Nino Castelnuovo
Encyclopedia
Francesco "Nino" Castelnuovo (born 28 October 1936 in Lecco, Italy) is an Italian
actor
. His perhaps most prominent role was starring as Guy Foucher in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Castelnuovo has also had notable appearances in The English Patient
, Rocco and His Brothers, L'Emmerdeur
, Camille 2000
, and The Five Man Army
among others.
in two episodes of the mini-movie, Escapade in Florence, singing, playing the guitar, and adding the Italian verses to the jovial tarantella, Dream Boy.
Castelnuovo's international break-out role arrived with Les Parapluies de Cherbourg
(The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) in 1964, directed by Jacques Demy
, an entirely-sung film, in which he played opposite young Catherine Deneuve
. Nominated for the American Motion Picture Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language film, the film gained the attention of both film critics and the public, and won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival
in February of that same year. Nevertheless, the work remained largely unseen in Italy due to the film-going public's distaste for musicals at the time.
However, a few years after the release of the film, Castelnuovo gained fame as an actor in Italy, thanks to the role of Renzo in the television mini-series I promissi sposi, shown first on Channel RAI (1967). He also starred alongside an international cast of Peter Graves
, James Daly
, and Bud Spencer
in the Spaghetti Western
, The Five Man Army
(1969) as a Mexican revolutionary, and as Armand in Radley Metzger
's psychedelic, sexcapade-drama, Camille 2000
(1969).
Since then, for over four decades, Castelnuovo has been featured primarily on television serials around Europe, where he has portrayed numerous parts and has achieved great success. Italian viewers may also remember that in tandem with his long television and film career, he appeared as the athletically-sound spokesman for the corn oil company Cuore (Italian for 'Heart') from 1977 to 1982. In 1996, Castelnuovo also appeared briefly as D'Agostino in the Academy Award winning film, The English Patient
.
Castelnuovo continues to be active on the Italian theatre stage as well, most recently starring in a production of Ben Hecht
's and Charles MacArthur's 1931 play The Front Page
--Italian title, Prima Pagina -- in 2002.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. His perhaps most prominent role was starring as Guy Foucher in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Castelnuovo has also had notable appearances in The English Patient
The English Patient (film)
The English Patient is a 1996 romantic drama film based on the novel of the same name by Sri Lankan-Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje. The film, written for the screen and directed by Anthony Minghella, won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture...
, Rocco and His Brothers, L'Emmerdeur
L'emmerdeur
L'emmerdeur is a 1973 French-Italian black comedy film starring Jacques Brel, appearing in his tenth and final feature film...
, Camille 2000
Camille 2000
Camille 2000 is a 1969 Italian language film based on the 1852 novel and play La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils. It was adapted by Michael DeForrest and directed by Radley Metzger. It stars Danièle Gaubert and Nino Castelnuovo with Eleonora Rossi Drago and Massimo Serato. The film...
, and The Five Man Army
The Five Man Army
The Five Man Army is an Italian zapata spaghetti western film taking place during the Mexican Revolution.The film was directed by Don Taylor and featured a script by a young Dario Argento. Starring as a group of five men enlisted to rob a train containing a shipment of gold were Peter Graves,...
among others.
Biography
After graduating from the Piccolo Theatre School of Milan, he landed a small part in Un Maledetto Imbroglio (The Facts of Murder) (1959), directed by Pietro Germi, and continued to play supporting roles in such films as Il Gobbo (The Hunchback), directed by Carlo Lizzani and Rocco and His Brothers (both released in 1960), directed by Luchino Visconti. When the popular American television show, Disneyland, traveled to Italy in 1962, Castelnuovo appeared alongside Annette FunicelloAnnette Funicello
Annette Joanne Funicello is an American singer and actress. She was Walt Disney's most popular cast member of the original Mickey Mouse Club, and went on to appear in a series of beach party films.-Early life and early stardom:...
in two episodes of the mini-movie, Escapade in Florence, singing, playing the guitar, and adding the Italian verses to the jovial tarantella, Dream Boy.
