Biography Vittorio Gassman in the new post dedicated to the great Italian actors

Over the years, Italian cinema has seen the birth and success of leading figures of great momentum. Initially underestimated, but later became pillars of Italian filmography, and beyond. Vittorio Gassman is one of those immortal figures , beyond earthly existence. Italian actor of great lineage deriving from his versatility in front of the screen that allowed him to perform any type of interpretation.

Summary

  • The beginnings of Vittorio Gassman
  • Vittorio Gassman’s first films
  • Vittorio Gassman’s private life
  • Vittorio Gassman’s awards
  • The death of Vittorio Gassman
  • Vittorio Gassman film

The beginnings of Vittorio Gassman

Vittorio Gassman was born in Genoa on 1 September 1922 . He more than an actor . He is a director, screenwriter and TV presenter also active in the world of theater, so much so that he was the founder and director of the famous Italian Art Theater. 

The star of Italian cinema in black and white. Nickname given to him in relation to a television show he was presenter of back in 1959. His film career developed in the span of time ranging from the 40s to the 90s. Long and dense, studded with memorable and iconic interpretations.

Interpreter of the famous Italian comedy , as probably not done anymore and who, for this reason, approaches other illustrious colleagues such as Alberto Sordi, Ugo Tognazzi, Nino Manfredi and Marcello Mastroianni, just to name a few.

Vittorio Gasmann enrolled in Law in the early university years , but then decided to interrupt his studies immediately to orient himself on the theater scene. From that moment on he took the path of the Academy of Dramatic Art, which allowed him to make his debut on the stage in 1943 in the show “La nemica”.

His great qualities as a protagonist immediately emerge and from there he is labeled that nickname of ” showman “, which connotes his entire career and beyond. He establishes himself as one of the most prominent young and emerging actors alongside colleagues with an equally vibrant and developed stage presence such as Guido Salvini, Luigi Squarzina and Luchino Visconti.

Vittorio Gassman’s first films

From theater to cinema from 1946 onwards. Films that have always been associated with him are considered “The usual unknown”, “The great war”, “The monsters”, “The armada brancaleone”, “We loved each other so much”, “Bitter rice”. From them, all the sensitivity of this great actor, who was suffering from severe forms of depression and suffering from bipolar syndrome, was evident and evident. He didn’t point it out too much since he always seemed particularly perky, but then in reality, once the spotlights went out, his mood was completely opposite.

As a film director he has directed films with a strong autobiographical tendency that refer to “Kean – genius and recklessness”, “The alibi”, “From father to son”. He cultivates a literary passion that leads him to writing through novels and works, which ennoble the figure from this point of view.

He acts as a voice actor in the film “Romeo and Juliet” by Franco Zeffirelli . He also voices the character of Mufasa in the famous Disney movie “The Lion King” . He also boasts a very brief period as a politician, having been included in the Italian Socialist Party in 1987, following the will of the leader Bettino Craxi.

Vittorio Gassman’s private life

He has also had some success with women.

There were 3 wives , as well as 3 companions who shared a large part of their life with him, both private and professional. 

From these relationships 4 children are born at four different times. Above all stands Alessandro Gassman , actor and director known for being one of the most recurring and seen personalities in Italian television at the moment. Moreover, he was born from an extramarital affair that caused a particular scandal in the public opinion of the 50s / 60s.

The film awards that have distinguished him, at the same time, testify to all his greatness and explosiveness. In his career he can boast of having achieved countless David di Donatello, especially for the category “best leading actor”.

Vittorio Gassman’s awards

Silver ribbons equally significant and special , one of which above all in relation to the film “The dinner”, where he is celebrated as best supporting actor in 1999.

At the Cannes Film Festival he distinguished himself for the best male interpretation in 1975, in the film “Profumo di donna”. Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival in 1996.

He received various honors in the institutional field, as Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, Knight of the Grand Cross and the honorary citizenship of 2 small Calabrian municipalities, specifically Chiaravalle Centrale and Palmi. The Municipality of Rome has also dedicated two particularly busy and chaotic areas of the capital to him, such as Villa Borghese and a part of the Lungotevere.

But Vittorio Gassman’s career is directed from the 1960s towards the television front, where it receives an even higher and heartfelt consideration by the public and by the professionals themselves. He collaborates in broadcasts that see the presence of sacred monsters of the caliber of Mina, Corrado and Pippo Baudo.

He hosts the television program “Il mattatore” in 1959, in which he is responsible for transferring to viewers some clips of his best-known theatrical works.

Theater has always been one of Gassman’s greatest passions .

