Totò
Encyclopedia
Prince Antonio Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno De Curtis di Bisanzio Gagliardi, best known by his stage name Totò (15 February 1898–15 April 1967) and nicknamed il principe della risata ("the prince of laughter") was an Italian comedian, film and theatre actor, writer, singer and songwriter. He is widely considered one of the greatest Italian artists of the 20th century. While he first gained his popularity as a comic actor, his dramatic roles, his poetry, and his songs are all deemed to be outstanding; his style and a number of his recurring jokes have become universally known meme
s in Italy. Writer and philosopher Umberto Eco
has thus commented on the importance of Totò in Italian culture:
Mario Monicelli
, who directed some of the most appreciated of Totò's movies, thus described his artistic value:
As a comic actor, Totò is classified as an heir of the Commedia dell'Arte
tradition, and has been compared to such figures as Buster Keaton
and Charlie Chaplin
. He starred in about one hundred movies; while many of them were low profile, box-office driven productions, they tend to be all appreciated by the critics, at the very least, for Totò's performances. Those that had an explicit artistic intent, such as Pier Paolo Pasolini
's The Hawks and the Sparrows
, classify as masterpieces of Italian cinema. Prominent Italian directors and actors that have worked with Totò include Mario Monicelli
, Alberto Lattuada
, Pier Paolo Pasolini
, Eduardo de Filippo
, Peppino de Filippo
, Aldo Fabrizi
, Vittorio De Sica
, Sophia Loren
, Claudia Cardinale
, Marcello Mastroianni
, and Alberto Sordi
.
, the illegitimate son of Anna Clemente and Marquis Giuseppe De Curtis, who nevertheless did not legally recognize him until 1937. Totò much regretted growing up without a father, to the point that at the age of 35, when he was already very popular, managed to have Marquis Francesco Maria Gagliardi Focas adopt him in exchange for a life annuity. As a consequence, when Marquis de Curtis recognized him, Totò had become an heir of two noble families, hence claiming an impressive slew of titles. In 1946, when the Consulta Araldica
—the body that advised the Kingdom of Italy
on matters of nobility
—ceased operations, the Tribunal of Naples recognized his numerous titles, so his complete name was changed from Antonio Clemente to ‘Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Ducas Komnenos Gagliardi de Curtis of Byzantium
, His Imperial Highness, Palatine Count, Knight of the Holy Roman Empire
, Exarch
of Ravenna
, Duke of Macedonia
and Illyria
, Prince of Constantinople
, Cilicia
, Thessaly
, Ponthus, Moldavia
, Dardania, Peloponnesus, Count of Cyprus
and Epirus
, Count and Duke of Drivast
o and Durazzo
". For someone born and raised in one of the poorest Neapolitan neighbourhoods this must have been quite an achievement, but in claiming the titles (at the time they had become meaningless) the comedian also mocked them for their intrinsic worthlessness. In fact, when he was not using his stage name "Totò", he mostly referred to himself simply as "Antonio De Curtis".
Totò's mother wanted him to become a priest, but as soon as 1913, at the age of 15, he was already acting as a comedian in small theatres, under pseudonym "Clerment". His early repertoire mostly consisted in imitations of Gustavo De Marco's characters. In the minor venues when he performed, Totò had the chance to meet famous artists like Eduardo De Filippo
, Peppino De Filippo
and Carlo Scarpetta. He served in the army during World War I
and then went back to acting. He learned the art of the guitti, the Neapolitan scriptless comedians, heirs to the tradition of the Commedia dell'Arte
, and began developing the trademarks of his style, including a puppet-like, disjointed gesticulation, emphasized facial expressions, and an extreme, sometimes surrealistic, sense of humor, largely based on the emphatization of primitive urges such as hunger and sexual desire.
) and in the 1930s he had his own company, with which he travelled across Italy.
In 1937, he appeared in his first movie Fermo con le mani
, and later starred in over 100 films, many of which are still frequently broadcast on Italian television
.
