Johnny Dorelli (real name Giorgio Guidi; born 20 February 1937) is an Italian actor, singer and television host.

Early life

Dorelli was born in

Meda Meda may refer to: Places * Meda de Mouros, a parish in Tábua Municipality, Portugal * Medas, a parish in Gondomar Municipality, Portugal * Meda-Ela, Sri Lanka * Međa (Leskovac), village in the municipality of Leskovac, Serbia * Meda, Lombard ...

, Italy. In 1946 he moved to New York City with his family, where his father, Nino D'Aurelio (born Aurelio Guidi), found work as opera singer. Dorelli studied double bass and piano at the High School of Music and Art in New York. He took the stage name Dorelli in imitation of how the surname D'Aurelio was pronounced in English. His show business career began when he was discovered by bandleader

Percy Faith Percy Faith (April 7, 1908 – February 9, 1976) was a Canadian-American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of pop and Christmas standards. He is often credited with popularizing the "easy listeni ...

, who brought him on The Ken Murray Show. He later appears on the show By Popular Demand conducted by

Robert Alda Robert Alda (born Alfonso Giuseppe Giovanni Roberto D'Abruzzo; February 26, 1914 – May 3, 1986) was an Italian-American theatrical and film actor, a singer, and a dancer. He was the father of actors Alan and Antony Alda. Alda was featured in a ...

, accompanied by

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, W ...

. He receive a great success, in fact some American newspapers described Dorelli as a "phenomenal Italian boy". However he returned to Italy in 1955 due to the expiry of his residence permit. He debuted as singer and pianist in the late 1950s for CGD label with cover of American standards; ''Lover'', ''What is this thing called love'', ''Love me or leave me'' and many others.

Career

His first success was an easy listening Latin song, ''Calypso melody'' in 1957. In 1958 and in 1959 he won the

Sanremo Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annual ...

in duo with

Domenico Modugno Domenico Modugno (; 9 January 1928 – 6 August 1994) was an Italian singer, actor and, later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song " Nel blu dipinto di blu", for which he received Grammy A ...

, with the songs " Nel blu dipinto di blu" (also known as "Volare") and " Piove (Ciao ciao bambina)". His most famous songs of the period are : ''Julia'' (1958), ''Boccuccia Di Rosa (Pink Lips)'' (1958),

Love in Portofino "Love in Portofino" is a 1958 song by Italian writing duo Chiosso- Buscaglione, first sang by the latter one. Picked up by French singer Dalida the next year, she recorded it with additional lyrics written by . Her version achieved sales success ...

(1959), Lettera A Pinocchio (1959), ''Monte Carlo'' (1961). In 1962 he appeared on

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...

and sang his smooth ballad ''Love In Portofino'' and ''You're the Top'' with

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...

and

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and pop singer and actor, credited for having brought rock and roll to France. During a career spanning 57 ...

. As a (popular and jazz)

crooner Crooner is a term used to describe primarily male singers who performed using a smooth style made possible by better microphones which picked up quieter sounds and a wider range of frequencies, allowing the singer to access a more dynamic ran ...

, he sang numerous songs live on television shows (mainly in the 60's), in Italian and in English. Carlucci Dorelli Sanremo 1990

In 1967 "

L'immensità "L'immensità" (in English: ''Immensity'') is an Italian song, which was first performed by Johnny Dorelli and Don Backy (the songs were sung by two artists) in 1967 and became 9th at the Sanremo Song Contest. This is one Johnny Dorelli's signat ...

" earned Dorelli a ninth place at the 1967 edition of the Sanremo Song Festival.Indice brani (in Italian) at HitParadeItalia site
/ref> In the same year he was the lead actor on the movie

How to Kill 400 Duponts ''How to Kill 400 Duponts'' ( it, Arrriva Dorellik) is a 1967 Italian comedy film directed by Steno. The main character of the film, Dorellik, is a parody of the comic series ''Diabolik''. The character was created in the late 60s for several ske ...

