Massimo Ranieri

Last updated • 11 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Massimo Ranieri
Massimo Ranieri Concert 2009 Taormina-Sicilia-Italy - Creative Commons by gnuckx.jpg
Ranieri in 2009
Background information
Birth nameGiovanni Calone
Born (1951-05-03) 3 May 1951 (age 73)
Naples, Italy
Genres Traditional pop
Occupations
  • Singer
  • television presenter
  • actor
  • director
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • keyboards
  • guitar
Years active1964–present

Giovanni Calone (born 3 May 1951), known professionally as Massimo Ranieri, is an Italian singer, actor, television presenter and theatre director. [1]

Contents

Biography

Early life

Ranieri was born in Borgo Santa Lucia, Naples, the fifth of eight children in the family. When he was 10, young Giovanni would sing at restaurants, wedding receptions, etc. He was discovered by a music producer about four years later and was flown to New York to record an EP under the name of Gianni Rock.

Singing career

Calone recorded four songs in 1964: "Tanti auguri signora", "Se mi aspetti stasera", "Non chiudere la porta", and "La prima volta". None of the records were successful, primarily because his young voice was changing. Two years later, he would re-emerge under his new stage name, Massimo Ranieri. In 1966, he made his TV debut singing "Bene Mio". A year later, he made another TV appearance singing, "Pietà per chi ti ama". In 1968, he recorded two more songs: "Da bambino", "Ma l'amore cos'è" and "Preghiera".

It was not until 1969 when he achieved success and became a teen idol when he sang " 'O sole mio" on live TV. That same year, he had a string of hits: "Rita", "Se bruciasse la città", "Quando l'amore diventa poesia", "Il mio amore resta sempre", "Rose rosse" and "Zingara". In 1970, "Vent'anni", "Sogno d'amore", "Sei l'amore mio", "Aranjuez Amore Mio", and "Candida".

In 1971, Ranieri recorded the songs "Adagio Veneziano", "Via del Conservatorio", and "Io e Te". He represented Italy in the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Ireland, where he placed 5th with the song "L'amore è un attimo". In 1972, he released the songs "Ti ruberei", " 'O surdato 'nnammurato", and "Erba di casa mia"; in 1973, "Amo ancora lei". He returned to the Eurovision Song Contest that year, in Luxembourg, to represent Italy with "Chi sarà con te", where he placed 13th. In 1974, came the singles "Te voglio bene assaie", "Immagina", and "Per una donna".

In 1988, he made a comeback to his singing career with the song, "Perdere l'amore", which won the Sanremo Festival, that year. In 1997, he made another comeback with "Ti parlerò d'amore".

In February 2007, he started a concert tour of Italy, titled "Canto perché non-so nuotare...da 40 anni" which lasted for more than two years, with more than 500 shows, was made into a CD and a DVD, which went platinum.

In 2022, he won the Mia Martini critics award at Sanremo Festival. In December 2024, he was announced as one of the participants in the Sanremo Music Festival 2025. [2]

Acting career

In 1970, Ranieri decided to venture into acting. His screen debut, Metello received rave reviews from critics, and won him the David DiDonatello award for best actor for portraying the title character. He co-starred with Anna Magnani in the television film La Sciantosa later that year.

In 1974, he filmed Salvo D'Acquisto , where he portrayed a carabiniere who was executed by the Nazis during World War II.

When his singing career started to decline in 1975, Massimo concentrated on his acting career, both in the cinema and, most importantly, as a stage actor: he collaborated with the directors Mauro Bolognini, Giuseppe Patroni Griffi, Giorgio de Lullo, Giorgio Strehler and Maurizio Scaparro, performing a wide range of material from modern plays and musicals, to Molière and Shakespeare.

In 1996, Ranieri provided the speaking and the singing voice of Quasimodo in the Italian-Language version of Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame . He even reprised this role in the sequel.

In 2004, he starred in his first French film, a trilogy series called Les Parisiens , where he played a street artist. In 2005, he returned on the stage with the show "Accussì Grande", after a long bout with illness, from which he fully recovered. In 2007, he was in a docu-film called Civico 0, where he played Guilano, a fruit vendor, who becomes homeless after the death of his mother. In 2008, he starred in the film L'Ultimo Pulcinella .

In 2009, he played the storyteller in the play, Polvere di Baghdad, directed by Maurizio Scaparro.

In 2010, Massimo was featured in Passione, a documentary about the history of music from Naples, Italy, directed by Italian-American actor, John Turturro. In November 2010, he took part in the miniseries remake of the classic play, Filumena Marturano , produced by Italian TV RAI Uno, with Mariangela Melato in the title role. Massimo portrayed Filumena's husband, Domenico Soriano.

Other ventures

On 16 October 2002, Massimo Ranieri was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). [3]

Personal life

Ranieri never married. However, in 1971, he fathered a daughter, Cristiana, out of wedlock with Franca Sebastiani. He did not have anything to do with the raising of his daughter, saying that he was too young and inexperienced for fatherhood, and that it would be damaging to his career. He was never linked with any other woman thereafter. He did not have any contact with his daughter until they met when she was about 20 years old.

At the start of 2007, he decided to publicly acknowledge his long-estranged daughter, and embraced her for the first time on live TV. It was a tearful reunion between father and daughter.

