Giovanni Grimaldi (14 November 1917 – 25 February 2001) was an Italian

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

, journalist and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

. He was sometimes credited as Gianni Grimaldi.

Biography

Born in

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

, Sicily, Grimaldi entered the cinema industry in 1952 as a screenwriter of a large number of often highly successful films, frequently working together with

Bruno Corbucci Bruno Corbucci (23 October 1931 – 7 September 1996) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He was the younger brother of Sergio Corbucci, and wrote many of his films. He was born in Rome, where he also died. The vast majority o ...

. Since 1964 he became a prolific director of comedy films, often working with

Lando Buzzanca Gerlando "Lando" Buzzanca (24 August 1935 – 18 December 2022) was an Italian stage, film, and television actor whose career spanned 65 years. Life and career Early years Born in Palermo the son of a cinema projectionist, at 16 years old Buz ...

and with the couple Franco and Ciccio. Aside from films, Grimaldi was a journalist, a collaborator and even the director of several Italian humor magazines such as ''Trilussa'', '' Candido'' and ''

Marc'Aurelio ''Marc'Aurelio'' was an Italian satirical magazine, published between 1931 and 1958, and briefly resurrected in 1973. History and profile The weekly magazine was founded in Rome by Oberdan Catone and Vito De Bellis in 1931. It was the first satir ...

''. He was also a radio author, a playwright and a television director. He was the father of the director and screenwriter

Aldo Grimaldi Aldo Grimaldi (1942 – 5 August 1990) was an Italian director and screenwriter. Born in Catania, the son of the director and screenwriter Giovanni Grimaldi, he started his career as an assistant director in the films of his father. He made hi ...

Selected filmography

Director and screenwriter

* ''

Questo pazzo, pazzo mondo della canzone ''Questo pazzo, pazzo mondo della canzone'' is a 1965 Italian "musicarello" film written and directed by Bruno Corbucci and Giovanni Grimaldi. Cast * Sandra Mondaini *Valeria Fabrizi *Aroldo Tieri *Alberto Bonucci * Margaret Lee *Vittorio Congia ...

'' (1965) * '' In a Colt's Shadow'' (1965) * ''

James Tont operazione U.N.O. ''James Tont operazione U.N.O.'' or ''Operation Goldsinger'' is a 1965 French and Italian international co-production Eurospy film spoof based on James Bond's '' Goldfinger''. Co-written and co-directed by Bruno Corbucci and Giovanni Grimaldi, th ...

'' (1965) * '' The Handsome, the Ugly, and the Stupid'' (1967) * ''

I 2 deputati I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...

'' (1968) * ''

Don Chisciotte and Sancio Panza ''Don Chisciotte and Sancio Panza'' ( it, Don Chisciotte e Sancio Panza) is an Italian 1968 comedy film written and directed by Giovanni Grimaldi and starring the comic duo Franco and Ciccio. It is based on the Miguel de Cervantes' novel ''Don Qui ...

'' (1968) * ''

Un caso di coscienza ''Un caso di coscienza'' (Italian for ''A matter of conscience'') is a 1970 Italian comedy-drama film written and directed by Giovanni Grimaldi. It is based on the Leonardo Sciascia's short story with the same name, which is part of the collect ...

'' (1970) * ''

Il magnate ''Il magnate'' (''The Tycoon'') is a 1973 Italian comedy film written and directed by Giovanni Grimaldi. Plot Furio Cicerone, a large Sicilian entrepreneur who came from the ranks, finds himself hindered by a loan from a bank due to an indispe ...

'' (1973) * '' La governante'' (1974) * ''

Il fidanzamento ''Il fidanzamento'' (''The Engagement'') is a 1975 Italian romantic comedy-drama film directed by Giovanni Grimaldi. It is based on the novel with the same name written by Goffredo Parise. Plot Catania. Luigi Manozzi is a public official who h ...

'' (1975)

Screenwriter

* '' I, Hamlet'' (1952) * '' Matrimonial Agency'' (1953) * '' It Happened at the Police Station'' (1954) * '' Buonanotte... avvocato!'' (1955) * ''

Allow Me, Daddy! ''Allow Me, Daddy!'' ( it, Mi permette, babbo!) is a 1956 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Bonnard. Plot Rodolfo, a young man with the ambitions of an opera singer in the bass register, does not work, gets up at midday and lives on the shou ...

'' (1956) * ''

Who Hesitates is Lost Who or WHO may refer to: * Who (pronoun), an interrogative or relative pronoun * Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism * World Health Organization Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Who, a creature in the Dr. Seuss book ''Horton Hear ...

