Totò

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Antonio De Curtis

Totò was the stage name of Antonio de Curtis (born Antonio Clemente, February 15, 1898, Naples - April 15, 1967, Rome), a Neapolitan actor, writer, and songwriter.

[edit] Biography

Totò was born in the rione Sanità, a poor area of Naples where he met many famous artists like Eduardo De Filippo.

De Curtis started his career in small theatres in which he learnt the art of the guitti, the Neapolitan actors who acted without scenery, like in the Commedia dell'arte.

He was the son of Anna Clemente and Marquis Giuseppe de Curtis, who recognized him as his son in 1928. On his father's death in 1933 Totò was adopted by Marquis Francesco Gagliardi Focas.

In 1946, at a time when the Consulta Araldica—the body which had advised the Kingdom of Italy on questions of noble titles—had ceased to function, the Tribunal of Naples recognised his many titles, so his complete name became ‘Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi De Curtis di Bisanzio, Altezza Imperiale, Conte Palatino, Cavaliere del Sacro Impero Romano, Esarca di Ravenna, Duca di Macedonia e di Illiria, Principe di Costantinopoli, di Cicilia, di Tessaglia, di Ponte di Moldavia, di Dardania, del Peloponneso, Conte di Cipro e di Epiro, Conte e Duca di Drivasto e Durazzo’. (Before the change, his name was Antonio Clemente).

In 1922 he moved to Rome, where he had his first appearances in bigger theatres, performing the genre of "avanspettacolo", a vaudevillean mixture of music, ballet and brilliant comedy. He became a master at these shows, (also known as riviste) and in the 1930s he had his own company, with which he travelled across the nation.

In 1937 he appeared in his first movie, Fermo con le mani, and went on to appear in over 100 films, many of which contained gags later absorbed in the Italian phraseology.

Some of his most famous movies are Totò e le donne, Miseria e nobiltà, I soliti ignoti, I ladri, Totò e Cleopatra and Uccellacci e uccellini.

Totò's strange figure, with the peculiar irregular face, soon became very popular and his comic gags were widely appreciated. From the 1950s onwards, he would have represented the most brilliant Italian comedy, even if official critics always denied him any artistic value. Yet some of his spicy gags became the subject of parliamentary inquiries because, given his popularity, they could have been politically dangerous for the governments of the Democrazia Cristiana.

It was with Pier Paolo Pasolini's Uccellacci ed Uccellini that Totò received a first acknowledgment of his talent, later better understood. He had lost part of his eyesight, and had started to compose poetry. A livella is perhaps his most valuable one. The poem talks about Death, which levels all the social differences that divide us in life. Totò wrote songs too: Malafemmena (the bad girl) has been considered as one of the best ever written Italian songs.

In the artistic milieu he was nicknamed "il Principe" (the prince) and was famous for his generous spirit: having personally suffered poverty, he always tried to help and protect poorer colleagues.

He died on April 15, 1967, in Rome, Italy after a series of heart attacks, at the age of 69.