Adriano Celentano facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adriano Celentano
Celentano in 1961
Born	(1938-01-06) 6 January 1938 (age 87) Milan, Kingdom of Italy
Occupation	Singer-songwriter actor film director screenwriter producer television presenter
Years active	1957–present
Spouse(s)	Claudia Mori ​ (m. 1964)​
Children	3, including Rosalinda Celentano
Musical career
Genres	Pop disco rock and roll
Instruments	Vocals guitar piano drums
Labels	Jolly Clan Celentano
Associated acts	I Ribelli Mina

Adriano Celentano (born January 6, 1938) is a famous Italian singer, songwriter, actor, and filmmaker. People often call him Il Molleggiato, which means 'the springy one', because of his energetic dancing.

Adriano Celentano has released many successful albums. He has sold around 150 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling Italian music artists ever. He is known for writing both the music and lyrics for his songs, sometimes with help from others. Because of his long and successful career, he is seen as a very important part of Italian music.

Celentano is known for understanding new trends in the music world. He is even credited with bringing rock and roll music to Italy! As an actor, he has been in 39 films, mostly comedies.

Early life and beginnings

Adriano Celentano was born on January 6, 1938, in Milan, Italy. He grew up on a street that later became famous in his song "Il ragazzo della via Gluck" ('The boy from Gluck Street'). His parents moved to Milan from Foggia in southern Italy for work. Before he became a singer, he worked as a watchmaker. His music career officially began in 1959.

Career highlights

Celentano playing an Eko Guitar

Adriano Celentano was greatly inspired by rock and roll music from the 1950s, especially Elvis Presley. He also admired the American actor Jerry Lewis. Celentano started playing in a rock and roll band with friends like Giorgio Gaber and Enzo Jannacci. They were discovered by a music executive named Ezio Leoni, who helped Celentano get his first record deal. Together, they created some of his early hits like "24.000 baci".

In 1959, he appeared in his first film, Ragazzi del Juke-Box. The famous director Federico Fellini also cast him as a rock and roll singer in his 1960 film La dolce vita.

In 1962, Celentano started his own Italian record company called Clan Celentano. This company is still active today and has helped many other artists, including his wife, Claudia Mori.

As a film director, Celentano often worked with actresses like Ornella Muti and Eleonora Giorgi, as well as his wife Claudia Mori. He and Claudia have three children: Rosita, Giacomo, and Rosalinda Celentano. Adriano Celentano has also hosted several popular television shows in Italy.

Celentano has stayed popular in Italy for over 50 years. He has sold millions of records and appeared in many TV shows and movies. In his acting, he created a unique funny style with special walks and facial expressions. Most of his films were very successful. In the 1970s and 1980s, his movies often topped the Italian box office. Many critics consider his best acting performance to be in the 1968 film Serafino, directed by Pietro Germi.

Celentano (right) with Gianni Morandi in 2012

He has released 40 albums in total. Some of his most famous songs include "La coppia più bella del mondo," which sold over a million copies, and "Azzurro" (1968), written by Paolo Conte. Another well-known song is "Prisencolinensinainciusol" (1972), which he wrote to sound like English to people who don't speak it, even though the lyrics are mostly made-up words.

Adriano Celentano was mentioned in the 1979 song "Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3" by Ian Dury and the Blockheads. He was also featured in Fellini's 1986 film Ginger and Fred.

After 18 years without performing live, Celentano held a concert in 2012. It was shown on the Italian TV channel Canale 5 and watched by over 9 million people!

Personal life and interests

Adriano Celentano has been a vegetarian since 2005 and is a strong supporter of animal rights. He is also a big football fan and cheers for the Inter Milan team. Even though he has been influenced by American culture, Celentano does not speak English. He once said that he has wanted to learn the language for years but hasn't been able to, and that not knowing English is "a real pain."

In the 1970s, the Barilla pasta company created a new spiral-shaped pasta. They named it cellentani after Adriano Celentano. Since Barilla trademarked the name, other companies call this pasta shape cavatappi.

Discography

Studio albums

Filmography

Films

See also

In Spanish: Adriano Celentano para niños

• List of best-selling music artists