Massimo Troisi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Massimo Troisi
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Troisi in 1989
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| Born | 19 February 1953 San Giorgio a Cremano, Italy
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| Died | 4 June 1994 (aged 41) Ostia, Italy
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| Years active | 1968–1994 |
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) |
Massimo Troisi (born February 19, 1953 – died June 4, 1994) was a famous Italian actor, comedian, writer for movies, and film director. He is best known for his roles in the films I'm Starting from Three (1981) and Il Postino: The Postman (1994). For Il Postino, he was nominated for two Oscars after he passed away.
People called him "the comedian of feelings." He is seen as one of the most important actors in Italian theater and movies.
Contents
Massimo's Early Life and TV Fame
Massimo Troisi was born into a big family in San Giorgio a Cremano, a town near Naples, Italy. His father worked as a train engineer. Some of the stories from his family life later appeared in his first movies.
After finishing secondary school, Massimo wrote poems. He was inspired by his favorite writer, Pier Paolo Pasolini. In 1969, he started performing in a small local theater. He performed with friends from his childhood, including Lello Arena.
Massimo had heart problems from a young age. These issues started during his teenage years. In 1976, he traveled to the United States for heart surgery. His friends helped him pay for the medical costs.
Troisi began his career as a cabaret performer in 1972. He was part of a comedy group first called "I Saraceni," then "La Smorfia." The name "La Smorfia" comes from a book used in Naples for lottery numbers. It also means "the face," like making a funny face. His friends De Caro and Arena were also in the group.
The group became famous on the radio across Italy. Their fame grew even more from 1977 onwards. They became TV stars with shows like Non Stop, La sberla (1978), and Luna Park (1979). Massimo quickly became the leader of the group. He was known for his funny facial expressions and his unique, sometimes confused way of speaking. He got ideas from famous Neapolitan comedians like Totò and Eduardo and Peppino De Filippo.
Becoming a Movie Star
In 1981, Massimo Troisi wrote, directed, and starred in his first movie, Ricomincio da tre ("I Start Over from Three"). The film was a huge success and critics loved it. This made him one of the most talented new Italian directors of the 1980s.
Like his second film, Ricomincio da tre was about the tricky love life of a character from Naples. This character was partly inspired by Troisi's own youth. His friend Lello Arena also appeared in the movie. His next film, Scusate il ritardo, came out in 1983. It was similar to his first movie and starred Giuliana De Sio.
In 1984, Troisi starred with Roberto Benigni in Non ci resta che piangere. In this movie, they play two friends who accidentally travel back in time to the 15th century. They meet Leonardo da Vinci and try to stop Christopher Columbus from discovering the Americas.
After acting in a few smaller roles, Troisi directed Le vie del Signore sono finite in 1987. This movie was set during the Fascist era in Italy. It won an award called a Silver Ribbon for best screenplay (the script).
In the years that followed, he acted alongside Marcello Mastroianni. They appeared together in Ettore Scola's Splendor (1989), Che ora è? (1989), and Il viaggio di Capitan Fracassa (1990). For Che ora è?, both Troisi and Mastroianni won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor award.
His last film as a director, writer, and actor was Pensavo fosse amore, invece era un calesse (1991). This movie also focused on the everyday challenges of love between a man and a woman. The woman was played by Francesca Neri.
His Famous Film Il Postino and Later Life
Massimo Troisi became famous around the world because of the movie Il Postino: The Postman. This film was directed by Michael Radford.
Troisi passed away in 1994 from a heart attack. This happened at his sister's house in Ostia, near Rome. He died just twelve hours after finishing the main filming for Il Postino. It was said that he delayed a surgery to make sure he could complete the movie.
After his death, he was nominated for two Academy Awards (Oscars) for Il Postino. He was nominated for Best Actor and Best Writing. He was one of only a few people to be nominated for an acting Oscar after they had passed away.
Pino Daniele created the music for most of Massimo Troisi's films. Eduardo De Filippo, a very important Italian playwright, once said that Troisi was "a comedian of the future, rooted in the past."
Massimo's Films
Director
- Ricomincio da tre (1981)
- ' (1982, TV special)
- Scusate il ritardo (1983)
- Non ci resta che piangere (1984, with Roberto Benigni)
- Le vie del Signore sono finite (1987)
- Pensavo fosse amore, invece era un calesse (1991)
Screenwriter
- Ricomincio da tre (1981)
- ' (1982)
- No grazie, il caffè mi rende nervoso (1982)
- Scusate il ritardo (1983)
- Non ci resta che piangere (1984)
- Le vie del Signore sono finite (1987)
- Pensavo fosse amore, invece era un calesse (1991)
- Il Postino: The Postman (1994)
Actor
- Ricomincio da tre (1981) - Gaetano
- ' (1982, TV Movie) - La salma / Il tecnico delle luci / Himself
- No grazie, il caffè mi rende nervoso (1982) - Troisi
- Scusate il ritardo (1983) - Vincenzo
- "FF.SS." – Cioè: "...che mi hai portato a fare sopra a Posillipo se non mi vuoi più bene?" (1983)
- Non ci resta che piangere (1984) - Mario
- Hotel Colonial (1986) - Werner
- Le vie del Signore sono finite (1987) - Camillo
- Splendor (1989) - Luigi
- Che ora è? (1989) - Michele, the son
- Il viaggio di Capitan Fracassa (1990) - Pulcinella
- Pensavo fosse amore, invece era un calesse (1991) - Tommaso
- Il Postino: The Postman (1994) - Mario Ruoppolo (his last film role)
See also
In Spanish: Massimo Troisi para niños