A life dedicated to the dissemination of works also transposed to television. In Florence he founded a theater school called Bottega theatrale, within which high-sounding names converge. Reference is made to Giorgio Albertazzi, Orazio Costa, Ettore Scola, Adolfo Celi.

He then directs “L’adelchi” by Alessandro Manzoni and does so by fully exploiting the lack of propensity for dialectical care and diction, which have represented for him strengths and not weaknesses in the face of the unquestionable judgment of the public.

The death of Vittorio Gassman

Sensitive soul and particularly prone to suffering, self-deprecating and sympathetic humorist : all this and Vittorio Gassman, who died on June 28, 2000 at the age of 77 after a heart problem felt in his Roman residence.

Today his ashes (and was cremated) are found in the Verano Monumental Cemetery.

However, the memory of a real performer who has enchanted cinema and theaters throughout Italy remains vivid of him. 

The son Alessandro, for several years on the crest of the television and cinema wave, is trying to roughly follow the path of his father, but he remains, in any case, an almost unattainable myth. To be touched, but not to be touched or profane in any way.

Vittorio Gassman film

We leave you to Vittorio Gassman’s filmography, in chronological order. See you next time with the biographies of the most famous Italian actors, by our portal!

  1. Meeting with Laura, directed by Carlo Alberto Felice (1945)
  2. Prelude of Love, by Giovanni Paolucci (1946)
  3. Daniele Cortis, directed by Mario Soldati (1947)
  4. The Adventures of Pinocchio, by Giannetto Guardone (1947)
  5. The Captain’s Daughter, by Mario Camerini (1947)
  6. The wandering Jew, by Goffredo Alessandrini (1948)
  7. The Mysterious Knight, by Riccardo Freda (1948)
  8. Lo sparrowhawk of the Nile, by Giacomo Gentilomo (1949)
  9. The Outlaws, by Aldo Vergano (1949)
  10. The Wolf of Sila, by Duilio Coletti (1949)
  11. I Dreamed of Heaven, by Giorgio Pastina (1949)
  12. Bitter rice, directed by Giuseppe De Santis (1949)
  13. A Voice in Your Heart, directed by Alberto D’Aversa (1949)
  14. The Lion of Amalfi, by Pietro Francisci (1950)
  15. The Betrayal, by Riccardo Freda (1951)
  16. The Black Crown, by Luis Saslavsky (1951)
  17. Anna, directed by Alberto Lattuada (1951)
  18. The Fox’s Dream, by Mario Soldati (1952)
  19. The White Trafficking, by Luigi Comencini (1952)
  20. Hat, Regal by Norman Foster (1953)
  21. The Glass Wall, by Maxwell Shane (1953)
  22. The Scream of the Chased, by Joseph H. Lewis (1953)
  23. Rhapsody, Regal di Charles Vidor (1954)
  24. Mambo, regia di Robert Rossen (1954)
  25. Kean – Genius and recklessness, directed by Vittorio Gassman and Francesco Rosi (1956)
  26. The Most Beautiful Woman in the World, by Robert Z. Leonard (1956)
  27. Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, directed by Sergio Grieco (1956)
  28. War and Peace, by King Vidor (1956)
  29. I Defend My Love, by Giulio Macchi (1957)
  30. The usual unknown, by Mario Monicelli (1958)
  31. The Girl of the Palio, directed by Luigi Zampa (1958)
  32. The Tempest, by Alberto Lattuada (1958)
  33. The surprises of love, directed by Luigi Comencini (1959) – cameo
  34. The bill, by Camillo Mastrocinque (1959)
  35. The Great War, by Mario Monicelli (1959)
  36. Storm Wind, by Irving Rapper (1959)
  37. Daring Shot of the Solitary Ignoti, by Nanni Loy (1959)
  38. The Showman, by Dino Risi (1960)
  39. Crimen, directed by Mario Camerini (1960)
  40. Ghosts in Rome, by Antonio Pietrangeli (1961)
  41. The Last Judgment, directed by Vittorio De Sica (1961)
  42. Barabbas, by Richard Fleischer (1961)
  43. The Italian Brigands, by Mario Camerini (1961)
  44. A difficult life, directed by Dino Risi (1961) – cameo
  45. Overtaking, by Dino Risi (1962)
  46. Black Soul, by Roberto Rossellini (1962)
  47. The March on Rome, by Dino Risi (1962)
  48. L’avaro, episode of L’amore difficile, directed by Luciano Lucignani (1962)
  49. Summer Frenzy, by Luigi Zampa (1963)
