Antonio De Curtis

Totò, born Antonio Vincenzo Stefano Clemente on 15 February 1898 in the Rione Sanità district of Naples, was an Italian actor, comedian, screenwriter, dramatist, poet, singer and lyricist. Nicknamed il principe della risata ("the prince of laughter"), he is commonly referred to as one of the most popular Italian performers of all time. He was the illegitimate son of Anna Clemente, a Sicilian woman from Palermo, and the Neapolitan marquis Giuseppe de Curtis, and through later adoptions became heir to noble titles, taking the full name Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi De Curtis di Bisanzio.

As early as 1913, at age 15, he was acting as a comedian in small theatres under the pseudonym Clerment, his early repertoire consisting mostly of imitations of Gustavo De Marco's characters. He served in the Italian Army during World War I, then learned the art of the guitti, the Neapolitan scriptless comedians, developing a puppet-like, disjointed gesticulation and an extreme, sometimes surrealistic sense of humor. In 1922 he moved to Rome to perform in bigger theatres in the genre of avanspettacolo.

In 1937 he appeared in his first movie, Fermo con le mani, and later starred in 96 other films, many bearing his name in the title, such as Totò Tarzan, Toto in Color and Big Deal on Madonna Street. He worked with iconic directors including Pier Paolo Pasolini in The Hawks and the Sparrows, and formed renowned teams with Aldo Fabrizi and Peppino De Filippo. He also wrote poetry, including 'A Livella, and songs such as the Neapolitan classic Malafemmena. Totò died on 15 April 1967. His honours include the Nastro d'Argento for Best Actor and a Grolla d'oro for Lifetime Achievement.