Cabaret artist, comedian, actor, voice actor, singer, director and TV host. No, we are not listing the many professions in the entertainment world, but those practiced by Gigi Proietti. The well-known Roman presenter is in fact one of the most loved characters by young and old alike, capable of marking an era in cinema, theater and television. And on the occasion of his 79 years (by the way, happy birthday Gigi!), we want to retrace what has been a career full of successes.
From pubs to the big stage: the rise of Gigi Proietti
In the Olympus of Italian theater actors we must - inevitably - reserve a place for Gigi Proietti. Thanks to his skills recitatives, quick change ed oratoryin fact, the Roman artist is one of the leading exponents of contemporary theater. And like so many of his colleagues, Proietti's success starts from the bottom. To be precise, from the bars and pubs of Rome, when he starts performing with the guitar to support himself studi in Giurisprudenza and cultivate one of his greatest passions: the music. In the same period he also begins to dabble with the ,, thus fully engaging his days. In the morning at the courses, in the afternoon to rehearse on stage and in the evening in concert in the clubs of the capital. This until a few exams after graduation, when he decides to leave his studies to devote himself full time to the world of art.
Thus begins to attend courses after courses, to improve his technique. Thanks to the many teachers - some of national importance - he refines his skills, carving out more and more space on the stage. Then, at the end of the Sixties, success took over. He is in fact called to replace Domenico Modugno (not just any ...) in the conduct of Hallelujah good people, next to Renato rascel. In the following years he also began to act as a protagonist in numerous films, up to the film consecration in 1976 with Horse fever. The success, however, is not immediate, given the cold reception of the public. In fact, it will only become one in the following years cult film, as well as school of the demented genre. But the good Gigi is not just an actor. To support himself during the tours he delights in the art of dubbing, often with excellent results, to become one of the most popular voices on the big and small screen.
Between experimentation, confirmation and poetry
Also in 1976 Gigi Proietti launched one of his iconic shows: Eyes on me, please. After the first staging in Rome, the performance is re-proposed in the major Italian theaters. Numerous replicas will follow one another over the years, shattering several records.
Between the eighties and nineties, Proietti devoted himself to the theater with increasing frequency, also founding a laboratory of scenic exercises in Brancaccio Theater in Rome (of which he also assumes the direction). From here will come out actors like Enrico Brignano, Flavio Insinna e Giorgio Tirabassi.
In 1996 the consecration also arrives on the small screen with Marshal Rocca. Series broadcast in rerun today with excellent results.
In 2003 the Scespirian theater was born from an idea of his Silvano Toti Globe Theater, which re-proposes the Globe Theater in London. Initially he decides to manage only the artistic management, without ever acting there. That was until 2017 when he finally walked the stage as an actor in the opera Edmund Kean di Raymund FitzSimons.
In addition to the show, Gigi Proietti is also known for his poetry and for his business such as writer. In fact, in 2015 he published Decamer. Stories behind the scenes. A collection of stories and anecdotes in de-dressing room verses, that is, born in the dressing room and behind the scenes. Since 2019 he has also been awarded the title Professor Emeritus Honoris Causa in Literature and Philosophy. In short, an all-round artist still capable - after almost fifty years of career - of making us laugh out loud, not only.
