Tognazzi was born in Cremona, in northern Italy, but spent his youth in various localities as his father was a traveller clerk for an insurance company.
After his return in the native city in 1936, he worked in a salami production plant. In World War II he was called to the Army, returning home after the Armistice of September 1943. His passion for spectacles and acting dates from his early years, and also during the conflict he had organized spectacles for his fellow soldiers. In 1945 he moved to Milan, where he was enrolled in the theatrical company led by Wanda Osiris.
In 1950 Tognazzi made his debut for cinema, in I cadetti di Guascogna directed by Mario Mattoli. In the following year he met Raimondo Vianello, with whom he formed a successful comical duo for the new-born RAI TV (1954-1960). Their shows, sometimes containing satirical aspects, were also among the first ones to be censored in Italian television.
After the successful role in Il Federale… read more
Tognazzi was born in Cremona, in northern Italy, but spent his youth in various localities as his father was a traveller clerk for an insurance company.
After his return in the native city in 1936, he worked in a salami production plant. In World War II he was called to the Army, returning home after the Armistice of September 1943. His passion for spectacles and acting dates from his early years, and also during the conflict he had organized spectacles for his fellow soldiers. In 1945 he moved to Milan, where he was enrolled in the theatrical company led by Wanda Osiris.
In 1950 Tognazzi made his debut for cinema, in I cadetti di Guascogna directed by Mario Mattoli. In the following year he met Raimondo Vianello, with whom he formed a successful comical duo for the new-born RAI TV (1954-1960). Their shows, sometimes containing satirical aspects, were also among the first ones to be censored in Italian television.
After the successful role in Il Federale/The Fascist (1961), directed by Luciano Salce, Tognazzi became one of the most renowned characters of the so-called Commedia all’Italiana (Italian comedy style). He worked with all the main directors of Italian cinema, including Mario Monicelli (Amici miei), Marco Ferreri (La grande abbuffata), Nanni Loy, Dino Risi, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Ettore Scola, Alberto Lattuada, Pupi Avati and others. Tognazzi also directed some of his films, including the 1967 film Il fischio al naso. The film was entered into the 17th Berlin International Film Festival.
In 1981 he won the Best Male Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival for La tragedia di un uomo ridicolo, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. While he worked primarily in Italian cinema, Tognazzi is perhaps best remembered for his role as Renato Baldi, the gay owner of a St. Tropez nightclub, in the 1978 French comedy La Cage aux Folles which became the highest grossing foreign film ever released in the U.S. —Wikipedia
