Luigi Visconti, better known by his stage name Fanfulla, (26 February 1913 – 5 January 1971) was an Italian actor and comedian.

Life and career

Born in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Visconti debuted at very young age on stage alongside his mother, the actress Mercedes Menolesi (best known as "Diavolina"). From the mid-forties to the late fifties, he adopted the stage name Fanfulla and was a popular comedian of cabaret and

avanspettacolo ''Avanspettacolo'' () is an Italian theatrical genre that developed between the 1930s and 1950s. Closely related to revue and variety show, ''avanspettacolo'' features a diverse mixture of music, ballet, sketch comedy, and other forms of entertainm ...

shows, acclaimed for his brilliant style, referred to as "The King of Avanspettacolo" and even paired with

Ettore Petrolini Ettore Petrolini (13 January 1884 – 29 June 1936) was an Italian stage and film actor, playwright, screenwriter and novelist. He is considered one of the most important figures of avanspettacolo, vaudeville and revue. He was noted for his numero ...

. His career was relaunched by

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 chose him for the role of Vernacchio in ''

Fellini Satyricon ''Fellini Satyricon'', or simply ''Satyricon'', is a 1969 Italian film written and directed by Federico Fellini and loosely based on Petronius's work ''Satyricon'', written during the reign of Emperor Nero and set in Imperial Rome. The film is di ...

'', a role that gave Fanfulla a

Nastro d'Argento The (plural: ''Nastri d'Argento''; English: Silver Ribbon) is an Italian film award, held since 1946 by the ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani'' (Italian National Union of Film Journalists). Awards are given annually in ...

for best supporting actor. In 1970, Fellini gave him a main role in '' The Clowns''. In 1971, Fanfulla died from a heart attack in a hotel in

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, while he was on tour with his avanspettacolo company.

Partial filmography

*'' Era lui... sì! sì!'' (1951) - La guardia *'' Tizio, Caio, Sempronio'' (1951) * '' A Thief in Paradise'' (1952) - Truffatore *'' The Piano Tuner Has Arrived'' (1952) - Adetto militare di Limodia *''Canto per te'' (1953) - Silva *''Vacanze a Villa Igea'' (1954) *'' Rommel's Treasure'' (1955) - Muezir *'' Toto and Marcellino'' (1958) - Zio Alvaro Merini *'' Toto, Peppino and the Fanatics'' (1958) - Giacinti *'' Toto in Paris'' (1958) - Il signore del treno *''

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) - Marquese di Montélimar *''

World of Miracles ''World of Miracles'' () is a 1959 Italian melodrama film directed by Luigi Capuano. Plot Laura and Marco are two young lovers who act for a theater company. But one day Marco, having come into conflict with her father, who is an old actor, le ...

'' (1959) *'' La Pica sul Pacifico'' (1959) - Manolo Kivalù *'' Quanto sei bella Roma'' (1959) *'' Il Mattatore'' (1960) - Sor Annibale *'' The Dam on the Yellow River'' (1960) *'' Death of a Friend'' (1960) - DeAmicis *''Caccia al marito'' (1960) - The Head Waiter *''La banda del buco'' (1960) *''

La sceriffa ''La sceriffa'' (''The Sheriff'') is a 1959 Italian Western comedy in black-and-white, directed by Roberto Bianchi Montero. It stars Italian comedy star Ugo Tognazzi. It was released on 16 August 1959. The film starred several comedians and spawne ...

'' (1960) - Ciccio - Sceriffa's assistant *'' The Passionate Thief'' (1960) *''

The Traffic Policeman ''The Traffic Policeman'' () is a 1960 in film, 1960 Italy, Italian comedy film directed by Luigi Zampa and starring Alberto Sordi in the lead role. A representative of the ''commedia all'italiana'' genre, it tells the story of a traffic policem ...

'' (1960) - marito di Amalia (uncredited) *'' Love in Rome'' (1960) - Moreno *''Rapina al quartiere Ovest'' (1960) *'' The Thief of Baghdad'' (1961) - Abdul *''

The Joy of Living Joy of life may refer to: * Joie de vivre, a French expression Art * '' Le bonheur de vivre'', a 1906 painting by Henri Matisse * ''Joy of Life'' (Valadon), a 1911 painting by Suzanne Valadon Film and television * ''Joy of Living ''Joy of Liv ...

'' (1961) - Prison Chaplain *''Il carabiniere a cavallo'' (1961) *''Maciste contro Ercole nella valle dei guai'' (1961) *''

Caccia all'uomo Caccia (Italian for "hunt") may refer to: * Caccia al Re – La narcotici, an Italian television series * Caccia e Pesca, an Italy-based premium television channel * Caccia Birch House in New Zealand * Xagħra, a village in Malta known as Cac ...

'' (1961) *''Rocco e le sorelle'' (1961) *''Cacciatori di dote'' (1961) - Police Commissioner *''I magnifici tre'' (1961) - Pedro *''Gerarchi si muore'' (1961) - Police Inspector Capece *''Che femmina!! E... che dollari!'' (1961) *'' Roaring Years'' (1962) - Comico *''I tre nemici'' (1962) *'' Night Train to Milan'' (1962) - Il conduttore *'' Swordsman of Siena'' (1962) *'' Destination Rome'' (1963) - Torquato *''La donna degli altri è sempre più bella'' (1963) - The Manager of the Beach Resort (segment "Bagnino Lover") (uncredited) *'' Torpedo Bay'' (1963) *''Adultero lui, adultera lei'' (1963) *'' The Swindlers'' (1963) - The Arab merchant (segment "Società calicistica, La") *''Follie d'estate'' (1963) - Passeggero treno *''Scandali nudi'' (1963) - De Roberti *''Un marito in condominio'' (1963) *''Siamo tutti pomicioni'' (1963) - Colonel Siti (segment "Colonnello e signora") *'' Dark Purpose'' (1964) - Florist *''Una storia di notte'' (1964) - Barman *'' Me, Me, Me... and the Others'' (1966) - Concierge *''Omicidio per appuntamento'' (1967) *''Non Pensare a Me'' (1967) *''

'' (1969) - Vernacchio *'' The Clowns'' (1970) - Owner of the Varieties Restaurant (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fanfulla 1913 births Male actors from Rome 1971 deaths Italian male stage actors Nastro d'Argento winners Italian male film actors Italian male comedians 20th-century Italian male actors 20th-century Italian comedians Burials at Campo Verano Comedians from Rome