Franco Lechner, best known as Bombolo (22 May 1931 – 21 August 1987), was an Italian character actor and comedian.

Life and career

Born in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

into a humble family, a former peddler of dishes, Lechner was discovered in a tavern by Franco Castellacci and Pierfrancesco Pingitore, who entered him in their cabaret company "Il Bagaglino". He got a large popularity in cinema as the

sidekick A sidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague (not necessarily in fiction) who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to the one they accompany. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, ...

Tomas Milian Tomas Milian (born Tomás Quintín Rodríguez-Varona Milián Salinas de la Fé y Álvarez de la Campa; 3 March 1933 – 22 March 2017) was a Cuban-born actor and singer with American and Italian citizenship, known for the emotional intensity and ...

in a successful series of half-serious

poliziottesco Poliziotteschi (; singular ''poliziottesco'') constitute a subgenre of crime and action films that emerged in Italy in the late 1960s and reached the height of their popularity in the 1970s. They are also known as ''polizieschi all'italiana'', ...

films directed by Bruno Corbucci. He was also partner of

Enzo Cannavale Vincenzo "Enzo" Cannavale (5 April 1928 – 18 March 2011) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films since 1949, including ''Cinema Paradiso'', which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 62nd Academ ...

in a number of comedy films. He died at age 56 as a result of complications following a major surgical operation. Decades later, his characteristic

slang Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-g ...

, and particularly his distinctive "tze tze", remain popular among the younger generations.

Partial filmography

* ''Remo e Romolo (Storia di due figli di una lupa)'' (1976) - Pappo * ''La prima notte di nozze'' (1976) * '' Hit Squad'' (1976) - Er Trippa * '' Nerone'' (1977) - Roscio * '' Il marito in collegio'' (1977) - Killer * ''

Messalina, Messalina ''Messalina, Messalina!'', also known as ''Caligula II: Messalina, Messalina'' and ''Caligula:sins of Rome'', is a 1977 Italian sex comedy and sword-and-sandal spoof. Background The film is not in fact a sequel nor a prequel to Tinto Brass' 1979 ...

'' (1977) - Zenturio Bisone * '' Squadra antitruffa'' (1977) - Franco 'Venticello' Bertarelli * ''

Little Italy Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian culture. There are ...

'' (1978) - Venticello * ''Scherzi da prete'' (1978) - Bombolo * '' Assassinio sul Tevere'' (1979) - Franco 'Venticello' Bertarelli * ''Tutti a squola'' (1979) - Bombolo il bidello * ''

L'imbranato ''L'imbranato'' (''The bumbling man'') is a 1979 Italian comedy film written and directed by Pier Francesco Pingitore. Plot Pippo Sperandio is an employee of an Italian electronics company in direct contact with his boss, the pleasure-seeker Dr ...

'' (1979) - Bombolo, il genero * ''

Ciao marziano ''Ciao marziano'' is a 1980 Italian science fiction-comedy film directed by Pier Francesco Pingitore. Plot An alien named Bix is sent from the planet Mars to Rome in order to learn the habits and customs of the humans. Cast * Pippo Franco: ...

'' (1980) - Pietro * '' La settimana bianca'' (1980) - Giulio Cesare * ''

Delitto a Porta Romana ''Delitto a Porta Romana'' (''Crime at Porta Romana'') is a 1980 Italian "poliziottesco"-comedy film directed by Bruno Corbucci. It is the seventh chapter in the Nico Giraldi film series starred by Tomas Milian. Cast * Tomas Milian: Nico Gira ...

'' (1980) - Franco 'Venticello' Bertarelli * '' Il casinista'' (1980) - Poldo * ''L'amante tutta da scoprire'' (1981) - Bombolo * ''La settimana al mare'' (1981) - Orazio Canestrari * '' Uno contro l'altro, praticamente amici'' (1981) - Capoccione * ''I carabbinieri'' (1981) - Mozzarella * ''Una vacanza del cactus'' (1981) - Augusto Squarciarelli * ''

Crime at the Chinese Restaurant ''Crime at the Chinese Restaurant'' ( it, Delitto al ristorante cinese) is a 1981 Italian "poliziottesco"-comedy film directed by Bruno Corbucci. It is the eighth chapter in the Nico Giraldi film series; in this chapter Tomas Milian plays a doub ...

'' (1981) - Bombolo * ''Miracoloni'' (1981) - Taxista * ''Il marito in vacanza'' (1981) - Agenore * ''

W la foca ''W la foca'' is a 1982 commedia sexy all'italiana directed by Nando Cicero. Plot Andrea ( Lory Del Santo) is a young and naïve nurse from Veneto who is employed by the Roman physician Dr. Filippo Patacchiola (Bombolo). Patacchiola lives with hi ...

'' (1982) - Doctor Filippo Patacchiola * ''Attenti a quei P2'' (1982) - Bombolo il portiere * ''Il sommergibile più pazzo del mondo'' (1982) - Il Postino * ''

Delitto sull'autostrada ''Delitto sull'autostrada'' (''Crime on the Highway'') is a 1982 Italian "poliziottesco"-comedy film directed by Bruno Corbucci. It is the ninth chapter in the Nico Giraldi film series starring Tomas Milian. Plot Rome, Italy early 1980s. Nico G ...

'' (1982) - Venticello * ''Sturmtruppen 2 (tutti al fronte)'' (1982) * ''La sai l'ultima sui matti?'' (1982) - Caciotta * ''È forte un casino!'' (1982) - Cicciobello * ''Un jeans e una maglietta'' (1983) * ''Sfrattato cerca casa equo canone'' (1983) - Maciste * ''La discoteca'' (1983) - Bombolo * '' Crime in Formula One'' (1984) - Venticello * ''

Cop in Drag ''Delitto al Blue Gay'', internationally released as ''Cop in Drag'', is a 1984 Italian "poliziottesco"-comedy film directed by Bruno Corbucci. It is the eleventh and final chapter in the Nico Giraldi film series starred by Tomas Milian. Plot ...

'' (1984) - Franco 'Venticello' Bertarelli * ''Vacanze d'estate'' (1985) - Cardinale * ''Giuro che ti amo'' (1986) - (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bombolo Italian male film actors 1931 births 1987 deaths Italian male stage actors 20th-century Italian male actors Male actors from Rome Italian male comedians 20th-century Italian comedians Burials at the Cimitero Flaminio