Franco Citti (; 23 April 1935 – 14 January 2016) was an Italian

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, best known as one of the close collaborators of director

Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, filmmaker, writer and intellectual who also distinguished himself as a journalist, novelist, translator, playwright, visual artist and actor. He is considered one of ...

. He came to fame for playing the title role in Pasolini's film ''

Accattone ''Accattone'' is a 1961 Italian drama film written and directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. Despite an original screenplay, the film is often perceived as a cinematic rendition of Pasolini's earlier novels, particularly '' Ragazzi di vita'' (''The R ...

'', which brought him a

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...

nomination for Best Foreign Actor. He subsequently starred in six of Pasolini's films, as well as 60 other film and television roles. His brother was the director and screenwriter

Sergio Citti Sergio Citti (30 May 1933 – 11 October 2005) was an Italian film director and screenwriter, born in Rome. He often worked with Pier Paolo Pasolini, but also worked for others such as Ettore Scola. His own films include '' We Free Kings'', f ...

Biography

Citti was born in

Fiumicino Fiumicino () is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, central Italy, with a population of 80,500 (2019). It is known for being the site of Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, the busiest airport in Italy and the eleventh-bu ...

in 1935 and was raised with his older brother

, working as a painter and day laborer. At the age of 26, he was discovered by

, who appreciated his distinctly Roman features, and cast him in the title role of his 1961 directorial debut ''

''. Citti lead a cast of other non-professional actors, and proved the breakthrough of the cast, earning a

nomination for a Best Foreign Actor, as well as a nomination for a

Nastro d'Argento for Best Actor The ''Nastro d'Argento'' (Silver Ribbon) is a film award assigned each year, since 1946, by ''Sindacato Nazionale dei Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani'' ("Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists"), the association of Italian film critics ...

. Pasolini subsequently cast him in six of his subsequent films, becoming one of the filmmaker's close creative collaborators. He played Carmine, opposite

Anna Magnani Anna Maria Magnani (; 7 March 1908 – 26 September 1973) was an Italian actress.Obituary ''Variety'', 3 October 1973, pg. 47 She was known for her explosive acting and earthy, realistic portrayals of characters. Born in Rome, she worked her ...

, in ''

Mamma Roma ''Mamma Roma'' is a 1962 Italian drama film written and directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini, and starring Anna Magnani and Ettore Garofolo. Synopsis In Rome, an ex-prostitute, Mamma Roma (Anna Magnani), tries to start a new life selling vegetables w ...

'' (1962), the

title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...

in ''Oedipus Rex'' (1967), a cannibal in ''Pigsty'' (1969), Ser Ciappelletto in ''The Decameron'' (1971), Satan in ''The Canterbury Tales'' (1972), and the Demon in ''Arabian Nights'' (1974). He appeared in

Laura Betti Laura Betti ( Trombetti; 1 May 1927 – 31 July 2004) was an Italian actress known particularly for her work with directors Federico Fellini, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Bernardo Bertolucci. She had a long friendship with Pasolini and made a document ...

's 2002 documentary ''Pier Paolo Pasolini e la ragione di un sogno'', in which he discussed his working relationship with Pasolini. Citrti also worked with such notable filmmakers as

Sergio Corbucci Sergio Corbucci (; 6 December 1926 – 1 December 1990) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed both very violent Spaghetti Westerns and bloodless Bud Spencer and Terence Hill action comedies. He is the older bro ...

Carlo Lizzani Carlo Lizzani (3 April 1922 – 5 October 2013) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and critic. Biography Born in Rome, before World War II Lizzani worked as a scenarist on such films as Roberto Rossellini's ''Germany Year Zero'', ...

Valerio Zurlini Valerio Zurlini (19 March 1926 – 26 October 1982) was an Italian film director, stage director and screenwriter. Biography During his law studies in Rome, he started working in the theatre. In 1943, he joined the Italian resistance. Zurlin ...

