Michele Placido is an Italian actor, director and screenwriter. He began his career on stage, and first gained mainstream attention through a series of roles in films directed by the likes of Mario Monicelli and Marco Bellocchio, winning the Berlinale's Silver Bear for Best Actor for his performance in the 1979 film Ernesto. He is known internationally for portraying police inspector Corrado Cattani on the crime drama television series La piovra (1984–2001). Placido's directorial debut, Pummarò, was screened Un Certain Regard at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival. Three of his films have competed for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. He is a five-time Nastro d'Argento and four-time David di Donatello winner. In 2021, Placido was appointed President of the Teatro Comunale in Ferrara.
La Piovra is an Italian television drama series about the Mafia. The series was directed by various directors who each worked on different seasons, including Damiano Damiani, Florestano Vancini, Luigi Perelli, and Giacomo Battiato . The music was written by Riz Ortolani, Ennio Morricone, and by Paolo Buonvino.
Giuseppe "Peppino" Impastato, was an Italian political activist who opposed the Mafia, which ordered his murder in 1978.
A series of meetings between Sicilian Mafia and American Mafia members were allegedly held at the Grand Hotel et des Palmes in Palermo, Sicily, between October 12–16, 1957. Also called the 1957 Palermo Mafia summit, the gathering alledgedly discussed the transatlantic illegal heroin trade between the American and the Sicilian Mafia. The FBI believed it was this meeting that established the Bonanno crime family from New York in the heroin trade.
The Greco Mafia family is historically one of the most influential Mafia clans in Sicily, from the late 19th century. The extended family ruled both in Ciaculli and Croceverde Giardini, two south-eastern outskirts of Palermo in the citrus growing area. Members of the family were important figures in the Sicilian Cosa Nostra. Salvatore "Ciaschiteddu" Greco was the first ‘secretary’ of the Sicilian Mafia Commission, while Michele Greco, also known as The Pope, was one of his successors.
Vito Badalamenti is a member of the Sicilian Mafia. He was on the "Italy's most wanted list" from 1995 until 2012 when the statute of limitations was declared expired.
Tano Cimarosa, real name Gaetano Cisco, was an Italian actor, screenwriter and film director. He participated in more than fifty movies.
Francesco Benigno, is an Italian actor, director, singer and television personality.
Salvatore Riina, called Totò, was an Italian mobster and chief of the Sicilian Mafia, known for a ruthless murder campaign that reached a peak in the early 1990s with the assassinations of Antimafia Commission prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, resulting in widespread public outcry and a major crackdown by the authorities. He was also known by the nicknames la belva and il capo dei capi.
Luigi Maria Burruano was an Italian film, stage and television actor. He began his career in Sicilian-language cabaret and theatre before turning his attention to films.
Acla's Descent into Floristella is a 1992 Italian drama film written and directed by Aurelio Grimaldi. It entered the competition at the 49th Venice International Film Festival.
Maurizio Calvesi is an Italian cinematographer.
Il 7 e l'8 is a 2007 film, directed by Salvatore Ficarra, Valentino Picone and Giambattista Avellino and portrayed by the comic duo Ficarra and Picone. Together with the two comedians, the dancer Eleonora Abbagnato makes her movie debut.
Taodue is an Italian film and television production company in MFE - MediaForEurope. It was founded by Pietro Valsecchi and Camilla Nesbitt in 1991.
The Mafia Only Kills in Summer is an Italian 2016 television series written by Pif, directed by Luca Ribuoli, produced and broadcast by RAI. Based on the eponymous 2013 film, also directed by Pif, it was first aired on Rai 1 from 21 November to 20 December 2016. In the United Kingdom the series was broadcast by Channel 4.
Framed! A Sicilian Murder Mystery is a 2022 Italian television series starring the comedy duo Ficarra e Picone. The first season was released in Italy on Netflix on January 1 2022, and internationally on January 27 2022, and the second season was released on 2 March 2023.
Nicola Rignanese is an Italian actor and comedian.
