Arretium) is an old city in central Italy, capital of the province of the same name, located in Tuscany. ... Nazism in history Nazi ideology Nazism and race Outside Germany Related subjects Lists Politics Portal Nazism or National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus), refers primarily to the ideology and practices of the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party, German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) under Adolf Hitler. ... It has been suggested that Internment be merged into this article or section. ... â€œShoahâ€ redirects here. ... It has been suggested that Internment be merged into this article or section. ... Bergen-Belsen, sometimes referred to as just Belsen, was a German concentration camp in the Nazi era. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the awards given to actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... The Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Foreign Language Film is a yearly US award for the best film in a language other than English, released in the period October - September in the country of origin. ... Nicola Piovani (b. ... Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. ... For the American political commentator, see William Kristol. ...

Benigni played one of the main characters in Asterix and Obelix vs Caesar as Detritus, a corrupted Roman tax collector who wants to kill the Caesar and claim the throne of the Roman Empire. Asterix and Obelix vs Caesar (Aust. ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ...

As a director, his 2002 film Pinocchio, one of the most costly films of Italian cinema, was coldly received by critics, and bombed in North America. The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. ... Pinocchio is a 2002 live-action film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni. ...

That same year, he gave a typically energetic and revealing interview to Canadian filmmaker, Damian Pettigrew for Fellini: I'm a Born Liar (2002), a cinematic portrait of the maestro that was nominated for Best Documentary at the European Film Awards, Europe's equivalent of the Oscars. The film went on to win the prestigious Rockie Award for Best Arts Documentary at the Banff World Television Festival (2002) and the Coup de Coeur at the International Sunnyside of the Doc Marseille (2002). Damian Pettigrew (born in Quebec) is a Canadian filmmaker and multimedia artist, best known for his cinematic portraits of Balthus and Federico Fellini. ... The European Movie Awards are the most prestigious paneuropean movie awards. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... The Banff World Television Festival is a festival in the town of Banff, Alberta in the Canadian Rockies. ...

Benigni's latest film is La tigre e la neve (The Tiger and the Snow, 2005), about the Iraq War. La tigre e la neve (English: ) is a 2005 Italian movie starring and directed by Roberto Benigni. ... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ...

On October 15, 2005, he performed an impromptu strip tease on Italy's most watched evening news program, removing his shirt and draping it over the newscaster's shoulders. Prior to removing his shirt, Benigni had already hijacked the opening credits of the news program, jumping behind the newscaster and announcing: "Berlusconi has resigned" (Benigni is an outspoken critic of media tycoon and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi). The previous day, he led a crowd of thousands in Rome on Friday in protest at the center-right government's decision to cut state arts funding by 35 percent. is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the book or movie Striptease see Striptease (book) and Striptease (movie) A striptease is a performance, usually a dance, in which the performer gradually removes their clothing for the purposes of sexually arousing the audience, usually performed in nightclubs. ... (born September 29, 1936) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. ...

On February 2, 2007, he was awarded the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa by the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... An honorary degree (Latin: honoris causa ad gradum, not to be confused with an honors degree) is an academic degree awarded to an individual as a decoration, rather than as the result of matriculating and studying for several years. ... The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Catholic University of Leuven in English) or in short K.U.Leuven, is the oldest, largest and most prominent university in Belgium. ...

Benigni was given offers to bring his Dante show to Broadway, but he has since turned them down.

Other media

Benigni is also a well appreciated improvisatory poet (poesia estemporanea is a form of art popularly followed and practiced in Tuscany), and is appreciated for his recitations of Dante's Divina Commedia by memory. For other uses, see Tuscany (disambiguation). ... Dante in a fresco series of famous men by Andrea del Castagno, ca. ... For other uses see The Divine Comedy (disambiguation), Dantes Inferno (disambiguation), and The Inferno (disambiguation) Dante shown holding a copy of The Divine Comedy, next to the entrance to Hell, the seven terraces of Mount Purgatory and the city of Florence, with the spheres of Heaven above, in Michelino...

He is also a singer-songwriter. Among his performances recorded are some versions of Paolo Conte's songs. Paolo Conte in Berlin. ...

