Enrico Simonetti (29 January 1924 – 28 May 1978) was an Italian pianist, composer, conductor, and television and radio presenter.

Life and career

Born in Alassio, a

Province of Savona The province of Savona ( it, provincia di Savona; Ligurian: ''provinsa de Sann-a'') is a province in the Liguria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Savona, which has a population of 61,219 inhabitants. The province has a total population ...

, Simonetti studied piano at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory 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 ...

.Aldo Grasso, Massimo Scaglioni. ''Enciclopedia della Televisione''. Garzanti, 1996–2003. . A lover of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

, in the early 1950s he founded a jazz band with Piero Piccioni and Bruno Martino, with whom he performed in the most important nightclubs of the time. In 1953 he moved, with his family, to Brazil, where he found immediate success as musician, composer and entertainer, hosting a long running television program, ''Simonetti Show'', which lasted for 147 episodes; thanks to his popularity he was made an honorary citizen of Brazil and was introduced into the "Candido Randon da Silva" order. In 1964 he came back to Italy, where he joined RAI television, making his debut in the show ''Chitarra, amore mio''. He was active as a television and radio host (often paired with

Isabella Biagini Isabella Biagini, born Concetta Biagini, (8 December 1940 – 14 April 2018) was an Italian actress and showgirl. Life and career Biagini was born in Rome on 8 December 1940. She debuted in childhood as a radio actress and advertising model. ...

), as a film composer, and even an occasional actor. Simonetti died at age 54 from complications following a major surgical operation to remove a tumor in his throat. His film scores include '' Macumba Love'' (1960), ''

Special Killers ''Special Killers'' (Italian title: ''La ragazza di via Condotti'', French title: ''Meurtres à Rome'' or ''Le crime de la via Condotti'', Spanish title: ''La chica de via Condotti'') is a 1973 Italian-French-Spanish crime-thriller film directed b ...

'' (1973), '' Il magnate'' (1973) and ''

Per amore di Cesarina ''Per amore di Cesarina'' (''For Love of Cesarina'') is a 1976 Italian comedy film directed by Vittorio Sindoni. Cast *Walter Chiari: Davide Camporesi *Gino Bramieri: Vindice Forattini *Cinzia Monreale: Cesarina *Valeria Moriconi: Elvira Campor ...

'' (1976). He was the father of composer and musician Claudio Simonetti.

Selected filmography

* ''

Lights Out Lights Out may refer to: Events and times * Institutional, and thence colloquial, term for bedtime *Lights Out (event), an event in the UK on 4 August 2014 to commemorate the start of World War I * Lights Out Hong Kong, a campaign to protest air ...

'' (1953) * '' A Flea on the Scales'' (1953) * '' Leonora of the Seven Seas'' (1955) * '' Macumba Love'' (1960) *'' I Kiss the Hand'' (1973) *''

'' (1973) *'' Il magnate'' (1973) *'' Lover Boy'' (1975) *''

'' (1976) *''

Scandalo in famiglia ''Scandalo in famiglia'' (''Scandal in the family'') is a 1976 Italian commedia sexy all'italiana directed by Marcello Andrei. Plot Elena loves her uncle, but she is forced to marry a nobleman. The only solution is the adultery. So she still ...

'' (1976)

References

External links

* *
Enrico Simonetti
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

1924 births 1978 deaths Italian film score composers Italian male film score composers People from the Province of Savona Italian male conductors (music) Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia alumni Italian television personalities Italian radio presenters 20th-century Italian conductors (music) 20th-century pianists 20th-century Italian composers Italian male pianists 20th-century Italian male musicians {{conductor-stub