Marco Messeri (born 15 December 1948) is an Italian actor, comedian, stage director, singer-songwriter and voice actor.

Life and career

Born in

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...

, Messeri studied painting at the

Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze The Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze () is an instructional art academy in Florence, in Tuscany, in central Italy. It was founded by Cosimo I de' Medici in 1563, under the influence of Giorgio Vasari. Michelangelo, Benvenuto Cellini and ...

and acting at the drama school of the Piccolo Teatro in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

. He debuted on stage in 1969, in

Paolo Poli Paolo Poli (May 23, 1929 – March 25, 2016) was an Italian theatre actor. He has also acted in films and on television. Career After a university degree in French literature, Poli began his acting career in the early 1950s and was one of the ...

's ''Il Brasile''. After several supporting roles, in 1987 he debuted in a leading role in

Carlo Mazzacurati Carlo Mazzacurati (2 March 1956 – 22 January 2014) was an Italian film director and screenwriter born in Padua. He started his cinema career in 1980. His better known films include '' The Bull'' (1994) and '' Holy Tongue'' (2000). He was edu ...

's '' Notte italiana'', winning a

Globo d'oro The Globo d'oro (internationally known as Italian Golden Globe) is an Italian annual film award. It was founded in 1959 by the Foreign Press Association in Italy. The Globo d'oro Awards for Italian cinema are given by the Foreign Press. The fi ...

for best new actor. The same year, he received a

Ciak d'oro ''Ciak'' is a popular Italian film magazine published in Milan, Italy. It is the most popular film magazine in Italy. The title is the Italian word (also spelled ''ciac'') for a film clapperboard. History and profile ''Ciak'' was established in ...

for best supporting actor thanks to his performance in

Massimo Troisi Massimo Troisi (; 19 February 1953 – 4 June 1994) was an Italian actor, cabaret performer, comedian, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his works in the films '' I'm Starting back from Three'' (1981) and '' Il Postino: The ...

's ''

Le vie del Signore sono finite '' The ways of the Lord are over'' (''Le vie del Signore sono finite'') is a 1987 Italian comedy-drama film written and directed by Massimo Troisi. The film won the Nastro d'Argento for best screenplay. For his performance Marco Messeri won the ...

''. In 1995 he won 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 for his performance in

Francesca Archibugi Francesca Archibugi (; born 16 May 1960) is an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Life and career Born and raised in Rome in an intellectual family (her elder brother is the political and economic theorist Daniele Archibugi), she started ...

's ''

Con gli occhi chiusi ''With Closed Eyes'' () is a 1994 Italian drama film written and directed by Francesca Archibugi. It is based on the novel with the same name written by Federigo Tozzi. For his performance Marco Messeri won the Nastro d'Argento for best sup ...

''. Messeri is also a singer-songwriter and composer of songs, usually used in his stage works.

Selected filmography

* ''

La locandiera ''The Mistress of the Inn'' ( ), also translated as ''The Innkeeper Woman'' or ''Mirandolina'' (after the play's main character), is a 1753 three-act comedy by the Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni centred around a coquette. The play has been re ...

'' (1980) * ''

I'm Starting from Three ''I'm Starting from Three'' () is a 1981 Italian comedy film directed by, co-written by, and starring Massimo Troisi in his film debut. The film was awarded with two David di Donatello awards for Best Film and Best Actor. Plot Gaetano is a ...

'' (1981) * '' Il paramedico'' (1982) * ''

The Mass Is Ended ''The Mass Is Ended'' () is a 1985 Italian drama film, written, starring and directed by Nanni Moretti. Plot The young priest Father Giulio returns to Rome, his hometown, after a long pilgrimage. Don Giulio hopes to live peacefully with his family ...

'' (1985) * ''

'' (1987) * ''

Italian Night ''Notte italiana'' (internationally released as ''Italian Night'') is a 1987 Italy, Italian comedy drama film directed by Carlo Mazzacurati. It won several awards including the Grand Prix (Annecy Film Festival), Grand Prix at the Annecy Italian Fi ...

'' (1987) * ''

Red Wood Pigeon ''Red Wood Pigeon'' () is a 1989 Italian comedy drama film written, directed, produced and starred by Nanni Moretti. The film won the Nastro d'Argento for Best Original Story. Plot Michele Apicella, an MP for the Italian Communist Party, is i ...

'' (1989) * ''

Captain Fracassa's Journey ''Captain Fracassa's Journey'' () is a 1990 Italian comedy film directed by Ettore Scola. The film is based on the 1863 novel '' Captain Fracasse'' by Théophile Gautier. It was entered into the 41st Berlin International Film Festival. Plot Th ...