As the vast majority of his movies where essentially meant to showcase his performances, many have his name "Totò" in the title. Some of his best-known films are Fifa e Arena
, Totò al Giro d'Italia
, Totò Sceicco
, Guardie e ladri
, Totò e le donne
, Totò Tarzan
, Totò terzo uomo, Totò a colori
(the first Italian color movie, 1952, in Ferrania
color), I soliti ignoti, Totò, Peppino e la malafemmina
and La legge è legge, Uccellacci e uccellini
and the episode "Che cosa sono le nuvole" from Capriccio all'italiana (released after his death). In the last two films he displayed his dramatic skills, thanks to director Pier Paolo Pasolini
. These roles gave him the artistic acknowledgment that had eluded him so far by more stringent critics, who only began to recognize his talent after his death.
Totò's unmistakable figure, with his peculiarly irregular face (due to an accident in his teen years), and his unique trademark ability to disarticulate his body like a marionette soon became very popular and his comic gags became widely appreciated. His typical character is ineducated, poor, vain, snobbish, selfish, naive, opportunist, edonist, lascivious and generally immoral (although fundamentally good-hearted). Partly because of the radical, naive immorality of his roles, some of his most spicy gags became the subject of parliamentary enquiries because they were hardly acceptable by the governments of the conservative and prudish Democrazia Cristiana (Christian Democrats). For example, Totò's 1960 movie Che fine ha fatto Totò Baby? ("What ever happened to Totò Baby?", a parody of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
) included a cheeky and gross celebration of cannabis
, in an era when drugs were perceived by the Italian audience as something as exotic as extremely depraved and dangerous.
. The best-known is probably A Livella, in which an arrogant rich man and a humble poor man meet after their deaths and discuss their differences. Totò was also a songwriter: Malafemmena (Wayward Woman), dedicated to his wife Diana after they separated, is considered one of the best Italian pop songs.
Liliana Castagnola, committed suicide after their relationship ended. This tragedy marked his life forever. He buried Liliana in his family's chapel, and named his only daughter Liliana, born in 1933 to his first wife Diana Bandini Rogliani, whom he married in 1935. Another personal tragedy was the premature birth of his son Massenzio in 1954. The boy died a few hours later. He was the son of Totò's mistress, Franca Faldini.
During a tour in 1956 he lost most of his eyesight due to an eye infection that he had ignored to avoid canceling his show and disappointing his fans. The handicap however almost never affected his schedule and acting abilities.
, he always tried to help and protect poorer colleagues as well as giving discreet, low-profile contributions to charity.
Perhaps less known, but not less a credit to his generous soul, was his love for animals, especially dogs, testified by considerable donations and the funding of kennels throughout his life. The largest and most famous one, called "Ospizio degli Orfanelli" (The Orphans' Shelter), was founded 1960 and financed by him personally in Ostia, Rome.
, after a series of heart attacks. Even in death he was unique—due to overwhelming popular request there were three funeral services: the first in Rome, a second in his birth city Naples
—and a few days later, in a third one by the local Camorra
boss, an empty casket
was carried along the packed streets of the popular Rione Sanità quarter where he was born. Totò's birth home has been recently opened to the public as a museum
, and his tombstone is frequently visited by fans, some of whom pray to him for help, as if he were a saint
.
Fermo con le mani
Fifa e Arena
Totò Le Mokò
Totò al Giro d'Italia
Totò Sceicco
Guardie e ladri
Totò e i Re di Roma
Totò e le donne
Totò Tarzan
Totò terzo uomo
Totò a colori
1952
Miseria e Nobiltà
Siamo Uomini o Caporali?
I Tartassati
I Soliti Ignoti
La Banda degli Onesti
Totò, Peppino e la malafemmina
Totò, Eva e il pennello proibito
Totò truffa
La Legge è Legge
La Mandragola (film)
Uccellacci e Uccellini
the episode Che Cosa Sono le Nuvole from Capriccio all'Italiana
Meme
A meme is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena...
s in Italy. Writer and philosopher Umberto Eco
Umberto Eco
Umberto Eco Knight Grand Cross is an Italian semiotician, essayist, philosopher, literary critic, and novelist, best known for his novel The Name of the Rose , an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory...
has thus commented on the importance of Totò in Italian culture:
Mario Monicelli
Mario Monicelli
Mario Monicelli was an Italian director and screenwriter and one of the masters of the Commedia all'Italiana , three times nominated for Oscar.-Biography:...
