Christian De Sica
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Christian De Sica (; born 5 January 1951) is an Italian actor and film director.


Life

De Sica was 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 ...
the second son of Italian director
Vittorio De Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement. Four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: ''Sciuscià'' and ''Bicycle Thieves'' (honorary) ...
and Spanish actress
María Mercader María de la Asunción Mercader Forcada (; 6 March 1918 – 26 January 2011) was a Spanish film actress who appeared in some forty films between 1923 and 1992. Julian Gorkin wrote that her cousin was born Montserrat in the family of Carida ...
. His first cousin once removed was
Ramón Mercader Jaime Ramón Mercader del Río (7 February 1913 – 18 October 1978),Photograph oMercader's Gravestone/ref> more commonly known as Ramón Mercader, was a Spanish communist and NKVD agent, who assassinated Russian Bolshevik revolutionary Leon Tr ...
, the murderer of
Leon Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein. ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky; uk, link= no, Лев Давидович Троцький; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trotskij'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky''. (), was a Russian ...
. After attending
Liceo classico Liceo classico or Ginnasio (literally ''classical lyceum'') is the oldest, public secondary school type in Italy. Its educational curriculum spans over five years, when students are generally about 14 to 19 years of age. Until 1969, this was ...
in Rome, where he had
Carlo Verdone Carlo Gregorio Verdone (born 17 November 1950) is an Italian actor, screenwriter and film director. Verdone is best known for his comedic roles in Italian classics, which he also wrote and directed. His career was jumpstarted by his first thre ...
as his deskmate, De Sica worked in a hotel in
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, where he began his career as an artist. He enrolled in Lettere (Literature and Arts) at
La Sapienza The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a public research university located in Rome, Ita ...
university (1970) but did not graduate. He was attracted to music, and participated in the
Sanremo Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian culture, Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longes ...
singing "Mondo mio" ("My World") (1973). However, the results convinced him to follow in his father's footsteps and devote himself to acting. De Sica developed his own style of comedy and entertainment also in
Rai RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...
television shows, such as ''Bambole, non c'è una lira'', which gave him a large success in 1978.


Acting career

With his father's help, he was able to take his first steps in the movie world with such teachers and mentors as
Roberto Rossellini Roberto Gastone Zeffiro Rossellini (8 May 1906 – 3 June 1977) was an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such ...
(''
Blaise Pascal Blaise Pascal ( , , ; ; 19 June 1623 – 19 August 1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic Church, Catholic writer. He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen. Pa ...
'', 1971),
Vittorio De Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement. Four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: ''Sciuscià'' and ''Bicycle Thieves'' (honorary) ...
himself ('' Una breve vacanza'', 1973),
Pupi Avati Giuseppe Avati, better known as Pupi Avati (born 3 November 1938), is an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known to horror film fans for his two giallo masterpieces, ''The House with Laughing Windows'' (1976) and '' Zeder ...
(''
Bordella ''House of Pleasure for Women'' ( it, Bordella) is a 1976 satirical comedy film written and directed by Pupi Avati and starring Gigi Proietti, Christian De Sica, Gianni Cavina, Al Lettieri and Vincent Gardenia. Plot A brothel for women is ...
'', 1976) and
Salvatore Samperi Salvatore Samperi (26 July 1944 – 4 March 2009) was an Italian film director. His 1973 film ''Malicious (1973 film), Malicious'' was entered into the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival and his 1979 film ''Ernesto (film), Ernesto' ...
(1979 ''
Liquirizia ''Liquirizia'' (Italian for "Liquorice") is a 1979 Italian teen comedy film written and directed by Salvatore Samperi and starring Christian De Sica , Barbara Bouchet, Jenny Tamburi, Teo Teocoli and Tino Schirinzi. Plot Cast *Christian De ...
'' and 1981 '' Casta e pura''). He married Silvia Verdone, sister of Carlo, with whom he had two children, Brando and Mariarosa. He achieved fame in the 1980s: in 1982 ''
Borotalco ''Talcum Powder'' (Original title: ''Borotalco'') is a 1982 Italian comedy film written, starring and directed by Carlo Verdone. The film received multiple David di Donatello awards in Italy for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Scor ...
'' was released, together with his brother-in-law Verdone, then he filmed ''Sapore di Mare'' with
Jerry Calà Calogero Alessandro Augusto Calà, known by his stage name Jerry Calà (born 28 June 1951), is an Italian actor, filmmaker, comedian and singer who has written, directed, and acted in multiple film and television projects. He is considered one of ...
as well as ''Yuppies'', ''Yuppies'' ''2'', ''Grandi Magazzini'' and ''Compagni di Scuola''. After ''Night club'', the last film directed by Italian director
Sergio Corbucci Sergio Corbucci (; 6 December 1926 – 1 December 1990) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed both very violent Spaghetti Westerns and bloodless Bud Spencer and Terence Hill action comedies. He is the older bro ...
, Christian De Sica became one of the most famous interpreters of the " cine-panettone" (comedies that reach movie theatres during the
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
season) and formed till 2005 a partnership with actor
Massimo Boldi Massimo Antonio Boldi (born 23 July 1945) is an Italian stand-up comedian and actor. Biography Boldi was born in Luino on 23 July 1945. In 1955 his family moved to Milan, where he joined evening classes and began working as a window-dresser an ...
. They acted together in the series of ''
Vacanze di Natale ''Vacanze di Natale'' is a 1983 Italian comedy film directed by Carlo Vanzina. It was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy at the 67th Venice International Film Festival. Plot In Christmas of 1983 two families collide in Cortina ...
'' and ''
A spasso nel tempo ''A spasso nel tempo'' () is a 1996 Italian science fiction adventure comedy film directed by Carlo Vanzina. The film is included in the Italian sub-genre of '' cinepanettoni''. According to Adam O'Leary, ''A spasso nel tempo'' and its sequel are ...
'' (1996), ''
Paparazzi Paparazzi (, ; ; singular: masculine paparazzo or feminine paparazza) are independent photographers who take pictures of high-profile people; such as actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, and other celebrities, typically while subjects ...
'' (1998), ''
Tifosi Tifosi () is a group of supporters of a sports team, especially those that make up a tifo. Etymology It is erroneously claimed that "In Italian, literally means those infected by typhus disease, a reference to someone acting in a fevered man ...
'' (1999) and ''
Christmas in Love ''Christmas in Love'' is a 2004 cinepanettone film starring Christian De Sica, Danny DeVito, Massimo Boldi, Cristiana Capotondi and Ronn Moss. The film was directed by Neri Parenti. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Origin ...
'' (2004). By 2002, their films had grossed 300 billion lire ($150 million). Afterwards, he starred in '' Natale a New York'' (2006), ''
Natale in crociera ''Natale in crociera'' () is a 2007 Italian comedy film directed by Neri Parenti Neri Parenti (born 26 April 1950, in Florence) is an Italian film director and writer. He is known for comedy films, including the series starring Paolo Villaggio ...
'' (2007) and '' Natale a Rio'' (2008). These films, done in burlesque style, tend to be well received at the box office, if not by critics, at times even outstripping better known and expensively made movies such as the Harry Potter series. As an actor, De Sica has won three David di Donatello awards: a prize for ''Giovannino'' in 1976, a special one together with Massimo Boldi in 2000, and the third one in 2009. He received the America Award of the Italy-USA Foundation in 2016.


