Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi De Curtis di Bisanzio, best known by his stage name Totò, or simply as Antonio de Curtis, and nicknamed il principe della risata, was an Italian actor, comedian, screenwriter, dramatist, poet, singer and lyricist. He is commonly referred to as one of the most popular Italian performers of all time. While best known for his funny and sometimes cynical comic characters in theatre and then many successful comedy films made from the 1940s to the 1960s, he also worked with many iconic Italian film directors in dramatic roles.
Ave Maria Ninchi was an Italian supporting actress who played character roles on stage, television, and in over 98 feature films that included Tomorrow Is Too Late (1949) and Louis Malle's Murmur of the Heart (1971) and Lacombe, Lucien (1974).
Luigi Comencini was an Italian film director. Together with Dino Risi, Ettore Scola and Mario Monicelli, he was considered among the masters of the "commedia all'italiana" genre.
The David di Donatello Award for Best Supporting Actress is a film award presented annually by the Accademia del Cinema Italiano to recognize the outstanding performance in a supporting role of an actress who has worked within the Italian film industry during the year preceding the ceremony. It has been awarded every year since 1981.
Galeazzo Benti was an Italian actor. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1942 and 1991.
Isa Barzizza was an Italian actress whose career spanned over 60 years.
Marisa Merlini was an Italian character actress active in Italy's post-World War II cinema. Merlini appeared in over fifty films during her career, which spanned from World War II to 2005. In Luigi Comencini's 1953 film Pane, amore e fantasia, she portrayed Annarella, a village midwife, who marries the local police marshal, played by Vittorio De Sica.
Yvonne Sanson was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 46 films between 1946 and 1972, mainly working in Italy. Born in Salonica, Sanson was a naturalised Italian citizen and was maternally of Turkish origin and paternally of French-Russian origin.
Toto Looks for a Wife is a 1950 Italian comedy film directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia and starring Totò, Ave Ninchi and Marisa Merlini.
Nobody's Children is a 1951 French-Italian melodrama film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo and starring Amedeo Nazzari, Yvonne Sanson and Françoise Rosay. It is one of a series of melodramas co-starring Nazzari and Sanson, which were very popular at the box office. The owner of a marble quarry falls in love with the daughter with one of his employees, and they have a baby together. However his mother attempts to sabotage the relationship with tragic consequences.
Who is Without Sin is a 1952 Italian melodrama film by Raffaello Matarazzo and starring Yvonne Sanson, Amedeo Nazzari and Françoise Rosay. It is an adaptation of the novel Geneviève by Alphonse de Lamartine. It was part of a series of romantic melodramas that Nazzari and Sanson appeared in during the 1950s.
Toto Looks for a House is a 1949 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli and Steno. The film is stylistically related to Italian neorealism, though it can be seen as a parody. It was a commercial success, being the second most popular film at the box office that year.
La seconda notte di nozze is an Italian comedy-drama film directed by Pupi Avati. It entered the 2005 Venice Film Festival. For this film Katia Ricciarelli won Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress.
Time of Vacation is a 1956 Italian comedy film directed by Antonio Racioppi, at his directorial debut.
Eternal Melodies is a 1940 Italian historical drama film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Gino Cervi, Conchita Montenegro and Luisella Beghi. It was one of several musical biopics directed by Gallone. The film was shot at Cinecittà in Rome.
World of Miracles is a 1959 Italian melodrama film directed by Luigi Capuano.
Melancholic Autumn is a 1958 Italian-Spanish melodrama film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo and starring Amedeo Nazzari, Yvonne Sanson and Mercedes Monterrey. It was part of a popular series of romantic dramas pairing Nazzari and Sanson. The film's sets were designed by the art director Sigfrido Burmann.
The Great Dawn is a 1947 Italian drama film directed by Giuseppe Maria Scotese and starring Renée Faure, Rossano Brazzi and Giovanni Grasso. The Greek actress and future star Yvonne Sanson made an early appearance in the film.
The Last Dance is a 1941 Italian "white-telephones" comedy film directed by Camillo Mastrocinque and starring Elsa Merlini, Amedeo Nazzari and Renato Cialente. It is considered to be in the tradition of White Telephone films, popular during the Fascist era. It is based on a play by the Hungarian writer Ferenc Herczeg and features Merlini in a dual role as mother and daughter.
Rome, Free City is a 1946 Italian drama film directed by Marcello Pagliero and starring Valentina Cortese, Andrea Checchi, Marisa Merlini and Vittorio De Sica. The film's sets were designed by the art director Gastone Medin.