, and

Bernardo Bertolucci Bernardo Bertolucci (; 16 March 1941 – 26 November 2018) was an Italian film director and screenwriter with a career that spanned 50 years. Considered one of the greatest directors in Italian cinema, Bertolucci's work achieved international ...

. He appeared in a number of films directed by his brother Sergio, and co-directed with him the 1998 film ''Cartoni animati''. To non-Italian audiences, Citti is perhaps best known for his role as Sicilian bodyguard Calò in ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, ...

'' and '' The Godfather: Part III'', uttering the memorable line "In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns." He died in Rome on 14 January 2016, at the age of 80, after a long illness.Franco Citti
/ref>

Filmography

*''

'' (1961) (

) - Vittorio "Accattone" Cataldi *''

Una vita violenta ''Una vita violenta'' (internationally released as ''Violent Life'') is a 1961 Italian drama film by Paolo Heusch and Brunello Rondi, at his directorial debut. It is based on a novel with the same name by Pier Paolo Pasolini. The film was shown ...

'' (1962) - Tommaso *''

'' (1962) (Pier Paolo Pasolini) *''

The Shortest Day ''The Shortest Day'' ( it, Il giorno più corto) is a 1963 Italian comedy film. It is a parody of the war movie '' The Longest Day'' and stars the popular duo Franco and Ciccio in the leading roles. Dozens of other well-known actors, from both Eu ...

'' (1963) (

) - Fante Romano *''Du mouron pour les petits oiseaux'' (1963) (Marcel Carné) - Renato *''

Requiescant ''Requiescant'', also known as ''Kill and Pray'', is a 1967 Spaghetti Western film directed by Carlo Lizzani. Synopsis After surviving his family being massacred, a young boy is taken in and raised by a priest. Years later he comes face to face ...

'' (1967) (

) - Burt *'' Edipo Re'' (1967) (Pier Paolo Pasolini) - Edipo *''

Seduto alla sua destra ''Black Jesus'' ( it, Seduto alla sua destra, lit. "Sitting to his right") is a 1968 Italian drama film co-written and directed by Valerio Zurlini and starring Woody Strode. It is inspired by the finals days of the first Prime Minister of the Dem ...

'' (1968) (

) - Oreste *''

Kill Them All and Come Back Alone ''Kill Them All and Come Back Alone'' (Italian: ''Ammazzali tutti e torna solo'') is a 1968 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Enzo G. Castellari. It stars American actors Chuck Connors and Frank Wolff, and features a film score by Fr ...

'' (1968) (Enzo G. Castellari) - Hoagy *'' Il magnaccio'' (1969) (

Franco De Rosis Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" Prefix * Franco, a prefix used when ref ...

) *'' La legge dei gangsters'' (1969) - Bruno Esposito *''

Pigsty A sty or pigsty is a small-scale outdoor enclosure for raising domestic pigs as livestock. It is sometimes referred to as a hog pen, hog parlor, pigpen, pig parlor, or pig-cote, although pig pen may refer to pens confining pigs that are kep ...

'' (1969) (Pier Paolo Pasolini) - Cannibal *'' Una ragazza di Praga'' (1969) (

Sergio Pastore Sergio Pastore (1932-1987) was an Italian director and screenwriter best known for the ''giallo In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that ofte ...

) - Alberto Marini *''

Gli angeli del 2000 Gli ( 2004 – 7 November 2020) was a Turkish European Shorthair cat from Istanbul best known for living in the Hagia Sophia, for which she became an Internet celebrity, grabbing the attention of visiting tourists. Gli was born in 2004 and was ...

'' (1969) - Franco *'' Ostia'' (1970) (

) - Rabbino *''

The Decameron ''The Decameron'' (; it, label=Italian, Decameron or ''Decamerone'' ), subtitled ''Prince Galehaut'' (Old it, Prencipe Galeotto, links=no ) and sometimes nicknamed ''l'Umana commedia'' ("the Human comedy", as it was Boccaccio that dubbed Dan ...