Directing career

Since 1990 Christian De Sica has also been a director: he debuted with ''
Faccione ''Faccione'' () is a 1991 Italian comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black co ...
'', whose script he wrote and tailor-made for actress
Nadia Rinaldi Nadia is a female name. Variations include Nadja, Nadya, Nadine, Nadiya, and Nadiia. Most variations of the name are derived from Arabic, Slavic languages, or both. In Slavic, names similar to ''Nadia'' mean "hope" in many Slavic languages: ...
. After '' Count Max'', a homage to the cinema of his father and of
Mario Camerini Mario Camerini (6 February 1895 – 4 February 1981) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. The cousin of Augusto Genina, he made the most well-known films in Italy during the 1930s, most of them comedies starring Vittorio De Sica. H ...
, that he interpreted with
Ornella Muti Ornella Muti (born Francesca Romana Rivelli; 9 March 1955) is an Italian actress. She made her film debut as Francesca Cimarosa in the 1970 film ''La moglie più bella.'' Early life Muti was born in Rome to a Neapolitan journalist father and ...
,
Anita Ekberg Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg (; 29 September 193111 January 2015) was a Swedish actress active in American and European films, known for her beauty and stunning figure. She became prominent in her iconic role as Sylvia in the Federico Fellini ...
and his mother Maria Mercader, De Sica went on self-directing in '' Ricky & Barabba'' (1992), '' Men Men Men'' (1995), '' Tre'' (1996), ''
Simpatici & antipatici ''Simpatici & antipatici'' () is a 1998 Italian comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy end ...
'' (1998) and '' The Clan'' (2005). A great admirer of
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
and above all of Marlon Brando, he named his first child Brando in honour of the American actor. Criticism has often likened his acting to that of
Alberto Sordi Alberto Sordi (15 June 1920 – 24 February 2003) was an Italian actor, voice actor, singer, comedian, director and screenwriter. Early life Born in Rome to a schoolteacher and a musician and the last of five children, Sordi was named in hon ...
, from whom De Sica has drawn a lot of his expressions.


Filmography


Films


Television


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:De Sica, Christian 1951 births 20th-century Italian male actors Italian male comedians Italian film directors Italian people of Spanish descent 20th-century Italian screenwriters 21st-century Italian screenwriters Living people Nastro d'Argento winners David di Donatello Career Award winners People of Lazian descent 21st-century Italian male actors Italian male screenwriters