, who directed some of the most appreciated of Totò's movies, thus described his artistic value:
As a comic actor, Totò is classified as an heir of the Commedia dell'Arte
Commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked "types" which began in Italy in the 16th century, and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. The closest translation of the name is "comedy of craft"; it is shortened...
tradition, and has been compared to such figures as Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
and Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
. He starred in about one hundred movies; while many of them were low profile, box-office driven productions, they tend to be all appreciated by the critics, at the very least, for Totò's performances. Those that had an explicit artistic intent, such as Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini was an Italian film director, poet, writer, and intellectual. Pasolini distinguished himself as a poet, journalist, philosopher, linguist, novelist, playwright, filmmaker, newspaper and magazine columnist, actor, painter and political figure...
's The Hawks and the Sparrows
The Hawks and the Sparrows
The Hawks and the Sparrows is a 1966 Italian film directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. It was entered into the 1966 Cannes Film Festival.The movie is a post-neorealist story about Totò, the beloved stone-faced clown of Italian folk-stories. Totò and his son Ninetto, roam the neighbourhood and the...
, classify as masterpieces of Italian cinema. Prominent Italian directors and actors that have worked with Totò include Mario Monicelli
Mario Monicelli
Mario Monicelli was an Italian director and screenwriter and one of the masters of the Commedia all'Italiana , three times nominated for Oscar.-Biography:...
, Alberto Lattuada
Alberto Lattuada
Alberto Lattuada was an Italian film director.Lattuada was born in Milan, the son of composer Felice Lattuada...
, Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini was an Italian film director, poet, writer, and intellectual. Pasolini distinguished himself as a poet, journalist, philosopher, linguist, novelist, playwright, filmmaker, newspaper and magazine columnist, actor, painter and political figure...
, Eduardo de Filippo
Eduardo De Filippo
Eduardo De Filippo was an Italian actor, playwright, screenwriter, author and poet, best known for his Neapolitan works Filumena Marturano and Napoli Milionaria.-Biography:...
, Peppino de Filippo
Peppino De Filippo
Peppino De Filippo was an Italian actor.De Filippo was born in Naples, brother of actor and playwright Eduardo De Filippo and of Titina. He made his stage debut at the age of six. He played in several movies such as Rome-Paris-Rome, Variety Lights, A Day in Court, Ferdinand I, King of Naples and...
, Aldo Fabrizi
Aldo Fabrizi
Aldo Fabrizi was an Italian actor and cinema and theatre director.-Actor Filmography:* Avanti, c'è posto... by Mario Bonnard...
, Vittorio De Sica
Vittorio de Sica
Vittorio De Sica was an Italian director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement....
, Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren, OMRI is an Italian actress.In 1962, Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Two Women, along with 21 awards, becoming the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English-speaking performance...
, Claudia Cardinale
Claudia Cardinale
Claudia Cardinale is an Italian actress, and has appeared in some of the most prominent European films of the 1960s and 1970s. The majority of Cardinale's films have been either Italian or French...
, Marcello Mastroianni
Marcello Mastroianni
Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni, Knight Grand Cross was an Italian film actor. His honours included British Film Academy Awards, Best Actor awards at the Cannes Film Festival and two Golden Globe Awards.- Personal life :...
, and Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi, also known as Albertone, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian actor. He was also a film director and the dubbing voice of Oliver Hardy in the Italian version of the Laurel & Hardy films....
.
