Carlo Gregorio Verdone (born 17 November 1950) is an Italian actor, screenwriter and film director. Best known for his comedic roles in Italian classics which he also wrote and directed such as ''

Fun Is Beautiful ''Un sacco bello'', internationally released as ''Fun Is Beautiful'', is a 1980 Italian comedy film. The film, produced by Sergio Leone, marked the directorial debut of Carlo Verdone, as well his debut as main actor and as screenwriter. For this ...

'' and ''

Bianco, rosso e Verdone ''Bianco, rosso e Verdone'' is a 1981 Italy, Italian comedy film directed and starred by Carlo Verdone, playing three characters. It was produced by Sergio Leone, soundtrack composed by Ennio Morricone and guest starred by Mario Brega, all forme ...

'', he has introduced more serious subjects in his work since the 1990s, including '' Damned the Day I Met You'' and '' My Best Enemy''.

Early life

Carlo Verdone was born in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

to Mario Verdone, an important Italian film critic and academic, and studied at the Italian

Liceo classico The ''liceo classico'' or ''ginnasio'' () is the oldest public secondary education in Italy, secondary school type in Italy. Its educational curriculum spans over five years, when students are generally about 14 to 19 years of age. Until 196 ...

in Rome, having the future actor Christian De Sica as his deskmate. Verdone earned a degree in Modern Literature at

Sapienza University of Rome The Sapienza University of Rome (), formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", abbreviated simply as Sapienza ('Wisdom'), is a Public university, public research university located in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1303 and is ...

, the same university where his father taught, and a degree in Film Direction at the

Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia The (; CSC), also referred to as the (), is an Italian national film school headquartered in Rome, with satellite educational hubs in five other Italian regions. It was established in 1935 and aims to promote the art and technique of cinemat ...

. During the 1970s he started a

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

career highlighting his varied comic style, while also appearing in ads for the '' Carosello'' show. He began introducing his characters on television in 1978 in the popular comedy series "Non Stop".

Career

Verdone made his debut as a director in 1980 with the movie ''

'', in which he played three different characters. He used the same formula of the first work in 1981, when he directed ''

'', a movie about three different men during election day in Italy. The movie, produced by his mentor

Sergio Leone Sergio Leone ( ; ; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian filmmaker, credited as the pioneer of the spaghetti Western genre. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema. Leone's film-making style ...

, was very successful in Italy and had a soundtrack composed by

Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone ( , ; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, Orchestration, orchestrator, conductor, trumpeter, and pianist who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 film score, scores for cinema and televisi ...

. In 1982 he wrote and directed the successful and critically acclaimed romantic comedy ''Talctum Powder'', which received multiple

David di Donatello The David di Donatello Awards, named after Donatello's ''David (Donatello, bronze), David'', a symbolic statue of the Italian Renaissance, are film awards given out each year by the ''Accademia del Cinema Italiano'' (the Academy of Italian Cin ...

awards in Italy for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Score and Best Supporting Actor (to Angelo Infanti). It also won Silver Ribbons for Best Actress and for Best Score. He and

Alberto Sordi Alberto Sordi (15 June 1920 – 24 February 2003) was an Italian actor, comedian, voice dubber, director, singer, composer and screenwriter. Sordi is considered one of the most important actors in the history of Italian cinema and one of the b ...

wrote two Verdone films together: '' Journey with Papà'', directed by Sordi, and ''

Troppo forte ''Troppo forte'' (also known as ''Great'', ''He's Too Much'' and ''Too Much'') is a 1986 Italian comedy film directed by Carlo Verdone. Plot Oscar Pettinari is a young hick from the suburbs of Rome, who gravitates around Cinecittà trying rather ...

'', directed by Verdone and co-written as well by

. Since the 1990s, Verdone has tackled more serious subjects in his work, like the excesses of modern society and the individual's hardships in confronting it; some examples are '' Damned the Day I Met You'' (1992), '' My Best Enemy'' (2006) and '' Me, Them and Lara'' (2010). In 1999 he wrote the book "Fatti Coatti". In 2005 he took part in the Italian blockbuster romantic comedy named '' Manual of Love'', and in the sequels named '' Manual of Love 2'' (2007) and '' The Ages of Love'' (2011), both directed by

Giovanni Veronesi Giovanni Veronesi (born 1962) is an Italian film screenwriter, actor and director. Born in Prato, he is the brother of the writer Sandro Veronesi (writer), Sandro Veronesi. He started his career writing scripts for directors such as Francesco N ...

, while in 2013 he starred in

Paolo Sorrentino Paolo Sorrentino (; ; born 31 May 1970) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and writer. He is considered one of the most prominent filmmakers of Italian cinema working today. He is known for visually striking and complex dramas and has of ...

's '' The Great Beauty''. In 2018 he directed '' Blessed Madness'', which he co-wrote with Nicola Guaglianone and the cartoonist and screenwriter Menotti.

Personal life

In 1980 Verdone married Gianna Scarpelli, and they had two children together, Giulia (born 1986) and Paolo (born 1988). They separated in 1996. Verdone has two siblings; Luca, a film director, and Silvia, a film producer and wife of the actor Christian De Sica.

Filmography

References

External links

www.carloverdone.it
— Official Site * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Verdone, Carlo 1950 births Living people Male actors from Rome Italian male actors Italian film directors Italian screenwriters Italian male screenwriters Italian television personalities Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia alumni David di Donatello winners Nastro d'Argento winners David di Donatello Career Award winners Ciak d'oro winners People named in the Panama Papers Sapienza University of Rome alumni Italian drummers People of Campanian descent People of Tuscan descent Comedians from Rome Italian male comedians