, a parody of the comic series Diabolik. With this role, Dorelli had a great success and he inspired the character of Paperinik. Some songs of this periods are ''Speedy Gonzales'' (1962), ''Era Settembre'' (1964), ''Probabilmente'' (1965), ''Al Buio Sto Sognando'' (1966), Solo Più Che Mai (

Strangers In The Night "Strangers in the Night" is a song composed by Bert Kaempfert with English lyrics by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder. Kaempfert originally used it under the title "Beddy Bye" as part of the instrumental score for the movie '' A Man Could G ...

) (1966), ''Arriva La Bomba'' (1967), ''I Think of You'' (1972). His greatest success was the

musical Musical is the adjective of music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact def ...

'' Aggiungi un posto a tavola'', which was also performed at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

in an English version entitled ''Beyond the Rainbow'' in 1978. After a period of absence, he returned to success in the 1980s. In 1983, he played St.

Philip Neri Philip Romolo Neri ( ; it, italics=no, Filippo Romolo Neri, ; 22 July 151526 May 1595), known as the "Second Apostle of Rome", after Saint Peter, was an Italian priest noted for founding a society of secular clergy called the Congregation of ...

Luigi Magni Luigi Magni (21 March 1928 – 27 October 2013) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. Life and career Born in Rome, Magni started his career as a screenwriter, in 1956, with ''Tempo di villeggiatura''. In 1968 he collaborated wi ...

's TV film '' State buoni se potete''. Dorelli's latest feature film role is in

Pupi Avati Giuseppe Avati, better known as Pupi Avati (born 3 November 1938), is an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known to horror film fans for his two giallo masterpieces, '' The House with Laughing Windows'' (1976) and ''Zeder' ...

's '' Ma quando arrivano le ragazze'' (2004). In 2007 he returned after 38 years to the stage of Sanremo as a participant with the song ''Meglio così'', written by big names as

Gianni Ferrio Gianni Ferrio (16 November 1924 – 21 October 2013) was an Italian composer, conductor and music arranger. Life and career Born in Vicenza, Ferrio studied at the conservatories of Vicenza and Venice. Starting in the late 1950s, he was active ...

and

Giorgio Calabrese Giorgio Calabrese (28 November 1929 – 31 March 2016) was an Italian songwriter and frequent collaborator with French pop music star Charles Aznavour. Calabrese wrote the original Italian lyrics for the popular song " Softly, as I Leave You", an ...

, and accompanied by jazz pianist

Stefano Bollani Stefano Bollani (born 5 December 1972) is an Italian composer, pianist and singer, also active as a writer and a television presenter. He has worked with such musicians as Gato Barbieri, Chick Corea, Bill Frisell, Sol Gabetta, Richard Gallian ...

and the orchestra conducted by Ferrio.

Personal life

Dorelli had a long relationship with actress

Lauretta Masiero Lauretta Masiero (25 October 1927 – 23 March 2010) was an Italian actress and singer. Biography Dancing career Venetian born Lauretta Masiero debuted in the theater of varieties as a dancer with Wanda Osiris. In 1945 she debuted with Macar ...

, which produced a son,

Gianluca Guidi Gianluca Guidi (born 2 February 1968) is an Italian rugby union coach and former player. He played as a scrum-half. Guidi was born in Livorno. He played almost all his entire career at Rugby Livorno 1931, from 1989–1990 to 1996–1997, spending ...

. He then married actress

Catherine Spaak Catherine Spaak (3 April 1945 – 17 April 2022) was a French-born Italian actress and singer who acted in mostly in Italian films with some Hollywood and international productions. She is best known for her roles in the films '' Il Sorpasso'' ( ...

(1972–1978), which produced another son, Gabriele, and in 1981

Gloria Guida Gloria Guida (; born 19 November 1952) is an Italian actress and model. She is best known for starring in commedia erotica all'italiana, particularly the '' La liceale'' series, and also in erotic coming-of-age-drama films in the mid-1970s. Li ...

