Roberto Benigni facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roberto Benigni Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI
Benigni at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in 2020
Born	Roberto Remigio Benigni (1952-10-27) 27 October 1952 (age 72) Castiglion Fiorentino, Tuscany, Italy
Occupation	Actor film director screenwriter comedian
Years active	1970–present
Style	Comedy film comedy drama tragicomedy
Spouse(s)	Nicoletta Braschi ​ (m. 1991)​

Roberto Remigio Benigni (born October 27, 1952) is a famous Italian actor, comedian, writer, and director. He became known around the world for his movie Life Is Beautiful (1997). He wrote, directed, and starred in this film, which is a comedy drama about the Holocaust.

For Life Is Beautiful, Roberto Benigni won two Academy Awards (also known as Oscars). He won for Best Actor and Best International Feature Film. He was the first actor ever to win the Best Actor Oscar for a movie not in English.

Benigni started acting in films in 1977 with Berlinguer, I Love You, which he also wrote. His first time directing a movie was Tu mi turbi in 1983. He has directed and starred in many other funny movies like Nothing Left to Do But Cry (1984), The Little Devil (1988), Johnny Stecchino (1991), and The Monster (1994). He also directed and acted in Pinocchio (2002) and The Tiger and the Snow (2005).

He has also acted in films by American directors. These include Down by Law (1986), Night on Earth (1991), and Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) by Jim Jarmusch. He also appeared in Son of the Pink Panther (1993) by Blake Edwards, To Rome with Love (2012) by Woody Allen, and a different Pinocchio (2019) directed by Matteo Garrone.

Early Life and Beginnings

Roberto Benigni was born on October 27, 1952, in a small town called Manciano La Misericordia in Italy. His mother, Isolina Papini, made fabrics, and his father, Luigi Benigni, was a bricklayer, carpenter, and farmer. He grew up with three older sisters.

He started acting in plays in 1971. Later, he moved to Rome and joined experimental theater groups, even directing some shows himself. In 1975, he had his first big success in theater with a play called Cioni Mario di Gaspare fu Giulia.

In the 1970s, Benigni became well-known in Italy because of a TV show called Onda Libera. He performed a funny and shocking piece that caused a lot of talk and even led to the show being stopped for a while. His first movie, Berlinguer, I Love You, came out in 1977.

He also gained popularity on another TV show, L'altra domenica, where he played a lazy movie critic. Famous director Bernardo Bertolucci then gave him a small role in his film La Luna.

Career Highlights

In 1980, Roberto Benigni met actress Nicoletta Braschi. They got married in 1991, and she has starred in most of the movies he has directed.

In 1983, Benigni directed his first film, Tu mi turbi (meaning You Upset Me). This was also the first movie he made with Nicoletta Braschi.

A year later, in 1984, he acted in Non ci resta che piangere with another funny actor, Massimo Troisi. In this story, the characters suddenly travel back in time to the 15th century. They try to find Christopher Columbus to stop him from discovering America, but they can't reach him.

Hollywood Films

Benigni with Giorgio Gaber in 1990

Starting in 1986, Benigni appeared in three movies by American director Jim Jarmusch. In Down By Law (1986), he played Bob, a cheerful Italian man wrongly accused of a crime in the United States. His positive attitude helps him escape and find love. He also appeared in Night on Earth (1991) and Coffee and Cigarettes (2003).

In 1993, he starred in Son of the Pink Panther, directed by Blake Edwards. Benigni played the son of Inspector Clouseau, a famous detective. The movie was popular in Italy, even though it didn't do as well in the U.S.

Benigni also had a serious role in La voce della luna (1989), which was the last film by the legendary director Federico Fellini. He also worked with writer Vincenzo Cerami on several successful Italian films, including Il piccolo diavolo and Johnny Stecchino.

=Life Is Beautiful

Benigni and wife Nicoletta Braschi at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival

Roberto Benigni is most famous for his 1997 film Life Is Beautiful (La vita è bella). He co-wrote this movie with Vincenzo Cerami. The film is about an Italian Jewish man named Guido who tries to protect his young son during their time in a Nazi concentration camp. To shield his son from the horrors, Guido pretends that their time in the camp is a big game, and they must follow rules to win a prize.

The idea for Life Is Beautiful came partly from Benigni's own father, who spent three years in a concentration camp. He was also inspired by the story of a Holocaust survivor named Rubino Romeo Salmonì.

The film was discussed with Jewish groups during its making to ensure it was respectful. However, some critics felt it didn't show enough of the suffering of the Holocaust, while others thought a comedy about such a serious topic was not right. Many others praised Benigni's courage and skill in making a sensitive and moving film about the Holocaust. They compared his bravery to Charlie Chaplin's, who made The Great Dictator without knowing the full horrors of the time.

In 1998, Life Is Beautiful was nominated for seven Academy Awards. At the 1999 Oscars ceremony, the film won three awards: Best Foreign Language Film, Best Original Dramatic Score, and Benigni himself won Best Actor.

When Life Is Beautiful was announced as the Best Foreign Language Film, Benigni was so excited that he climbed over the seats in front of him to get to the stage! When he won his Best Actor Oscar later, he famously said, "This is a terrible mistake because I used up all my English!" He ended his speech by quoting a famous Italian poet, Dante Alighieri.

After Life Is Beautiful

Benigni receiving a prize in Terni, February 2006

Benigni played a main character named Detritus in the film Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar. Detritus is a bad Roman governor who wants to harm Julius Caesar.

In 2003, Roberto Benigni received a special award for his work in entertainment from the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF).

His movie The Tiger and the Snow (2005) is a love story that takes place during the start of the Iraq War.

Benigni at the Berlin International Film Festival 2020

Benigni is also known for speaking his mind. In 2005, he appeared on a TV news show and jokingly announced that the Prime Minister had resigned. He often spoke out against the government's decisions, especially about cuts to arts funding.

He has received several special degrees from universities around the world, called "Honorary Doctorates." These include degrees from universities in Belgium, Malta, and Canada.

In 2012, he acted in the Woody Allen film, To Rome with Love. In 2019, he played Geppetto in Matteo Garrone's movie version of Pinocchio.

=TuttoDante

Benigni on the stage of TuttoDante in Padua, June 2008

Roberto Benigni is also a talented poet who can create poems on the spot. He is very good at explaining and reciting parts of Dante's famous poem, Divine Comedy.

From 2006 to 2007, Benigni had a very successful "one-man show" called TuttoDante (meaning 'Everything About Dante'). In this show, he combines funny stories about his life and current events with passionate readings from the Divine Comedy.

TuttoDante was performed in many big places across Italy, reaching about one million people. Over 10 million more watched a TV special of his show. Benigni even brought TuttoDante to the United States, Canada, and Argentina, performing for English-speaking audiences.

Other Work and Honors

Benigni is also a singer and songwriter. He has recorded his own versions of songs by other artists.

In 1999, he received a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars in California.

He has received many honorary degrees from universities, recognizing his achievements. These include degrees in Philosophy, Letters, and Communication Arts from universities in Israel, Italy, Belgium, Malta, Greece, and Canada.

Influence

Roberto Benigni's film Life Is Beautiful is considered one of the most important films in European culture. A big survey called "The Europe List" found that it was the top film, followed by The Lives of Others and Amélie.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Roberto Benigni para niños