Giustino Durano (5 May 1923 – 18 February 2002) was an Italian actor best known for his work as Eliseo Orefice in the 1997 film ''

Life Is Beautiful ''Life Is Beautiful'' ( it, La vita è bella, ) is a 1997 Italian comedy drama film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni, who co-wrote the film with Vincenzo Cerami. Benigni plays Guido Orefice, a Jewish Italian bookshop owner, who emplo ...

.'' For his role, he was nominated in part for a

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to me ...

Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast.

''Life Is Beautiful''

The movie is centered on his nephew Guido and his son Giosuè. In the movie, he is the head waiter of a hotel dining room. As racial turmoil begins erupting in Italy against Jews, the waiter, his nephew and the nephew's son are taken to a

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

. While at the camp, he was separated from his nephew and later killed in a gas chamber along with several other elderly people.

Death

Durano died in 2002 after a long battle with cancer.

Partial filmography

* '' Red and Black'' (1955) * '' Lucky to Be a Woman'' (1956) - Federico Frotta * ''Lo svitato'' (1956) * ''

Tipi da spiaggia ''Tipi da spiaggia'' is a 1959 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Johnny Dorelli. Cast *Ugo Tognazzi: Pasubio Giovinezza *Christiane Martel: Barbara Patton *Giustino Durano: Nick Balmora *Johnny Dorelli: Giorgio Binott ...

'' (1959) - Nick Balmora * ''

Queen of the Pirates ''Queen of the Pirates'' ( it, La Venere dei pirati) is a 1960 Italian film directed by Mario Costa. It was followed by ''Tiger of the Seven Seas''. Plot Cast * Gianna Maria Canale: Sandra * Massimo Serato: Cesare Count of Santa Croce * Sci ...

'' (1960) - Battista, the Count's Manservant * ''Accroche-toi, y'a du vent!'' (1961) - Un malvivente * ''Cronache del '22'' (1961) * ''

Rage of the Buccaneers ''Rage of the Buccaneers'' ( it, Gordon, il pirata nero), also known as ''Pirate Warrior'', is a 1961 Italian epic adventure film directed by Mario Costa and starring Ricardo Montalbán and Vincent Price. Plot Cast *Ricardo Montalbán as ...

'' (1961) - Juan * '' Freddy and the Millionaire'' (1961) - Polizist * '' The Golden Arrow'' (1962) - Absent-Minded genie * '' Imperial Venus'' (1962) - Bousque * ''Tutto è musica'' (1963) - Kurt * ''Follie d'estate'' (1963) - Pianista * ''Vino, whisky e acqua salata'' (1963) * '' Male Companion'' (1964) - Le boulanger / A Baker (uncredited) * '' Me, Me, Me... and the Others'' (1966) - Policeman * ''

After the Fox ''After the Fox'' ( it, Caccia alla volpe) is a 1966 heist comedy film directed by Vittorio De Sica and starring Peter Sellers, Victor Mature and Britt Ekland. The English-language screenplay was written by Neil Simon and De Sica's longtime c ...

'' (1966) - Critic * ''

The Bobo ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1967) - Druggist (uncredited) * ''Come rubare un quintale di diamanti in Russia'' (1967) - Roland * ''

Bang Bang Kid ''Bang Bang Kid'' is a 1967 Western film produced by Sidney W. Pink and starring Tom Bosley. The film was distributed in America by Troma Entertainment Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company ...

'' (1967) - Hotchkiss * ''Le lys de mer'' (1969) * ''

The Balloon Vendor ''The Balloon Vendor'' ( it, Il venditore di palloncini, also released as ''Last Moments'' and ''The Last Circus Show'') is a 1974 Italian drama film directed by Mario Gariazzo and starring James Whitmore. Cast * Renato Cestiè as Giacomino ...

'' (1974) - Receptionist * '' Salvo D'Acquisto'' (1974) - Riccardo * ''

'' (1997) - Zio * ''Fate un bel sorriso'' (2000) - Antonio * ''Amici ahrarara'' (2001) - Zio Giannangelo * ''Andata e ritorno'' (2003) - Sig. Sorelli (final film role)

References

1923 births 2002 deaths Italian male film actors Nastro d'Argento winners 20th-century Italian male actors Deaths from cancer in Emilia-Romagna {{Italy-actor-stub