, a former model and actress in Italian comedy movies of the 1970s, which produced a daughter, Guendalina. He has two eyes of different colors; condition called ''

heterochromia iridum Heterochromia is a variation in coloration. The term is most often used to describe color differences of the iris, but can also be applied to color variation of hair or skin. Heterochromia is determined by the production, delivery, and concentra ...

.''

Selected filmography

* '' Toto, Peppino and the Fanatics'', directed by

Mario Mattoli Mario Mattoli (; 30 November 1898 – 26 February 1980) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 86 films between 1934 and 1966. His 1939 film ''Defendant, Stand Up!'' was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy ...

(1958) * ''

'', directed by Steno (1967) * ''

Bread and Chocolate ''Bread and Chocolate'' ( it, Pane e cioccolata) is a 1974 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Franco Brusati. This film chronicles the misadventures of an Italian immigrant to Switzerland and is representative of the ''commedia all'italiana'' fi ...

'', directed by

Franco Brusati Franco Brusati (4 August 1922 in Milan – 28 February 1993 in Rome) was an Italian screenwriter and director. Biography He directed the internationally commended film hit ''Bread and Chocolate'', one of the finest examples of Commedia all' ...

(1973) * ''

Tell Me You Do Everything for Me ''Tell Me You Do Everything for Me'' (Italian: ''Dimmi che fai tutto per me'') is a 1976 Italian comedy film directed by Pasquale Festa Campanile and starring Johnny Dorelli, Pamela Villoresi and Jacques Dufilho.Chiti, Poppi & Pecorari p.242 Ca ...

'' (1976) * '' Il mostro'', directed by Luigi Zampa (1977) * '' Odd Squad (film)'', directed by

Enzo Barboni Enzo Barboni (7 July 1922 – 23 March 2002), sometimes credited by his pseudonym E.B. Clucher; the surname of his grandmotherp. 115 Wong, Alzia S. ''Spaghetti Westerns: A Viewer's Guide (National Cinemas)'' Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (15 ...

(1981) * '' State buoni se potete'', directed by

(1983) * ''

But When Do the Girls Get Here? ''But When do the Girls Get Here?'' ( it, Ma quando arrivano le ragazze?) is a 2005 Italian comedy-drama film written and directed by Pupi Avati. The film won the David di Donatello for best score. Cast *Claudio Santamaria: Nick *Vittoria Pucc ...

'', directed by

(2005)

Discography

Albums * 1955 - Songo americano (CGD, MV 203) * 1958 - Cordialmente (CGD, MV 224) * 1958 - È arrivato da Sanremo (CGD, MV 225) * 1958 - Dance with (Liberty, I 8508) * 1959 - We Like Johnny (CGD, FG 5002) * 1959 - Sanremo 1959 (CGD, SR 1012) * 1964 - 30 anni di canzoni d'amore (CGD, FG 5010) * 1965 - Viaggio Sentimentale (CGD, FG 5017) * 1965 - Johnny Dorelli (CGD, FG 5024) * 1967 - L'immensità (CGD, FG 5032) * 1970 - Promesse Promesse (CGD, FGS 5063, con Catherine Spaak) * 1973 - Le canzoni che piacciono a lei (CGD, 69030) * 1975 - Aggiungi un posto a tavola (CGD, 88119) * 1975 - Toi et Moi (CGD, 69060, con Catherine Spaak) * 1978 - Giorgio (WEA Italiana, T56588) * 1980 - Accendiamo la lampada (Cam, ARSAG 29103) * 1989 - Mi son svegliato e c'eri tu (Five Record, FM 14204) * 2004 - Swingin' (Carosello, CARSM120-2) * 2007 - Swingin' - parte seconda (Carosello, CARSM198)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorelli, Johnny 1937 births Living people People from Meda Italian male film actors Italian male musical theatre actors Italian male singers Italian male television actors Sanremo Music Festival winners Jamie Records artists The High School of Music & Art alumni