'' (1990) * ''

Alberto Express ''Alberto Express'' is a 1990 French comedy film directed by Arthur Joffé. It was coproduced with Italy, where it was released as ''In viaggio con Alberto''. For his performance Sergio Castellitto was awarded at Montreal World Film Festival. ...

'' (1990) * '' Pensavo fosse amore, invece era un calesse'' (1991) * '' With Closed Eyes'' (1994) * '' The Bull'' (1994) * '' Camerieri'' (1995) * '' A Cold, Cold Winter'' (1996) * ''

Vesna Goes Fast ''Vesna Goes Fast'' () is a 1996 Italian drama film directed by Carlo Mazzacurati. It entered the competition at the 53rd Venice International Film Festival, in which Tereza Zajickova won a Pasinetti Award for Best Actress. The film also won the Ci ...

'' (1996) * '' A spasso nel tempo'' (1996) * ''

A spasso nel tempo – L'avventura continua ''A spasso nel tempo – L'avventura continua'' () is a 1997 Italian science fiction adventure comedy film directed by Carlo Vanzina. It is a sequel to 1996 film '' A spasso nel tempo''. Cast *Christian De Sica as Ascanio Orsini Varaldo/Maresciall ...

'' (1997) * '' Simpatici & antipatici'' (1998) * ''

My Dearest Friends ''My Dearest Friends'' () is a 1998 Italian thriller-comedy film directed by Alessandro Benvenuti. Cast *Alessandro Benvenuti as Alessio * Athina Cenci as Martha * Eva Robin's as Loretta * Alessandro Gassmann as Rossano * Gianmarco Tognazzi as T ...

'' (1998) * '' Padre Pio: Between Heaven and Earth'' (2000) * '' Nightwatchman'' (2000) * ''

Maria Goretti Maria Teresa Goretti (; 16 October 1890 – 6 July 1902) was an Italian virgin martyr of the Catholic Church, and one of the youngest saints to be canonized. She was born to a farming family. Her father died when she was nine, and the family ...

'' (2003) * ''

Sunday Lunch A Sunday roast or roast dinner is a British dish traditionally eaten on Sunday. It consists of roast meat, roast or mash potatoes, and accompaniments such as Yorkshire pudding, gravy, and may include condiments such as apple sauce, min ...

'' (2003) * '' An Italian Romance'' (2004) * '' The Jokes'' (2004) * ''

Do You Know Claudia? ''Do You Know Claudia?'' () is a 2004 comedy film directed by Massimo Venier and starring Aldo, Giovanni & Giacomo. Plot Claudia and Giovanni have been married for seven years, but they are going through a relationship crisis. Claudia is convince ...

'' (2004) * ''

La seconda volta non si scorda mai ''La seconda volta non si scorda mai'' (The Second Time Is Never Forgotten) is a 2008 Italian romantic comedy film directed by Francesco Ranieri Martinotti and starring Alessandro Siani and Elisabetta Canalis. The theme song, "O munn va", by Pi ...

'' (2008) * '' La passione'' (2010) * ''

The First Beautiful Thing ''The First Beautiful Thing'' () is a 2010 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Paolo Virzì, produced by Medusa Film, Motorino Amaranto and Indiana Production, released in Italy on 15 January 2010. The film stars Micaela Ramazzotti, Valerio Ma ...

'' (2010) * ''

Mary of Nazareth Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under various titles such as virgin or queen, many of them mentioned in the Litany of Loreto. ...

'' (2012) * '' The Unlikely Prince'' (2013) * '' L'arbitro'' (2013) * '' Fuga di cervelli'' (2013) * '' Good for Nothing'' (2014) * ''

Like Crazy ''Like Crazy'' is a 2011 American romantic drama film directed by Drake Doremus and starring Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, and Jennifer Lawrence. Written by Doremus and Ben York Jones, the film tells the story of Anna ( Felicity Jones), a B ...

'' (2016) * ''

Marilyn's Eyes ''Marilyn's Eyes'' () is a 2021 Italian romantic comedy-drama film directed by Simone Godano and starring Stefano Accorsi and Miriam Leone. Plot Cast * Stefano Accorsi as Diego * Miriam Leone as Clara Pagani * Thomas Trabac ...

'' (2021)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Messeri, Marco 1951 births People from Livorno Italian male stage actors Nastro d'Argento winners Ciak d'oro winners Italian male film actors Italian male television actors Living people