Early life
Totò was born Antonio Clemente on February 15, 1898, in the Rione Sanità, a poor district of NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, the illegitimate son of Anna Clemente and Marquis Giuseppe De Curtis, who nevertheless did not legally recognize him until 1937. Totò much regretted growing up without a father, to the point that at the age of 35, when he was already very popular, managed to have Marquis Francesco Maria Gagliardi Focas adopt him in exchange for a life annuity. As a consequence, when Marquis de Curtis recognized him, Totò had become an heir of two noble families, hence claiming an impressive slew of titles. In 1946, when the Consulta Araldica
Consulta Araldica
The Consulta Araldica was a college instituted by royal decree on 10 October 1869 to advise the Italian government on noble titles, coats of arms and related matters. It was part of the Ministry of the Interior...
—the body that advised the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
on matters of nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
—ceased operations, the Tribunal of Naples recognized his numerous titles, so his complete name was changed from Antonio Clemente to ‘Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Ducas Komnenos Gagliardi de Curtis of Byzantium
Byzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
, His Imperial Highness, Palatine Count, Knight of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, Exarch
Exarch
In the Byzantine Empire, an exarch was governor with extended authority of a province at some remove from the capital Constantinople. The prevailing situation frequently involved him in military operations....
of Ravenna
Ravenna
Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and the second largest comune in Italy by land area, although, at , it is little more than half the size of the largest comune, Rome...
, Duke of Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
and Illyria
Illyria
In classical antiquity, Illyria was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by the Illyrians....
, Prince of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, Cilicia
Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
, Thessaly
Thessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
, Ponthus, Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
, Dardania, Peloponnesus, Count of Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and Epirus
Epirus
The name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...
, Count and Duke of Drivast
Drivast
Drivast was an important medieval town in contemporary Albania. Today, it is located in the municipality Postribë in the Shkodër District.- History :Drivast is known to have existed before the twelfth century AD...
o and Durazzo
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
". For someone born and raised in one of the poorest Neapolitan neighbourhoods this must have been quite an achievement, but in claiming the titles (at the time they had become meaningless) the comedian also mocked them for their intrinsic worthlessness. In fact, when he was not using his stage name "Totò", he mostly referred to himself simply as "Antonio De Curtis".
Totò's mother wanted him to become a priest, but as soon as 1913, at the age of 15, he was already acting as a comedian in small theatres, under pseudonym "Clerment". His early repertoire mostly consisted in imitations of Gustavo De Marco's characters. In the minor venues when he performed, Totò had the chance to meet famous artists like Eduardo De Filippo
Eduardo De Filippo
Eduardo De Filippo was an Italian actor, playwright, screenwriter, author and poet, best known for his Neapolitan works Filumena Marturano and Napoli Milionaria.-Biography:...
, Peppino De Filippo
Peppino De Filippo
Peppino De Filippo was an Italian actor.De Filippo was born in Naples, brother of actor and playwright Eduardo De Filippo and of Titina. He made his stage debut at the age of six. He played in several movies such as Rome-Paris-Rome, Variety Lights, A Day in Court, Ferdinand I, King of Naples and...
and Carlo Scarpetta. He served in the army during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and then went back to acting. He learned the art of the guitti, the Neapolitan scriptless comedians, heirs to the tradition of the Commedia dell'Arte
Commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked "types" which began in Italy in the 16th century, and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. The closest translation of the name is "comedy of craft"; it is shortened...
, and began developing the trademarks of his style, including a puppet-like, disjointed gesticulation, emphasized facial expressions, and an extreme, sometimes surrealistic, sense of humor, largely based on the emphatization of primitive urges such as hunger and sexual desire.
Career
In 1922, he moved to Rome to perform in bigger theatres. He performed in the genre of avanspettacolo, a vaudevillian mixture of music, ballet and comedy preceding the main act (hence its name, which roughly translates as "before show"). He became adept at these shows, (also known as riviste – RevueRevue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
) and in the 1930s he had his own company, with which he travelled across Italy.
In 1937, he appeared in his first movie Fermo con le mani
Fermo con le mani
Fermo con le mani is an Italian 1937 film directed by Gero Zambuto.Is the debut of Totò, one of the most famous scenes is reminiscent of that in which he tries to do the pedicure to a bald man, the one where fishing from the fishmonger's counter and also the scene in which is holding a broom,...
, and later starred in over 100 films, many of which are still frequently broadcast on Italian television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
.
