Donald Benjamin Lurio (15 November 1929 – 26 January 2003) was an American-born Italian dancer, choreographer, actor, singer and television presenter for RAI, the Italian radio and television public service.

Biography

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in a family of

Italian Jew Italian Jews (; ) or Roman Jews (; ) can be used in a broad sense to mean all Jews living in or with roots in Italy, or, in a narrower sense, to mean the Italkim, an ancient community living in Italy since the Ancient Roman era, who use the It ...

ish origin, Lurio operated a dance studio on

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of ...

with

Bob Fosse Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American choreographer, dancer, filmmaker, and stage director. Known for his work on stage and screen, he is arguably the most influential figure in the field of jazz dance in th ...

and Jack Cole. In 1957 the group toured Europe and Lurio decided to settle in Italy. He appeared in several Italian films and TV shows in the 1960s and 1970s. He also appeared in a handful of British films. He choreographed the interval act for the

Eurovision Song Contest 1970 The Eurovision Song Contest 1970 was the 15th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and took place in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster (NOS), the contest was held at the on 21 Mar ...

with his ensemble, The Don Lurio Dancers. One of his most popular number, the song "Testa, Spalla" ("Head, Shoulder"), was premiered on the show ''Hai visto mai?'' in 1973 when performed in a duet with showgirl

Lola Falana Loletha Elayne Falana or Loletha Elaine Falana (born September 11, 1942), better known by her stage name Lola Falana, is an American singer, dancer, and actress. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1975 for her ...

. Openly

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

(which was considered scandalous at the time, and not only in Italy), Lurio had a long-term relationship with Livio Costagli, who died in 1994 at the age of 44 years from complications caused by

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

. Lurio died in Rome in 2003 from respiratory failure. As his will, the National Dance Academy in Rome has a grant named after him.

Selected filmography

* ''Casinò de Paris'' (1957) * ''Rocco e le sorelle'' (1961) * ''Pugni pupe e marinai'' (1961) * ''

Toto's First Night ''Toto's First Night'' () is a 1962 Italian musical comedy film directed by Mario Amendola and starring Totò and Erminio Macario.Bìspuri p.264 Plot Ninì and Mimi are two friends, itinerant players, who can not make a penny. It is performed a ...

'' (1962) * ''Canzoni a tempo di twist'' (1962) * ''Il magnifico Bobo'' (1967) * '' "FF.SS." – Cioè: "...che mi hai portato a fare sopra a Posillipo se non mi vuoi più bene?"'' (1982) * ''Arrivano i miei'' (1982) * ''Quo vadiz?'' (1984) * '' The Fish in Love'' (1999)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lurio, Don 1929 births 2003 deaths American male dancers American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American choreographers American television hosts American LGBTQ dancers American LGBTQ broadcasters American LGBTQ singers American gay actors American gay musicians American people of Italian-Jewish descent American emigrants to Italy Italian male dancers Italian male film actors Italian male musical theatre actors Italian choreographers Italian television presenters Italian LGBTQ dancers Italian LGBTQ broadcasters Italian LGBTQ singers Italian gay actors Italian gay musicians Gay Jews Gay dancers Gay singers LGBTQ choreographers LGBTQ people from New York (state) Respiratory disease deaths in Lazio Deaths from respiratory failure 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American dancers 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American LGBTQ people 20th-century Italian male actors 20th-century Italian male singers 20th-century Italian dancers 20th-century Italian Jews 20th-century Italian LGBTQ people