Franco Lechner, best known as Bombolo (22 May 1931 – 21 August 1987), was an Italian character 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, ...

into a poor family, a former peddler of dishes, Lechner was discovered in a tavern by Franco Castellacci and Pierfrancesco Pingitore, who entered him in their cabaret company "Il Bagaglino". He got a large popularity in cinema as the

sidekick A sidekick is a close companion or colleague who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to those whom they accompany. Origins The first recorded use of the term dates from 1896. It is believed to have originated in pickpocket slang of ...

Tomas Milian Tomás Quintín Rodríguez-Varona Milián Salinas de la Fé y Álvarez de la Campa (3 March 1933 – 22 March 2017) was a Cuban-born actor with American and Italian citizenship, known for the emotional intensity and humor he brought to starring ...

in a successful series of half-serious

poliziottesco ''Poliziotteschi'' (; : ''poliziottesco'') constitute a subgenre of crime and action films that emerged in Italy in the late 1960s and reached the height of their popularity in the 1970s. They are also known as ''polizieschi all'italiana'', ''I ...

films directed by

Bruno Corbucci Bruno Corbucci (23 October 1931 – 7 September 1996) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He was the younger brother of Sergio Corbucci and wrote many of his films. He was born in Rome, where he also died. The vast majority of h ...

. He was also partner of

Enzo Cannavale Vincenzo "Enzo" Cannavale (5 April 1928 – 18 March 2011) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films since 1949, including ''Cinema Paradiso'', which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 62nd Academ ...

in a number of comedy films. He died at age 56 as a result of complications following a major surgical operation. Decades later, his characteristic

slang A slang is a vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in everyday conversation but avoided in formal writing and speech. It also often refers to the language exclusively used by the members of pa ...

, and particularly his distinctive "tze tze", remain popular among the younger generations.

Partial filmography

* ''Remo e Romolo (Storia di due figli di una lupa)'' (1976) - Pappo * ''La prima notte di nozze'' (1976) * ''

Hit Squad The Hit Squad is an American hip hop collective of East Coast hip hop artists. Originally formed in the 1990s by Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith of the rap group EPMD, the group included rap artists such as K-Solo, Redman, Das EFX, Top ...

'' (1976) - Er Trippa * '' Nerone'' (1977) - Roscio * ''

Il marito in collegio ''Il marito in collegio'' (lit. A husband in (boarding) school) is a 1977 Italian comedy film directed by Maurizio Lucidi. It is based on the novel with the same name by Giovannino Guareschi. Plot A gas station attendant (Enrico Montesano) falls ...

'' (1977) - Killer * '' Messalina, Messalina'' (1977) - Zenturio Bisone * '' Squadra antitruffa'' (1977) - Franco 'Venticello' Bertarelli * ''

Little Italy Little Italy is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an Urban area, urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian cul ...

'' (1978) - Venticello * ''Scherzi da prete'' (1978) - Bombolo * ''

Assassinio sul Tevere ''Assassinio sul Tevere'' (''Assassination on the Tiber'') is a 1979 Italian "poliziottesco"-comedy film directed by Bruno Corbucci. It is the sixth chapter in the Nico Giraldi film series starred by Tomas Milian. Cast * Tomas Milian: Nico Gira ...

'' (1979) - Franco 'Venticello' Bertarelli * ''Tutti a squola'' (1979) - Bombolo il bidello * ''

L'imbranato ''L'imbranato'' (''The bumbling man'') is a 1979 Italian comedy film written and directed by Pier Francesco Pingitore. Plot Pippo Sperandio is an employee of an Italian electronics company in direct contact with his boss, the pleasure-seeker Dr ...

'' (1979) - Bombolo, il genero * ''

Ciao marziano ''Ciao marziano'' is a 1980 Italian science fiction-comedy film directed by Pier Francesco Pingitore. It is loosely based on the story ''Un marziano a Roma'' by Ennio Flaiano. Plot An alien named Bix is sent from the planet Mars to Rome in orde ...