An animated clay Benigni fights and defeats Benito Mussolini in a Celebrity Deathmatch episode. Mussolini redirects here. ... Celebrity Deathmatch is a claymation parody television show that pits celebrities against each other in a wrestling ring, almost always ending in the losers gruesome death. ...

Filmography (director)

The Little Devil (original Italian name Il piccolo diavolo) is a 1988 Italian film directed by Roberto Benigni, also starring Walter Matthau, Stefania Sandrelli, Nicoletta Braschi and John Lurie. ... Johnny Stecchino is a 1991 Italian comedy film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Il Mostro (The Monster) is a 1994 Italian comedy film. ... Life Is Beautiful (Italian: La vita Ã¨ bella) is a 1997 Italian language film which tells the story of a Jewish Italian, Guido Orefice (played by Roberto Benigni, who also directed and co-wrote the film), who must learn how to use his fertile imagination to help his son survive their... Pinocchio is a 2002 live-action film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni. ... La tigre e la neve (English: ) is a 2005 Italian movie starring and directed by Roberto Benigni. ...

Filmography (actor)

La Luna is a film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. ... Promotional poster for Down by Law Down by Law (1986) is the fourth feature film by director Jim Jarmusch. ... The Little Devil (original Italian name Il piccolo diavolo) is a 1988 Italian film directed by Roberto Benigni, also starring Walter Matthau, Stefania Sandrelli, Nicoletta Braschi and John Lurie. ... La voce della luna is a 1990 film by Italian director Federico Fellini. ... Night on Earth is a 1991 film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. ... Johnny Stecchino is a 1991 Italian comedy film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni. ... Son of the Pink Panther (1993) was the ninth entry in the 30-year-old Pink Panther film series. ... Il Mostro (The Monster) is a 1994 Italian comedy film. ... Life Is Beautiful (Italian: La vita Ã¨ bella) is a 1997 Italian language film which tells the story of a Jewish Italian, Guido Orefice (played by Roberto Benigni, who also directed and co-wrote the film), who must learn how to use his fertile imagination to help his son survive their... The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the awards given to actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... Asterix and Obelix vs Caesar (Aust. ... Pinocchio is a 2002 live-action film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni. ... Coffee and Cigarettes is a 2003 independent film directed by Jim Jarmusch. ... La tigre e la neve (English: ) is a 2005 Italian movie starring and directed by Roberto Benigni. ...

Books

References

External links

Categories: Articles needing additional references from November 2007 | 1952 births | Living people | People from the Province of Arezzo | BAFTA winners (people) | Best Actor Academy Award winners | Italian film actors | Italian actors | Italian film directors | Italian buskers The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... Nicholson as Wilbur Force in The Little Shop of Horrors (1960). ... As Good as It Gets is a 1997 film which tells the story of an obsessive-compulsive, cantankerous, and homophobic writer named Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) who, because of his anxiety disorder, lives in a world that has shrunk to about the size of his apartment and the books he... The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the awards given to actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... Life Is Beautiful (Italian: La vita Ã¨ bella) is a 1997 Italian language film which tells the story of a Jewish Italian, Guido Orefice (played by Roberto Benigni, who also directed and co-wrote the film), who must learn how to use his fertile imagination to help his son survive their... Kevin Spacey (born July 26, 1959) is an Academy Award-winning American actor (film and stage) and director. ... American Beauty is a 1999 drama film that explores themes of love, freedom, self-liberation, the search for happiness, and family against the backdrop of modern American suburbia. ... Robert Carlyle OBE (born April 14, 1961) is an acclaimed Scottish film actor best known for his performances as psychopaths or killers. ... This article is about the film. ... The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role has been presented to its winners since 1952 and actors of all nationalities are eligible to receive the award. ... Life Is Beautiful (Italian: La vita Ã¨ bella) is a 1997 Italian language film which tells the story of a Jewish Italian, Guido Orefice (played by Roberto Benigni, who also directed and co-wrote the film), who must learn how to use his fertile imagination to help his son survive their... Kevin Spacey (born July 26, 1959) is an Academy Award-winning American actor (film and stage) and director. ... American Beauty is a 1999 drama film that explores themes of love, freedom, self-liberation, the search for happiness, and family against the backdrop of modern American suburbia. ...

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