Actor, Motion Picture Director. He is best remembered for his last film in 1994 "Il Postino" (The Postman), which was released after his death. In this comedy, he had an acting role as well as a co-writer. In the movie, he has the role of simple postman who steers his bicycle along the sandy terrain of the Italian Mediterranean coast to deliver mail to his sole client, the Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda. Many colleagues and fans referred to him informally as the "Steven Martin of Italy." At the age of fifteen, he started his career at the Centro Teatro Spazio. He worked his way through the cabaret circuit before landing in TV. Between 1976 and 1979, his name became a household word with his two TV programs, "Non Strop" and "Luna Park." His first film role was in the 1981 comedy "Ricomincio da tre" (I'm Starting From Three). As a child, he had several bouts of rheumatic fever, leaving him with a diseased heart. At the age of nineteen, he had a cardiac quadruple bypass surgery. As his disease advanced with age, he became a candidate for a heart transplant. He was scheduled for a pre-transplant appointment in London, England three days after the movie was finished. During the filming he had no energy, had difficulty keeping the pace and was requesting to be filmed sitting in a chair or leaning against something. On the third day, he collapsed but was determined to finish his work. He was going to finish the film before seeking treatment. Twelve hours after finishing the film "Il Pastino," he died in his sleep at his sister's home. He also appears in the films "Non ci Resta de Piangere" in 1981, "Che ora é?" in 1989, and "Il Viaggio di Capitan Fracassa" in 1991. After his death, a square in his hometown of San Giorgia a Cremano in southern Italy was named in his honor.
Actor, Motion Picture Director. He is best remembered for his last film in 1994 "Il Postino" (The Postman), which was released after his death. In this comedy, he had an acting role as well as a co-writer. In the movie, he has the role of simple postman who steers his bicycle along the sandy terrain of the Italian Mediterranean coast to deliver mail to his sole client, the Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda. Many colleagues and fans referred to him informally as the "Steven Martin of Italy." At the age of fifteen, he started his career at the Centro Teatro Spazio. He worked his way through the cabaret circuit before landing in TV. Between 1976 and 1979, his name became a household word with his two TV programs, "Non Strop" and "Luna Park." His first film role was in the 1981 comedy "Ricomincio da tre" (I'm Starting From Three). As a child, he had several bouts of rheumatic fever, leaving him with a diseased heart. At the age of nineteen, he had a cardiac quadruple bypass surgery. As his disease advanced with age, he became a candidate for a heart transplant. He was scheduled for a pre-transplant appointment in London, England three days after the movie was finished. During the filming he had no energy, had difficulty keeping the pace and was requesting to be filmed sitting in a chair or leaning against something. On the third day, he collapsed but was determined to finish his work. He was going to finish the film before seeking treatment. Twelve hours after finishing the film "Il Pastino," he died in his sleep at his sister's home. He also appears in the films "Non ci Resta de Piangere" in 1981, "Che ora é?" in 1989, and "Il Viaggio di Capitan Fracassa" in 1991. After his death, a square in his hometown of San Giorgia a Cremano in southern Italy was named in his honor.
Bio by: Linda Davis
Advertisement
