Independent
July 3, 2017
Italian actor Paolo Villaggio, famous for the Fantozzi
character he created, has died in Rome this morning.
He was 84.
Villaggio was born in Genoa in 1932 and throughout his
long career interpreted various roles such as Professor Kranz and Gioandomenico
Fracchia.
But he will be always remembered for the role of
Ragioniere Ugo Fantozzi, a character who was always at the wrong end of the
stick and faced numerous humiliations.
Villaggio is also the author of eight books related to
the Fantozzi character.
He had also taken part in films directed by Federico
Fellini, Marco Ferreri, Lina Wertmüller, Ermanno Olmi and Mario Monicelli.
Paolo Villaggio was born with a twin brother, Piero. His
father was Ettore Villaggio (1905–1992), originally from Palermo. His mother,
Maria, originally from Venice, was a language teacher.
Villaggio attended the classic school "Liceo
ginnasio Andrea Doria" and initially studied Law, but did not complete his
degree. His jobs included being a clerk for the Italsider steel works, which
inspired his Fantozzi character. Villaggio was hired for the TV programme
Quelli della domenica (Those guys of Sunday), in which Fantozzi made his first
appearance, later also introducing his other characters, the aggressive
"Professor Kranz" and the hypocritical "Giandomenico
Fracchia".
After his television experience, Villaggio started
writing short stories for the magazines L'Espresso and l'Europeo, featuring
Fantozzi, a man with a weak character, dogged by misfortune. In 1971 the
publishing house Rizzoli released the book Fantozzi, a collection of these
stories, which sold over a million copies. The first book led to his 1975
appearance in the film Fantozzi. The film's success led to a sequel, Il secondo
tragico Fantozzi, and later to six other films featuring the character.
VILLAGGIO,
Paolo
Born: 12/30/1932, Genoa, Liguria, Italy
Died: 7/3/2017, Rome, Lazio, Italy
Paolo
Villagio’s westerns – actor:
The Four of the Pater Noster – 1969 (Eddy)
What Am I Doing in the Middle of the Revolution – 1972
(Don Albino Moncalieri)
Don’t Touch the White Woman! – 1973 (CIA Agent/Professor
Pinkerton)
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