Roberto Benigni, icon of Italian cinema, turns 71 today. Loved and praised by the Italian and foreign public, he boasts a luminous career that has led him to obtain numerous awards, first of all the Oscar for best actor, in 1999, with the masterpiece film "Life is Beautifulโ. The film, directed by Benigni himself, tells the story of a Jewish man, Guido Orefice, who, deported to a Nazi concentration camp together with his son Giosuรจ and his wife Dora, does everything to protect the child from the horrors of the Holocaust, making him believe that it is all a game in which they will have to face very difficult tests to win a final prize. The film won the Oscar for best foreign film and for best soundtrack (by Nicola Piovani). Who doesn't remember when in Hollywood, Sophia Loren, joyfully, exclaimed "Robertooo!", after reading the envelope with the name of the winner for best actor designated by the Academy jury?
Roberto Benigni is not only a great Italian actor, he is also a director, writer, screenwriter and co-screenwriter. In his long artistic career he has also collected 5 Nastri d'Argento, 9 David di Donatelo, the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, 10 honorary degrees, in 2008 the Cรฉsar award for lifetime achievement, in 2021 the Golden Lion for career at the Venice Film Festival. Behind these enormous goals there is a long apprenticeship, many sacrifices and a great love for cinema.
A long career
Roberto Benigni was born on 27 October 1952 in Manciano La Misericordia, a hamlet of Castiglion Fiorentino, Arezzo. The son of two farmers, Luigi (who was a prisoner in a concentration camp in Bergen-Belsen) and Isolina, he is the only son after three sisters. He grew up in Vergaio, near Prato, where the family moved. He began his studies at the Jesuit seminary in Florence, which he left after the flood of '66. He continues at the Datini Technical Commercial Institute in Prato. At 20 he decides to try an acting career. With three friends and a guitar, he leaves for Rome. Together with them he made his debut at the Teatro dei Satiri with the comedy โI Burosauriโ.
In 1977 he received his first film role in the film โBerlinguer I love youโ. The following year he took part in the television program โL'altra Domenicaโ, by Renzo Arbore. This is followed by the films โChiedo asylumโ, by Marco Ferreri, โIl Pap'occhioโ, by Renzo Arbore, and โIl minestroneโ, by Sergio Citti. In 1983 he made his directorial debut with โTu mi turbiโ and met nicoletta braschi, whom he married in 1991.
Since then, he has acted more often in films he wrote and directed. In 1986, in America he took part in "Daunbailรฒ" by Jim Jarmusc, and in an episode of "Taxis drivers at night". In '89 Federico Fellini called him for his latest film โThe Voice of the Moonโ. In 1993 he is the secret son of Inspector Clouseau โSon of the Pink Pantherโ by Blake Edwards. This is followed by films in which he is simultaneously an actor, director and screenwriter, and in which he is often supported by his wife.
The cult film, starring Massimo Troisi, is from 1984. "We just have to cry". In '88, with Walter Matthau, he plays "The Little Devil", in '91 โJohnny Stecchinoโ and in '95 "The monster". In '99 it was the turn of "La vita รจ bella", which brought him international fame. In 2002 he brought the story of "Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi, which earned him the award for best supporting actor at the Nastri d'Argento, and in 2005 โThe Tiger and the Snowโ.
Great communicator of culture
Roberto Benigni, as an irreverent and captivating comedian, has also demonstrated that he possesses extraordinary qualities of cultural dissemination, managing to reach people's hearts. His love for poetry, in particular for the great poet Dante Alighieri, led him to recite and comment on the songs of "Divine Comedy", in the โTutto Danteโ tour, obtaining great public acclaim. He also interpreted and commented on the Song of the Italians, the fundamental principles of the Italian Constitution and the Ten Biblical Commandments. In 2005, the President of the Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi appointed him Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. Our sincere wishes for a happy birthday reach him!
(Photo: Roberto Benigni, Facebook Page)