Gianfranco "Franco" Enriquez (20 November 1927 – 30 August 1980) was an Italian stage, opera and television director.

Life and career

Born in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, Enriquez was the son of conductor

Vittorio Gui Vittorio Gui (14 September 188516 October 1975) was an Italian conductor, composer, musicologist and critic. Gui was born in Rome in 1885. He graduated in humanities at the University of Rome and also studied composition at the Accademia Nazio ...

and musician Elda Solaroli.Sallusti, Sisto (1993).
Enriquez, Gianfranco
. ''

Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani The ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'' () is a biographical dictionary published in 100 volumes by the Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, started in 1960 and completed in 2020. It includes about 40,000 biographies of distinguished Italia ...

'', Volume 42.

Treccani Institute Giovanni Treccani for the publication of the Italian Encyclopedia (), also known as Treccani Institute or simply Treccani, is a cultural institution of national interest, active in the publishing field, founded by Giovanni Treccani ...

. In the late 1940s, while being a student of Italian literature at the

University of Florence The University of Florence ( Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Firenze'') (in acronym UNIFI) is an Italian public research university located in Florence, Italy. It comprises 12 schools and has around 50,000 students enrolled. History The f ...

, he became assistant director of

Giorgio Strehler Giorgio Strehler (; ; 14 August 1921 – 25 December 1997) was an Italian stage director, theatre practitioner, actor, and politician. Strehler was one of the most significant figures in Italian theatre during his lifetime, described by Mel Gu ...

and later of

Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, theatre and opera director, and screenwriter. He was one of the fathers of Italian neorealism, cinematic neorealism, but later ...

. In 1951, he made his directorial debut with an adaptation of the

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

's drama '' Caesar and Cleopatra'', played by the

Ricci Ricci () is an Italian surname. Notable Riccis Arts and entertainment * Antonio Ricci (painter) (c.1565–c.1635), Spanish Baroque painter of Italian origin * Christina Ricci (born 1980), American actress * Clara Ross Ricci (1858-1954), British c ...

- Magni stage company at the

Teatro Eliseo The Teatro Eliseo (literally "Eliseus Theater") is a theatre located in Rome, Italy. History Initially named Arena Nazionale ("National Arena"), the open-air theater was built of wood in 1900. In September 1910, the new "Apollo Theater" built ...

in Rome. He made his opera debut one year later, directing

Maria Callas Maria Callas (born Maria Anna Cecilia Sophia Kalogeropoulos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano and one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised ...

Vincenzo Bellini Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini (; ; 3 November 1801 – 23 September 1835) was an Italian opera composer famed for his long, graceful melodies and evocative musical settings. A central figure of the era, he was admired not only ...

's ''

Norma Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) ** Norma Lizbeth Ramos, a Mexican bullying victim Astronomy *Norma (constellation) * 555 Norma, a minor asteroid * Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral ...

''. Starting from 1954, Enriquez was also very active on television, specializing in adaptations of stage works, notably

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'' and ''

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed around 1607, by the King's Men at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre. Its first appearance in print was in the First Folio published ...

''.Grasso, Aldo; Scaglioni, Massimo (1996 – 2003). "Enriquez, Franco". ''Enciclopedia della Televisione''.

Garzanti Garzanti s.r.l. is an Italian publishing company founded in Milan, Italy, in 1938. It is known for publishing school textbooks, dictionaries (such as the ''Dizionari Garzanti''), and encyclopedias (''Le Garzantine''). History The company was fo ...

. p.226. . In 1961, he co-founded the successful and critically acclaimed theatrical company "Compagnia dei quattro" ("Company of the Four") with

Valeria Moriconi Valeria Moriconi (née Abbruzzetti; November 15, 1931 – June 15, 2005) was an Italian actress who appeared both in movies and on stage. Biography Valeria was born in Iesi, in Marche, central Italy. Her earliest work was as a stage actress. Sh ...

(with whom he started a relationship that lasted until his death),

Glauco Mauri Glauco Mauri (1 October 1930 – 28 September 2024) was an Italian actor and theatre director. Biography After studying at the Accademia d'Arte Drammatica, he gave his stage debut in 1953. In 1961, he co-founded the "Compagnia dei Quattro" thea ...

and

Mario Scaccia Mario Scaccia (26 December 1919 – 26 January 2011) was an Italian actor and author. He was a prominent figure in the Italian theatre of '900. Biography Born in Rome, the son of a painter, during the Second World War Scaccia was conscripted i ...

. He later became artistic director of the Teatro Stabile di Torino and then of the Teatro Stabile di Roma, and in 1968 he co-wrote with

Franco Cuomo Franco Cuomo (22 April 1938, in Naples – 23 July 2007, in Rome) was an Italian journalist and writer.Paola Spinozzi (2016). Italian Translations and Editions of Thomas More's ''Libellus vere aureus''. ''Utopian Studies'' 27 (3): 505–520 Proje ...

and directed one of the first Italian works inspired by the

Protests of 1968 The protests of 1968 comprised a worldwide escalation of social conflicts, which were predominantly characterized by the rise of left-wing politics, Anti-war movement, anti-war sentiment, Civil and political rights, civil rights urgency, youth C ...

, the drama play ''Discorso per la lettera a una professoressa della scuola di Barbiana e la rivolta degli studenti'' ("Speech for the letter to a teacher from the Barbiana school and the students' revolt"). Diagnosed with severe

liver dysfunction Liver disease, or hepatic disease, is any of many diseases of the liver. If long-lasting it is termed chronic liver disease. Although the diseases differ in detail, liver diseases often have features in common. Liver diseases File:Ground glas ...

, Enriquez died on 30 August 1980 at the age of 52.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Enriquez, Franco 1927 births 1980 deaths People from Florence University of Florence alumni Italian theatre directors Italian television directors Italian opera directors 20th-century Italian dramatists and playwrights