He also became a grandfather in July 2011. [4]

Discography

1964

1966

1967

1968

1969

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1978

1981

1983

1988

1989

1989

1990

1990

1992

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2011

2012

2013

Filmography

Films

Film roles showing year released, title, role played and notes
TitleYearRoleNotes
The Most Beautiful Couple in the World 1967HimselfCameo appearance
Metello 1970Metello Salani
Cerca di capirmiFranco Bertoli
Bubù 1971Piero
The Light at the Edge of the World Felipe
IncontroSandro Zannichelli
Chronicle of a Homicide 1972Fabio Sola
The Cousin 1974Enzo
Salvo D'Acquisto Salvo D'Acquisto
Death Rage 1976Angelo
L'ultima voltaSandro
Hot Potato 1979Claudio
Priest of Love 1981Piero Pini
L'ultima volta insiemePaolo Antonelli
Chaste and Pure Fernando
Il carabinierePaolo Palumbo
Legati da tenera amicizia1983Dorino
Haus im Süden1984Massimo
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 Quasimodo (voice)Italian dub; voice role
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Original Score
Volare!1997Antonio
Fondali notturni2000Peppino
Legami di famiglia2002Kuca Maresca
The Hunchback of Notre Dame II Quasimodo (voice)Italian dub; voice role
Les parisiens 2004Massimo
Le courage d'aimer 2005Massimo
Civico zero 2007Giuliano
L'Ultimo Pulcinella 2008Michelangelo Fracanzani
What War May Bring 2010The SingerCameo appearance
Passione HimselfDocumentary film
La meravigliosa avventura di Antonio Franconi 2011 Antonio Franconi
Capitan Basilico 2 - I fantastici 4+4FishermanCameo appearance
ScossaSalvatore
La macchinazione 2016 Pier Paolo Pasolini
Bloody Richard 2017Riccardo Mancini
I Hate Summer 2020HimselfCameo appearance
Mancino naturale2021Marcello D'Apporto
L'uomo che disegnò DioBettler

Television

Television roles showing year released, title, role played and notes
TitleYearRoleNotes
Canzonissima 1969–1975ContestantVariety/musical show (seasons 6–12)
Doppia coppia1970Co-hostVariety show (season 2)
Tre donne1971ToninoEpisode: "La sciantosa"
Napulammore1974PerformerSpecial
Una città in fondo alla strada1975LupoLead role; 5 episodes
Dal primo momento che ti ho visto1976Co-hostVariety show
Storie della camorra1978Gennaro AbatemaggioMain role; 6 episodes
I ragazzi di celluloide1981NicolaMiniseries
La vela incantata1982AngeloTelevision film
Nata d'amore1984Maurizio DocqueMiniseries
L'ombra nera del Vesuvio1986Toni CaritàMiniseries
Lo scialo1987GiovanniMiniseries
Il ricatto1989Massimo FedeliLead role; 6 episodes
Fantastico Cinema 1989–1990PresenterVariety show
La festa della mamma1992PresenterSpecial
La casa dove abitava Corinne1996LeonardoTelevision film
Angelo nero1998Commissary VanziMiniseries
Ama il tuo nemico1999Father PaoloTelevision film
Camera Café 2004–2005Anselmo PedoneRecurring role (seasons 2–3); 8 episodes
Accussì grande2006PerformerSpecial
Operazione pilota2007RaffaeleMiniseries
Senza via d'uscita - Un amore spezzatoMatteo Della TorreMiniseries
Filumena Marturano2010Domenico SorianoTelevision film
Sogno e son desto2014–2016PresenterVariety/musical show
Qui e adesso2020PresenterVariety show

Theatre (actor)

"In memoria di una signora amica" a comedy by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi, directed by Mario Ferrero,with Pupella Maggio and Lilla Brignone.

Directing (Theatre and Opera)

"Poveri ma belli" a musical taken from the film by Dino Risi, with music by Gianni Togni. With Bianca Guaccero, Antonello Angiolillo and Michele Carfora.

Books

Awards

Premio Nuova Spoleto per L'Arte e lo Spettacolo.
"Volere Volare, Il meglio del Made in Italy" award, as public person of the year
"La Pigna d'oro" award for his whole career.
Special Jury Prize of the Festival of Busto Arsizio for the film "L'ultimo Pulcinella" which also was awarded the Best Director prize.
Premio Flaiano (2nd time).

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References

  1. "Massimo Ranieri's dubbing contributions". Antoniogenna.net. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  2. Laffranchi, Andrea (1 December 2024). "Sanremo 2025, i cantanti in gara: la lista dei big del Festival, da Giorgia ed Elodie a Fedez e Achille Lauro" [Sanremo 2025, the competing singers: the list of the Festival's "Bigs", from Giorgia and Elodie to Fedez and Achille Lauro]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  3. "Get Involved: Massimo Ranieri". FAO.org. Archived from the original on 11 November 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  4. Ranieri's Daughter

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Massimo Ranieri at Wikimedia Commons

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Gianni Morandi
with "Ma chi se ne importa"
Winner of Canzonissima
1970
Succeeded by
Nicola Di Bari
with "Chitarra suona più piano"
Preceded by Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest
1971
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Nicola Di Bari
with "Chitarra suona più piano"
Winner of Canzonissima
1972
Succeeded by
Preceded by Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest
1973
Succeeded by
Preceded by Sanremo Music Festival
Winner

1988
Succeeded by