'' (1980) - Pietro * '' Girls Will Be Girls'' (1980) - Giulio Cesare * ''

Delitto a Porta Romana ''Delitto a Porta Romana'' (''Crime at Porta Romana'') is a 1980 Italian "poliziottesco"-comedy film directed by Bruno Corbucci. It is the seventh chapter in the Nico Giraldi film series starred by Tomas Milian. Cast * Tomas Milian: Nico Girald ...

'' (1980) - Franco 'Venticello' Bertarelli * ''

Il casinista ''Il casinista'' is a 1980 Italian comedy film directed by Pier Francesco Pingitore. It stars Pippo Franco, Renzo Montagnani Renzo Montagnani (11 September 1930 – 22 May 1997) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Montagnani ...

'' (1980) - Poldo * ''L'amante tutta da scoprire'' (1981) - Bombolo * ''La settimana al mare'' (1981) - Orazio Canestrari * ''

Uno contro l'altro, praticamente amici ''Uno contro l'altro, praticamente amici'' (''Against Each Other, Practically Friends'') is a 1981 Italian comedy film directed by Bruno Corbucci. Cast * Renato Pozzetto as Franco Colombo *Tomas Milian as Quinto Cecioni aka "Er Monnezza" * An ...

'' (1981) - Capoccione * ''I carabbinieri'' (1981) - Mozzarella * ''Una vacanza del cactus'' (1981) - Augusto Squarciarelli * ''

Crime at the Chinese Restaurant ''Crime at the Chinese Restaurant'' () is a 1981 Italian "poliziottesco"-comedy film directed by Bruno Corbucci. It is the eighth chapter in the Nico Giraldi film series; in this chapter Tomas Milian plays a double role, the inspector Nico Girald ...

'' (1981) - Bombolo * ''Miracoloni'' (1981) - Taxista * ''Il marito in vacanza'' (1981) - Agenore * ''

W la foca ''W la foca'' is a 1982 commedia sexy all'italiana directed by Nando Cicero. Plot Andrea is a young and naïve nurse from Veneto who is employed by the Roman physician Dr. Filippo Patacchiola. Patacchiola lives with his nymphomaniac wife, raunchy ...

'' (1982) - Doctor Filippo Patacchiola * ''Attenti a quei P2'' (1982) - Bombolo il portiere * ''Il sommergibile più pazzo del mondo'' (1982) - Il Postino * '' Delitto sull'autostrada'' (1982) - Venticello * ''Sturmtruppen 2 (tutti al fronte)'' (1982) * ''La sai l'ultima sui matti?'' (1982) - Caciotta * ''È forte un casino!'' (1982) - Cicciobello * ''Un jeans e una maglietta'' (1983) * ''Sfrattato cerca casa equo canone'' (1983) - Maciste * ''La discoteca'' (1983) - Bombolo * ''

Crime in Formula One ''Crime in Formula One'' () is a 1984 Italian "poliziottesco"-comedy film written and directed by Bruno Corbucci. It is the tenth chapter in the Nico Giraldi film series starred by Tomas Milian. Plot At the Italian Grand Prix at Monza a great cha ...

'' (1984) - Venticello * ''

Cop in Drag ''Delitto al Blue Gay'', internationally released as ''Cop in Drag'', is a 1984 Italian "poliziottesco"-comedy film directed by Bruno Corbucci. It is the eleventh and final chapter in the Nico Giraldi film series starred by Tomas Milian. Plot R ...

'' (1984) - Franco 'Venticello' Bertarelli * ''Vacanze d'estate'' (1985) - Cardinale * ''Giuro che ti amo'' (1986) - (final film role)

Notes and references

;Notes ;References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bombolo Italian male film actors 1931 births 1987 deaths Italian male stage actors 20th-century Italian male actors Male actors from Rome Italian male comedians 20th-century Italian comedians Burials at the Cimitero Flaminio Comedians from Rome