As the vast majority of his movies where essentially meant to showcase his performances, many have his name "Totò" in the title. Some of his best-known films are Fifa e Arena
Fifa e arena
Fifa e arena is a 1948 comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Totò.-Cast:* Totò - Nicolino Capece* Isa Barzizza - Patricia Cotten* Mario Castellani - Cast* Franca Marzi - Carmen* Giulio Marchetti - Paquito* Cesare Polacco - Banderillero...
, Totò al Giro d'Italia
Totò al giro d'Italia
Totò al giro d'Italia is a 1948 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Totò.The film features cameo's of famous cyclists of that time: Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali, Fiorenzo Magni, Ferdi Kubler, Giordano Cottur, Gianni Ortelli, Oreste Conte, Adolfo Consolini, Louison Bobet, Briek...
, Totò Sceicco
Totò sceicco
Totò sceicco is a 1950 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattòli and starring Totò.-Cast:* Totò - Antonio Sapore, il maggiordomo* Tamara Lees - Antinea, la regina di Atlantide* Laura Gore - Lulù* Lauretta De Lauri - Fatma...
, Guardie e ladri
Guardie e ladri
Cops and Robbers is a 1951 Italian cult comedy film directed by Steno and Mario Monicelli. It stars a famous comedian Totó, and it was cinematographied by future film director Mario Bava. Its style is close to Italian neorealism. It had troubles with censorship because its view of clumsy police...
, Totò e le donne
Totò e le donne
Toto and the Women is a 1952 Italian film directed by Mario Monicelli and Steno.-Cast:* Totò as Antonio Scaparro* Lea Padovani as Ginetta* Franca Faldini as La signora dell'appuntamento* Ave Ninchi as Giovanna Scaparro...
, Totò Tarzan
Totò Tarzan
Totò Tarzan is a 1950 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Totò.-Cast:* Totò - Antonio Della Buffas* Marilyn Buferd - Iva* Bianca Maria Fusari - La maestra* Alba Arnova - Sonia* Adriana Serra - Marta...
, Totò terzo uomo, Totò a colori
Totò a colori
Totò a colori is a 1952 Italian film, and was the first Italian color film shot with the Ferraniacolor system. The film was directed by Steno and starred the comic actor Totò . Totò a colori is widely regarded as Totò's masterpiece...
(the first Italian color movie, 1952, in Ferrania
Ferrania
Ferrania S.p.A. is a manufacturing company located in Ferrania , Italy.The original firm was started in 1923 as a maker of photographic films, papers, and equipment. The company was purchased in 1964 by the 3M company, who spun it off to their Imation Division. The firm was acquired by Schroder...
color), I soliti ignoti, Totò, Peppino e la malafemmina
Totò, Peppino e la malafemmina
Toto, Peppino, and the Hussy is an Italian comedy film directed by Camillo Mastrocinque in 1956. It stars the comedy duo of Antonio De Curtis and Peppino De Filippo...
and La legge è legge, Uccellacci e uccellini
The Hawks and the Sparrows
The Hawks and the Sparrows is a 1966 Italian film directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. It was entered into the 1966 Cannes Film Festival.The movie is a post-neorealist story about Totò, the beloved stone-faced clown of Italian folk-stories. Totò and his son Ninetto, roam the neighbourhood and the...
and the episode "Che cosa sono le nuvole" from Capriccio all'italiana (released after his death). In the last two films he displayed his dramatic skills, thanks to director Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini was an Italian film director, poet, writer, and intellectual. Pasolini distinguished himself as a poet, journalist, philosopher, linguist, novelist, playwright, filmmaker, newspaper and magazine columnist, actor, painter and political figure...
. These roles gave him the artistic acknowledgment that had eluded him so far by more stringent critics, who only began to recognize his talent after his death.