'' (1971) (Pier Paolo Pasolini) - Ciappelletto *''La primera entrega'' (1971) *''

'' (1972) (

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...

) - Calò - Sicilian Sequence *'' I racconti di Canterbury'' (1972) (Pier Paolo Pasolini) - The Devil *'' Storie scellerate'' (1973) (Sergio Citti) - Artemio *''

Storia de fratelli e de cortelli ''Storia de fratelli e de cortelli'' (''A story of brothers and knives'') is a 1973 Italian comedy-drama film written and directed by Mario Amendola. Plot Gigi and Nino Romagnoli are two brothers living in Rome at the beginning of the 20th cen ...

'' (1974) (

Mario Amendola Mario Natalino Concetto Amendola (8 December 1910 – 22 December 1993) was an Italian screenwriter, film director and dramatist. Biography Amendola was born in Recco, which is located in Genova to parents from Rome. He began his career on ...

) - Artemio *''Ingrid sulla strada'' (1973) (Brunello Rondi) - Renato *''Giuda uccide il venerdì'' (1974) *''

Il fiore delle mille e una notte ''Arabian Nights'' is a 1974 Italian film directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. Its original Italian title is ', which means ''The Flower of the One Thousand and One Nights''. The film is an adaptation of the ancient Arabic anthology ''The Book of On ...

'' (1974) (Pier Paolo Pasolini) - The Demon *''Chi dice donna dice donna'' (1976) (Tonino Cervi) - Benito (segment "La signorina X") *''

Colpita da improvviso benessere ''Colpita da improvviso benessere'' ("''Struck by sudden wealth''") is a 1976 Italian comedy film directed by Franco Giraldi. Plot Elisabetta is a fishwife with petty-bourgeois aspirations who lives more uxorio with Luiso Malerba, an anarchist ...

'' (1976) (Franco Giraldi) - Luiso Malerba *'' Uomini si nasce poliziotti si muore'' (1976) (

Ruggero Deodato Ruggero Deodato (born 7 May 1939) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and sometime actor. His career has spanned a wide-range of genres including peplum, comedy, drama, poliziottesco and science fiction, yet he is perhaps best known fo ...

) - Rudy *'' Todo modo'' (1976) (

Elio Petri Eraclio Petri (29 January 1929 – 10 November 1982), commonly known as Elio Petri, was an Italian film director, screenwriter, theatre director, and critic associated with the political cinema in the 1960s and '70s. His film ''Investigation ...

) - Autista di M. *'' Rome: The Other Side of Violence'' (1976) (

Marino Girolami Marino Girolami (1 February 1914 – 20 February 1994) was an Italian film director and actor. Biography Marino Giorlami was born on 1 February 1914 in Rome, Italy. Formally a Professional boxer, Girolami ended his boxing career when he was 20. ...

) - Berte *''Puttana galera!'' (1976) (Gianfranco Piccioli) - Ciro *''

Destruction Force ''Destruction Force'' (originally titled ''La banda del trucido'' (''The Numbskull's Gang''), also known as ''Dirty Gang'') is a 1977 Italian poliziottesco directed by Stelvio Massi. It is the second film in which Tomas Milian plays the character ...

'' (1977) (Stelvio Massi) - Antonio Lanza *'' Il gatto dagli occhi di giada'' (1977) (

Antonio Bido Antonio Bido (sometimes credited as Tony B. Dodd; born January 8, 1949) is an Italian film director. Bido is known for such films as '' Watch Me When I Kill'', '' Blue Tornado'' with Patsy Kensit, David Warner and Dirk Benedict, and ''The Blood ...