  50. The Success, directed by Mauro Morassi (1963)
  51. La mania addosso, by Marcello Andrei (1963)
  52. Monsters, by Dino Risi (1963)
  53. If You Will Allow Let’s Talk About Women, directed by Ettore Scola (1964)
  54. The gaucho, by Dino Risi (1964)
  55. Slalom, directed by Luciano Salce (1965)
  56. The Secret War, directed by Christian-Jaque, Werner Klingler, Carlo Lizzani and Terence Young (1965)
  57. La conjuntura, directed by Ettore Scola (1965)
  58. A Virgin for the Prince, by Pasquale Festa Campanile (1965)
  59. The pleasant nights, directed by Armando Crispino and Luciano Lucignani (1966)
  60. The archdevil, by Ettore Scola (1966)
  61. The Brancaleone Army, by Mario Monicelli (1966)
  62. The Unleashed, by Franco Indovina (1967)
  63. Seven Times a Woman, by Vittorio De Sica (1967)
  64. The Tiger, by Dino Risi (1967)
  65. The Black Sheep, by Luciano Salce (1968)
  66. These ghosts, by Renato Castellani (1968)
  67. The Prophet, by Dino Risi (1968)
  68. The Alibi, directed by Adolfo Celi, Vittorio Gassman and Luciano Lucignani (1969)
  69. Where are you going all naked ?, by Pasquale Festa Campanile (1969)
  70. Una su 13, directed by Nicolas Gessner (1969)
  71. The Archangel, by Giorgio Capitani (1969)
  72. Brancaleone at the Crusades, directed by Mario Monicelli (1970)
  73. Divorce, by Romolo Guerrieri (1970)
  74. General contestation, directed by Luigi Zampa (1970)
  75. Scipione, also known as The African, directed by Luigi Magni (1971)
  76. In the Name of the Italian People, by Dino Risi (1971)
  77. The Audience, directed by Marco Ferreri (1972)
  78. Without Family, Property Owners Seek Affection, directed by Vittorio Gassman (1972)
  79. What do we have to do with the revolution ?, directed by Sergio Corbucci (1972)
  80. The Tosca, directed by Luigi Magni (1973)
  81. Scent of a Woman, by Dino Risi (1974)
  82. We Loved Each Other So Much, by Ettore Scola (1974)
  83. The Round of Pleasure Goes at Midnight, directed by Marcello Fondato (1975)
  84. Like a Rose in the Nose, by Franco Rossi (1976)
  85. White Phones, by Dino Risi (1976)
  86. Ladies and Gentlemen, Goodnight, directed by Luigi Comencini, Nanni Loy, Luigi Magni, Mario Monicelli and Ettore Scola (1976)
  87. The Desert of the Tartars, directed by Valerio Zurlini (1976)
  88. Lost Soul, by Dino Ricci (1977)
  89. The new monsters, directed by Mario Monicelli, Ettore Scola and Dino Risi (1977)
  90. A Wedding, by Robert Altman (1978)
  91. Quintet, regal di Robert Altman (1979)
  92. Dear Pope, by Dino Risi (1979)
  93. Two Pieces of Bread, directed by Sergio Citti (1979)
  94. The Nude Bomb, by Clive Donner (1980)
  95. The terrace, directed by Ettore Scola (1980)
  96. I’m photogenic, directed by Dino Risi (1980) – cameo
  97. The Turn, by Tonino Cervi (1981)
  98. Hotel room, directed by Mario Monicelli (1981)
  99. Cop Skin, by Burt Reynolds (1981)
  100. The Tempest, by Paul Mazursky (1982)
  101. Count Tacchia, by Sergio Corbucci (1982)
  102. Life is a Novel, by Alain Resnais (1983)
  103. Welcome, by Andre Delvaux (1983)
  104. The Power of Evil, by Krzysztof Zanussi (1985)
  105. I soliti ignoti twenty years later, directed by Amanzio Todini (1985)
  106. The Family, directed by Ettore Scola (1987)
  107. The picari, by Mario Monicelli (1987)
  108. Mortacci, directed by Sergio Citti (1989)
  109. Unworthy Uncle, directed by Franco Brusati (1989)
  110. Forget Palermo, directed by Francesco Rosi (1990)
  111. I take the trouble, by Dino Risi (1990)
  112. One Thousand and One Nights, by Philippe de Broca (1990)
  113. When we were repressed, by Pino Quartullo (1992)
  114. The Long Winter, by Jaime Camino (1992)
  115. The Entertainment of Private Life, directed by Cristina Comencini (1992)
  116. One Hundred Of These Years, directed by Corrado Farina (1994)
  117. Every Year Once a Year, directed by Gianfrancesco Lazotti (1994)
  118. Sleepers, by Barry Levinson (1996)
  119. The dinner, directed by Ettore Scola (1998)
  120. La bomba, directed by Giulio Base (1999)

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