'' (1960) * '' The Two Marshals'' (1961) * '' Totò, Peppino e... la dolce vita'' (1961) * ''

Gladiators 7 ''Gladiators 7'' is a 1962 film directed by Pedro Lazaga. The film has several elements from Akira Kurosawa's film ''The Seven Samurai''. Plot A Greek gladiator seeks revenge for the murder of his father and finds his lover captured by an evil t ...

'' (1962) * '' The Slave'' (1962) * '' Lo smemorato di Collegno'' (1962) * '' The Two Colonels'' (1962) * ''

Toto's First Night ''Toto's First Night'' (Italian: ''Totò di notte n. 1'') is a 1962 Italian musical comedy film directed by Mario Amendola and starring Totò and Erminio Macario.Bìspuri p.264 Plot Ninì and Mimi are two friends, itinerant players, who can not ...

'' (1962) * ''

Toto vs. Maciste ''Toto vs. Maciste'' ( it, Totò contro Maciste) is a 1962 Italian adventure-comedy film directed by Fernando Cerchio. It is a parody of the Sword and Sandal cinema, which was highly successful at the time in Italy. Plot Totokamen is an entert ...

'' (1962) * '' The Monk of Monza'' (1963) * '' Toto vs. the Four'' (1963) * ''

Totò Diabolicus Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi de Curtis di Bisanzio (15 February 1898 – 15 April 1967), best known by his stage name Totò (), or simply as Antonio de Curtis, and nicknamed ''il Principe della risata ...

'' (1963) * '' Toto and Cleopatra'' (1963) * ''

Sexy Toto ''Sexy Toto'' (Italian: ''Totòsexy'') is a 1963 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Amendola and starring Totò and Erminio Macario. It consisted of a mere montage of scenes discarded from ''Toto's First Night ''Toto's First Night'' (Italian: ' ...

'' (1963) * '' I due mafiosi'' (1964) * '' Tears on Your Face'' (1964) * ''

What Ever Happened to Baby Toto? ''What Ever Happened to Baby Toto?'' ( it, Che fine ha fatto Totò Baby?) is a 1964 Italian black comedy film written and directed by Ottavio Alessi, starring Totò. It is a parody of Robert Aldrich's '' What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?''. Plot ...

'' (1964) * ''

Toto of Arabia ''Toto of Arabia'' ( it, Totò d'Arabia, es, Toto de Arabia) is a 1965 Italian-Spanish adventure-comedy film directed by . It is a parody of ''Lawrence of Arabia'' and of spy films. Plot Toto, a former Italian military service who works as a ...

'' (1965) * '' Latin Lovers'' (1965) * '' Mi vedrai tornare'' (1966) * ''

4 Dollars of Revenge ''4 Dollars of Revenge'' ( es, Cuatro dólares de venganza) is a 1966 Spanish-Italian action western film directed by Alfonso Balcázar and Jaime Jesús Balcázar, written by Bruno Corbucci, Aldo Grimaldi and Giovanni Grimaldi and starring Rob ...

'' (1966) * ''

Nel sole "Nel sole" is a song composed by Al Bano, Pino Massara and Vito Pallavicini, and performed by Al Bano. The song marked his first commercial success, and launched his career as a singer. The single peaked at first place four weeks on the Italian ...

'' (1967) * ''

Angeli senza paradiso ''Angeli senza paradiso'' ("''Angels without Paradise''") is a 1970 Italian "musicarello" directed by Ettore Maria Fizzarotti. It is an unofficial remake of the 1933 film '' Gently My Songs Entreat'' by Willi Forst.Daniele Magni, ''Cuori matti - ...

'' (1970) * ''

Paths of War ''Paths of War'' ( it, Franco e Ciccio sul sentiero di guerra) is a 1970 Italian western-comedy film directed by Aldo Grimaldi starring the comic duo Franco and Ciccio. Plot summary In 1858 in Italy, in Sicily, Franco and Ciccio defend the Bo ...

'' (1970) * ''

When Women Were Called Virgins ''When Women Were Called Virgins'' ( it, Quando le donne si chiamavano madonne) is a 1972 commedia sexy all'italiana written and directed by Aldo Grimaldi. It is part of a series of derivative erotic comedies set in the Middle Ages which were bas ...

'' (1972)

Sources

External links

* 1917 births 2001 deaths Italian film directors 20th-century Italian screenwriters Italian male screenwriters Italian dramatists and playwrights Journalists from Catania Italian male journalists Italian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Italian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Italian male writers 20th-century Italian journalists Film people from Catania {{Italy-film-director-stub