) - Pasquale Ferrante *'' Casotto'' (1977) (

) - Nando *'' La luna'' (1979) (

) - Man in Bar *''L'albero della maldicenza'' (1979) (Giacinto Bonacquisti) - Angelo Maria *''

Ciao marziano ''Ciao marziano'' is a 1980 Italian science fiction-comedy film directed by Pier Francesco Pingitore. Plot An alien named Bix is sent from the planet Mars to Rome in order to learn the habits and customs of the humans. Cast * Pippo Franco: ...

'' (1980) (Pier Francesco Pingitore) - Er Cinese *''Eroina'' (1980) (Massimo Pirri) - Alfredo, il 'Sceriffo' *''

Il minestrone ''Il minestrone'' is a 1981 Italian comedy film directed by Sergio Citti. It was entered into the 31st Berlin International Film Festival. Plot Francesco and Giovanni are two tramps on the outskirts of Rome, forced to rummage through the trash ...

'' (1981) (Sergio Citti) - Francesco *''Pè sempe'' (1982) *''

The Black Stallion Returns ''The Black Stallion Returns'' is a 1983 film adaptation of the book of the same name by Walter Farley, and is a sequel to ''The Black Stallion''. It is the only film directed by Robert Dalva. It was produced by Francis Ford Coppola for MGM/UA En ...

'' (1983) (

Robert Dalva Robert Dalva (born April 14, 1942, in New York City, USA) is a noted American film editor. Filmography as editor includes ''The Black Stallion (film), The Black Stallion'', ''Raising Cain'', ''Jumanji (film), Jumanji'', ''Jurassic Park III'' and ...

) - Foreign Legion Officer *''

The Malady of Love ''The Malady of Love'' ( it, La coda del diavolo, french: Le Mal d'aimer) is a 1986 Italian-French romantic drama film directed by Giorgio Treves. For this film Treves won the David di Donatello for David di Donatello for Best New Director, Best N ...

'' (1986) (Giorgio Treves) - Cigal *''Rosso di sera'' (1988) (Beppe Cino) - Franco *''Kafka la colonia penale'' (1988) *'' The Secret'' (1990) - Franco *'' The Godfather: Part III'' (1990) (Francis Ford Coppola) - Calò *''Appuntamento in nero'' (1990) - Projectionist *''El infierno prometido'' (1992) - Caronte *''Power and Lovers'' (1994) - Michele *''

I magi randagi ''I magi randagi'', internationally released as ''We Free Kings'', is a 1996 Italian comedy film directed by Sergio Citti. The film won the Silver Ribbon for Best Original Story. Plot summary Three amateur actors in theater are chased away by ...

'' (1996) (Sergio Citti) *''

Festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...

'' (1996) (

Pupi Avati Giuseppe Avati, better known as Pupi Avati (born 3 November 1938), is an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known to horror film fans for his two giallo masterpieces, ''The House with Laughing Windows'' (1976) and '' Zeder ...

) *''

Il sindaco ''The Mayor'' ( it, Il sindaco) is a List of Italian films of 1997, 1997 Cinema of Italy, Italian comedy-drama film directed by Ugo Fabrizio Giordani. It is based on the Eduardo De Filippo's play ''Il sindaco del Rione Sanità''. Cast *Anthony ...

'' (1996) (

Antonio Avati Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

) *'' Cartoni animati'' (1997) (Franco Citti and

) - Peppe *''E insieme vivremo tutte le stagioni'' (1999) (Gianni Minello) - (final film role) *''

Pier Paolo Pasolini e la ragione di un sogno Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century.">England.html" ;"title="Brighton, England">Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th ...

'' (2002) (

) - Himself

Awards and nominations

Avellino Neorealism Film Festival * Special Mention (''

'')

British Academy Film Award

* Best Foreign Actor (''Accattone'')

Nastro d'Argento The Nastro d'Argento, also known by its translated name Silver Ribbon, is an Italian film award awarded each year since 1946 by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (Italian: ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani ...

* Best Actor (''Accattone'')

References

External links

* 1935 births 2016 deaths Italian male film actors Italian male stage actors Italian male television actors People of Lazian descent {{Italy-actor-stub