Totò's unmistakable figure, with his peculiarly irregular face (due to an accident in his teen years), and his unique trademark ability to disarticulate his body like a marionette soon became very popular and his comic gags became widely appreciated. His typical character is ineducated, poor, vain, snobbish, selfish, naive, opportunist, edonist, lascivious and generally immoral (although fundamentally good-hearted). Partly because of the radical, naive immorality of his roles, some of his most spicy gags became the subject of parliamentary enquiries because they were hardly acceptable by the governments of the conservative and prudish Democrazia Cristiana (Christian Democrats). For example, Totò's 1960 movie Che fine ha fatto Totò Baby? ("What ever happened to Totò Baby?", a parody of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (film)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a 1962 American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The screenplay by Lukas Heller is based on the novel of the same name by Henry Farrell...
) included a cheeky and gross celebration of cannabis
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
, in an era when drugs were perceived by the Italian audience as something as exotic as extremely depraved and dangerous.
Writing
During the 1950s he started to compose poetryPoetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
. The best-known is probably A Livella, in which an arrogant rich man and a humble poor man meet after their deaths and discuss their differences. Totò was also a songwriter: Malafemmena (Wayward Woman), dedicated to his wife Diana after they separated, is considered one of the best Italian pop songs.
Personal life
Despite his physical appearance Totò had a reputation as a playboy. One of his lovers, the soubretteSoubrette
A soubrette is a female stock character in opera and theatre. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means "conceited" or "coy".-Theater:...
Liliana Castagnola, committed suicide after their relationship ended. This tragedy marked his life forever. He buried Liliana in his family's chapel, and named his only daughter Liliana, born in 1933 to his first wife Diana Bandini Rogliani, whom he married in 1935. Another personal tragedy was the premature birth of his son Massenzio in 1954. The boy died a few hours later. He was the son of Totò's mistress, Franca Faldini.
During a tour in 1956 he lost most of his eyesight due to an eye infection that he had ignored to avoid canceling his show and disappointing his fans. The handicap however almost never affected his schedule and acting abilities.
Philanthropy
In the artistic milieu he was nicknamed "il Principe" (The Prince) and was famous for his generous spirit: having personally suffered povertyPoverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, he always tried to help and protect poorer colleagues as well as giving discreet, low-profile contributions to charity.
Perhaps less known, but not less a credit to his generous soul, was his love for animals, especially dogs, testified by considerable donations and the funding of kennels throughout his life. The largest and most famous one, called "Ospizio degli Orfanelli" (The Orphans' Shelter), was founded 1960 and financed by him personally in Ostia, Rome.
Death
Totò died at the age of 69 on April 15, 1967, in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, after a series of heart attacks. Even in death he was unique—due to overwhelming popular request there were three funeral services: the first in Rome, a second in his birth city Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
—and a few days later, in a third one by the local Camorra
Camorra
The Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century.-Background:...
boss, an empty casket
Coffin
A coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of dead people – either for burial or cremation.Contemporary North American English makes a distinction between "coffin", which is generally understood to denote a funerary box having six sides in plan view, and "casket", which...
was carried along the packed streets of the popular Rione Sanità quarter where he was born. Totò's birth home has been recently opened to the public as a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, and his tombstone is frequently visited by fans, some of whom pray to him for help, as if he were a saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
.
Filmography
Below is a partial list of his films—Fermo con le mani
Fermo con le mani
Fermo con le mani is an Italian 1937 film directed by Gero Zambuto.Is the debut of Totò, one of the most famous scenes is reminiscent of that in which he tries to do the pedicure to a bald man, the one where fishing from the fishmonger's counter and also the scene in which is holding a broom,...
Fifa e Arena
Fifa e arena
Fifa e arena is a 1948 comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Totò.-Cast:* Totò - Nicolino Capece* Isa Barzizza - Patricia Cotten* Mario Castellani - Cast* Franca Marzi - Carmen* Giulio Marchetti - Paquito* Cesare Polacco - Banderillero...
Totò Le Mokò
Totò Le Mokò
-Synopsis:The mobster Pep le Mok dies during a shootout with the police. His gang decide that his successor will be a relative of his from Naples: Antonio Lumaconi, a street musician....
