Nino Manfredi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nino Manfredi
Manfredi in 1990
Born	Saturnino Manfredi (1921-03-22)22 March 1921 Castro dei Volsci, Kingdom of Italy
Died	4 June 2004(2004-06-04) (aged 83) Rome, Italy
Occupation	Actor, voice actor, director, screenwriter, comedian, singer
Years active	1949–2004
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Spouse(s)	Erminia Ferrari ​ (m. 1955)​
Children	4, including Luca and Roberta

Alberto Sordi and Manfredi in Will Our Heroes Be Able to Find Their Friend Who Has Mysteriously Disappeared in Africa? (1968)

Saturnino "Nino" Manfredi (born March 22, 1921 – died June 4, 2004) was a famous Italian actor. He was also a voice actor, director, writer, comedian, and singer. Nino Manfredi was known for his many talents in movies, TV, and theater.

He was one of the most important actors in a type of Italian comedy called commedia all'italiana. This style of film often used humor to talk about serious social issues. Nino Manfredi won many awards during his career. These included six David di Donatello awards and six Nastro d'Argento awards. He also won a special award at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival for his first movie as a director, Between Miracles. He often played characters who were ordinary people facing challenges. These characters always kept their dignity and hope. People called him "one of the few truly complete actors in Italian cinema."

Nino Manfredi's Life and Career

His Early Life and Education

Nino Manfredi was born in Castro dei Volsci, Italy. His family was simple, and his father worked in public safety. In the early 1930s, his family moved to Rome. Nino and his younger brother, Dante, grew up in the San Giovanni neighborhood.

In 1937, Nino became very sick with a lung illness. Doctors thought he might not live long. He spent several years in a special hospital. There, he learned to play a banjo he made himself. He even joined the hospital's music band. To make his family happy, he started studying law at university in 1941. But he was already very interested in acting. He began performing in a church theater in Rome that same year.

After September 8, 1943, he hid in the mountains near Cassino for a year. He wanted to avoid being forced into the army. When he returned to Rome in 1944, he continued his law studies. At the same time, he joined the National Academy of Dramatic Art. In 1945, he graduated in law but never worked as a lawyer. In 1947, he graduated from the acting academy.

Starting His Acting Journey

Manfredi and Fulvia Franco in L'amore difficile (1962)

Nino Manfredi started his acting career on stage in 1947. He worked in plays directed by famous people like Luigi Squarzina. In the same year, he joined the Maltagliati-Gassman theater company. He mostly played serious roles in these plays.

In 1948, he joined the Piccolo Teatro di Milano company. He acted in classic plays like Romeo and Juliet. That same year, he started working on the radio as a comedian. In 1949, he made his first movie appearance in Monastero di Santa Chiara. He worked with famous actors like Eduardo De Filippo in 1952. He also started doing voice acting and dubbing for other actors. By 1955, he was getting roles in bigger movies. These included The Bachelor and Wild Love.

Rising to Stardom

Manfredi in Nell'anno del Signore (1969)

In 1958, Nino Manfredi got his first main roles in movies. He also formed a comedy group with Delia Scala and Paolo Panelli. They had success with a musical called Un trapezio per Lisistrata. In 1959, this group hosted a popular TV show called Canzonissima. This show made Nino Manfredi very famous. People especially loved his funny character, the "Barman from Ceccano." His success led to a contract with a big film producer, Dino De Laurentiis. However, Nino left after a year to have more freedom to choose his projects.

In 1962, he became even more popular playing the main role in the musical Rugantino. He even toured with this show in Canada, the US, and Argentina. In the same year, he directed a well-liked short film called "L'avventura di un soldato." This film was part of a collection of stories called Of Wayward Love.

A Star of Italian Comedy Films

Manfredi as Geppetto in the TV series The Adventures of Pinocchio (1972)

From the mid-1960s, Nino Manfredi became a top actor in Italy. He starred in many successful and praised films in the Commedia all'italiana style. He often worked with director Dino Risi. In 1969, he started a good working relationship with director Luigi Magni with the film Nell'anno del Signore. Around this time, he also began helping to write the screenplays for his films, often without being officially credited.

In 1970, he had a big music hit with the song "Tanto pe' cantà." This song was first performed at the Sanremo Music Festival and reached third place on the Italian music charts. In 1971, he directed his first full-length movie, Between Miracles. This film was partly based on his own life. It received great reviews and won several awards. These included the Best Film Work Award at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1972, he had a major TV success playing Geppetto in the TV series The Adventures of Pinocchio.

Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, he continued to make both important films and lighter comedies. Some of his most famous roles from this time include:

• An immigrant in Bread and Chocolate (1973).
• An idealist worker in We All Loved Each Other So Much (1974).
• An old leader in a poor neighborhood in Down and Dirty (1976).
• A Vatican judge in In the Name of the Pope King (1977).
• A coffee seller in Café Express (1980).

Manfredi (center) with Vittorio Gassman and Stefano Satta Flores in We All Loved Each Other So Much (1974)

Later Years and Final Role

After directing his last film and starring in two popular movies with Renato Pozzetto, Nino Manfredi slowed down his film work in the 1980s.

In 1983, he published his first book, Proverbi e altre cose romanesche. In 1984, he wrote and directed his first play, Viva gli sposi. He started focusing more on theater. In 1990, he received a special career award from the David di Donatello awards. In 1992, he considered running for election but decided against it to focus on his acting. In 1993, while filming Un commissario a Roma, he had a health issue that affected his memory. After this, his popularity grew again thanks to several successful TV series on RAI, especially Linda e il brigadiere.

Nino Manfredi's last acting role was in the Spanish film The End of a Mystery (2003). He played a quiet stranger who had lost his memory. A few months after the film's release, in July 2003, he had a stroke at his home in Rome. In August, he received a career award at the Venice Film Festival. He went home in September after getting better, but in December, he had another stroke. After six months of ups and downs, he passed away on June 4, 2004, at the age of 83.

Nino Manfredi's Personal Life

"Viale Nino Manfredi", a street named after him in Rome

Nino Manfredi was married to model Erminia Ferrari from 1955 until his death. They had a son, Luca, who became a film director. They also had two daughters, Roberta, who is an actress and producer, and Giovanna. Nino also had another daughter, Tonina, from a different relationship.

From a young age, Nino had a health condition that required him to follow a very strict diet. His meals often consisted of light tea or barley coffee. He was an atheist. He was also active in helping others. In 1991, he became a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF.

His Legacy and Memory

Nino Manfredi is still remembered today. In 2007, an asteroid was named after him: 73453 Ninomanfredi. In 2009, a Nino Manfredi Prize was created at the Nastro d’Argento Awards. A theater in Ostia, Rome, is also named after him.

In 2014, ten years after his death, a series of events called "Nino!" were held to remember him. These events took place in cities like Los Angeles, New York, Rome, and Paris. They included showing his old films, exhibitions, and a performance of a play he had written but was never performed.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Directed by Nino Manfredi

• L'amore difficile (segment "L'avventura di un soldato", 1962)
• Between Miracles (Per grazia ricevuta, 1970)
• Nudo di donna (1981)

See also

In Spanish: Nino Manfredi para niños