Castelnuovo's international break-out role arrived with Les Parapluies de Cherbourg
Les Parapluies de Cherbourg
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a 1964 French musical film directed by Jacques Demy, starring Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo. The music was written by Michel Legrand...
(The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) in 1964, directed by Jacques Demy
Jacques Demy
Jacques Demy was one of the most approachable filmmakers to appear in the wake of the French New Wave. Uninterested in the formal experimentation of Alain Resnais, or the political agitation of Jean-Luc Godard, Demy instead created a self-contained fantasy world closer to that of François...
, an entirely-sung film, in which he played opposite young Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve is a French actress. She gained recognition for her portrayal of aloof and mysterious beauties in films such as Repulsion and Belle de jour . Deneuve was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1993 for her performance in Indochine; she also won César Awards for that...
. Nominated for the American Motion Picture Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language film, the film gained the attention of both film critics and the public, and won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
in February of that same year. Nevertheless, the work remained largely unseen in Italy due to the film-going public's distaste for musicals at the time.
However, a few years after the release of the film, Castelnuovo gained fame as an actor in Italy, thanks to the role of Renzo in the television mini-series I promissi sposi, shown first on Channel RAI (1967). He also starred alongside an international cast of Peter Graves
Peter Graves (actor)
Peter Aurness , known professionally as Peter Graves, was an American film and television actor. He was best known for his starring role in the CBS television series Mission: Impossible from 1967 to 1973...
, James Daly
James Daly
James Daly was an American theater, film and television actor born in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, who is perhaps best-known for his role as Dr...
, and Bud Spencer
Bud Spencer
Bud Spencer is an Italian actor, filmmaker and former swimmer . He is known for past roles in spaghetti westerns together with his long time filmpartner Terence Hill...
in the Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
, The Five Man Army
The Five Man Army
The Five Man Army is an Italian zapata spaghetti western film taking place during the Mexican Revolution.The film was directed by Don Taylor and featured a script by a young Dario Argento. Starring as a group of five men enlisted to rob a train containing a shipment of gold were Peter Graves,...
(1969) as a Mexican revolutionary, and as Armand in Radley Metzger
Radley Metzger
Radley Metzger is an American filmmaker and distributor. He is also credited under the pseudonym Henry Paris, a name he adopted in the 1970s when he began to direct hardcore pornography....
's psychedelic, sexcapade-drama, Camille 2000
Camille 2000
Camille 2000 is a 1969 Italian language film based on the 1852 novel and play La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils. It was adapted by Michael DeForrest and directed by Radley Metzger. It stars Danièle Gaubert and Nino Castelnuovo with Eleonora Rossi Drago and Massimo Serato. The film...
(1969).
Since then, for over four decades, Castelnuovo has been featured primarily on television serials around Europe, where he has portrayed numerous parts and has achieved great success. Italian viewers may also remember that in tandem with his long television and film career, he appeared as the athletically-sound spokesman for the corn oil company Cuore (Italian for 'Heart') from 1977 to 1982. In 1996, Castelnuovo also appeared briefly as D'Agostino in the Academy Award winning film, The English Patient
The English Patient (film)
The English Patient is a 1996 romantic drama film based on the novel of the same name by Sri Lankan-Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje. The film, written for the screen and directed by Anthony Minghella, won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture...
.
Castelnuovo continues to be active on the Italian theatre stage as well, most recently starring in a production of Ben Hecht
Ben Hecht
Ben Hecht was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, and novelist. Called "the Shakespeare of Hollywood", he received screen credits, alone or in collaboration, for the stories or screenplays of some 70 films and as a prolific storyteller, authored 35 books and created some of...
's and Charles MacArthur's 1931 play The Front Page
The Front Page
The Front Page is a hit Broadway comedy about tabloid newspaper reporters on the police beat, written by one-time Chicago reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur which was first produced in 1928.-Synopsis:...
--Italian title, Prima Pagina -- in 2002.