Totò al Giro d'Italia
Totò al giro d'Italia
Totò al giro d'Italia is a 1948 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Totò.The film features cameo's of famous cyclists of that time: Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali, Fiorenzo Magni, Ferdi Kubler, Giordano Cottur, Gianni Ortelli, Oreste Conte, Adolfo Consolini, Louison Bobet, Briek...
Totò Sceicco
Totò sceicco
Totò sceicco is a 1950 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattòli and starring Totò.-Cast:* Totò - Antonio Sapore, il maggiordomo* Tamara Lees - Antinea, la regina di Atlantide* Laura Gore - Lulù* Lauretta De Lauri - Fatma...
Guardie e ladri
Guardie e ladri
Cops and Robbers is a 1951 Italian cult comedy film directed by Steno and Mario Monicelli. It stars a famous comedian Totó, and it was cinematographied by future film director Mario Bava. Its style is close to Italian neorealism. It had troubles with censorship because its view of clumsy police...
Totò e i Re di Roma
Totò e i re di Roma
Toto and the King of Rome is a 1951 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli and Steno.-Cast:* Totò as Ercole Pappalardo* Aroldo Tieri as Ferruccio* Alberto Sordi as Il maestro elementare* Celeste Almieri* Ernesto Almirante as Nedo...
Totò e le donne
Totò e le donne
Toto and the Women is a 1952 Italian film directed by Mario Monicelli and Steno.-Cast:* Totò as Antonio Scaparro* Lea Padovani as Ginetta* Franca Faldini as La signora dell'appuntamento* Ave Ninchi as Giovanna Scaparro...
Totò Tarzan
Totò Tarzan
Totò Tarzan is a 1950 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Totò.-Cast:* Totò - Antonio Della Buffas* Marilyn Buferd - Iva* Bianca Maria Fusari - La maestra* Alba Arnova - Sonia* Adriana Serra - Marta...
Totò terzo uomo
Totò a colori
Totò a colori
Totò a colori is a 1952 Italian film, and was the first Italian color film shot with the Ferraniacolor system. The film was directed by Steno and starred the comic actor Totò . Totò a colori is widely regarded as Totò's masterpiece...
1952
Miseria e Nobiltà
Miseria e Nobiltà
-Cast:Totò: , Dolores Palumbo: , Enzo Turco: , Valeria Moriconi: , Franca Faldini: , Liana Billi: , Franco Sportelli: , Gianni Cavalieri: , Sophia Loren: , Carlo Croccolo: , Giuseppe Porelli: , Franco Pastorino: , Franco Melidoni: , Giulia...
Siamo Uomini o Caporali?
I Tartassati
I Tartassati
I Tartassati, is an Italian comedy film from 1959, directed by Stefano Vanzina, written by Aldo Fabrizi, starring Totò and Louis de Funès. The film is known under the titles: "The Overtaxed" , "Fripouillard et Compagnie" ....
I Soliti Ignoti
La Banda degli Onesti
Totò, Peppino e la malafemmina
Totò, Peppino e la malafemmina
Toto, Peppino, and the Hussy is an Italian comedy film directed by Camillo Mastrocinque in 1956. It stars the comedy duo of Antonio De Curtis and Peppino De Filippo...
Totò, Eva e il pennello proibito
Totò, Eva e il pennello proibito
Totò, Eva e il pennello proibito, is an Italian comedy film from 1959, directed by Stefano Vanzina, written by Vittorio Metz, starring Totò and Louis de Funès...
Totò truffa
La Legge è Legge
La Mandragola (film)
La Mandragola (film)
The Mandrake is a 1965 Franco-Italian co-production directed by Alberto Lattuada and based on the eponymous 16th-century play by Italian author Niccolò Machiavelli...
Uccellacci e Uccellini
The Hawks and the Sparrows
The Hawks and the Sparrows is a 1966 Italian film directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. It was entered into the 1966 Cannes Film Festival.The movie is a post-neorealist story about Totò, the beloved stone-faced clown of Italian folk-stories. Totò and his son Ninetto, roam the neighbourhood and the...
the episode Che Cosa Sono le Nuvole from Capriccio all'Italiana