Elio Pandolfi (17 June 1926 – 11 October 2021) was an Italian stage, film and television actor, voice actor, and radio personality.
Life and career
Born in Rome, Pandolfi got a degree in accounting, and then enrolled at the
Silvio d’Amico Academy of Dramatic Arts graduating in 1948.
He debuted on stage the same year, and was mainly active in theater, including
operetta
Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...
,
musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...
and
revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...
.
Pandolfi appeared as a
character actor
A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...
in a number of films, mainly in humorous roles,
and was known for his skills as an impressionist, imitating other people (both men and women), foreign accents, and languages.
Pursuing a career as a voice actor and dubber,
he was renowned for his ability in dubbing even female roles effectively, which sometimes led him to provide
post-syncronized dialogue of a few Italian actresses.
With some help from
Marcello Mastroianni
Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni (26 September 1924Come da lui stesso dichiarato a 1'10" dquesta intervista/ref> – 19 December 1996) was an Italian actor. He is generally regarded as one of Italy's most iconic male performers of the 20t ...
, later described by Pandolfi as "the best friend I ever had", he met and got to work with
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and ...
, who hired him to voice many characters in films such as ''
La dolce vita
''La Dolce Vita'' (; Italian for 'the sweet life' or 'the good life'Kezich, 203) is a 1960 satirical comedy-drama film directed by Federico Fellini and written by Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, and Brunello Rondi. The film stars M ...
'' and ''
8½
''8½'' ( ) is a 1963 Italian avant-garde arthouse comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Federico Fellini. The metafictional narrative centers on famous Italian film director Guido Anselmi ( Marcello Mastroianni) who suffers from writer ...
''.
Pandolfi died on 11 October 2021, at the age of 95.
Selected filmography
* ''
In Olden Days'' (1951)
* ''
Totò lascia o raddoppia? '' (1956)
* ''
Son of the Red Corsair
''The Son of the Red Corsair'' (original title: ''Il figlio del corsaro rosso'') is an exotic adventure novel written by Italian author Emilio Salgari, published in 1908. The novel was adapted for the silver screen in Italy in 1959.
Plot summary ...
'' (1959)
* ''
Tough Guys'' (1960)
* ''
Obiettivo ragazze '' (1963)
* ''
The Magnificent Adventurer'' (1964)
* ''
For a Few Dollars Less'' (1966)
* ''
The Most Beautiful Couple in the World'' (1968)
* ''
When Men Carried Clubs and Women Played Ding-Dong'' (1971)
* ''
Rugantino'' (1973)
* ''
Too Much Romance... It's Time for Stuffed Peppers'' (2004)
Voice work
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pandolfi, Elio
1926 births
2021 deaths
Male actors from Rome
Italian male stage actors
Italian male film actors
Italian male television actors
Italian male voice actors
Accademia Nazionale di Arte Drammatica Silvio D'Amico alumni
Mass media people from Rome