Gioele Dix, a pseudonym of his name David Ottolenghi (born 3 January 1956) is 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 ...

and

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

descent.

Life

Gioele Dix began his theatrical career at the end of the 1970s, promoting and animating the

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

stage company ''Teatro degli Eguali''. Among the numerous plays he took part in, are: ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'', a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

from

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

directed by

Gabriele Salvatores Gabriele Salvatores (born 30 July 1950) is an Italian Academy Award-winning film director and screenwriter. Biography Born in Naples, Salvatores debuted as a theatre director in 1972, founding in Milan the Teatro dell'Elfo, for which he directe ...

; ''A Martian in Rome'' by

Ennio Flaiano Ennio Flaiano (5 March 1910 – 20 November 1972) was an Italian screenwriter, playwright, novelist, journalist, and drama critic. Best known for his work with Federico Fellini, Flaiano co-wrote ten screenplays with the Italian director, including ...

and directed by

Antonio Salines Antonio Salines (1 July 1936 – 22 June 2021) was an Italian actor and director. Biography Born in La Spezia, the son of the composer Enrico, at ten years old Salines started his career as a child actor, appearing in several stage works in the ...

; two stagings of Molière’s, ''

Le Malade imaginaire ''The Imaginary Invalid'', ''The Hypochondriac'', or ''The Would-Be Invalid'' ( French title ''Le Malade imaginaire'', ) is a three- act ''comédie-ballet'' by the French playwright Molière with dance sequences and musical interludes (H.495, H. ...

'' and ''

Tartuffe ''Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite'' (; french: Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur, ), first performed in 1664, is a theatrical comedy by Molière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire, and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical thea ...

'' with veteran actor

Franco Parenti 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 ...

. Intending to pursue a career as stand-up comedian, he appeared at the Derby Club and the

Zelig ''Zelig'' is a 1983 American mockumentary film written, directed by and starring Woody Allen as Leonard Zelig, a nondescript enigma, who, apparently out of his desire to fit in and be liked, unwittingly takes on the characteristics of strong per ...

, important historical

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

s, reaching fame in 1988 in the TV variety show

Cocco is a female Japanese pop / folk rock singer. Early life Cocco went to many ballet auditions, hoping to become a professional ballerina. She went to singing auditions to earn the traveling expenses for a ballet audition in Tokyo. She did not ...

RAI RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

2 with the character of a permanently enraged car driver ("fucking raving mad!"). In the 1990s he confirms his popularity as a

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

actor, as well as a

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

, in a number of works and on TV, but often also as a

sending up and imitating renowned

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

players in prime-time Sports shows. In the last few years, Dix had various movie engagements and filmed for the national TV together with

Giorgio Albertazzi Giorgio Albertazzi (20 August 1923 – 28 May 2016) was an Italian actor and film director. Born in San Martino a Mensola, Tuscany, Albertazzi joined the Italian Social Republic and reached the rank of lieutenant. After their defeat, he spen ...

in 2004. Among the many theatrical works, he interpreted ''Cuori pazzi (Crazy Hearts)'' by F.T Altan (2000), ''Il libertino (The Libertine)'' by E.E. Schmitt together with

Ottavia Piccolo Ottavia Piccolo (born 9 October 1949) is an Italian actress. Biography Born in Bolzano, Piccolo began her acting debut in the stage adaption of ''The Miracle Worker'' at the age of 11 under the direction of Luigi Squarzina. She has also appeare ...

(2001) where he is the first Italian man playing naked, ''

Corto Maltese ''Corto Maltese'' is a series of adventure and fantasy comics named after the character Corto Maltese, an adventurous sailor. It was created by the Italian comic book creator Hugo Pratt in 1967. The comics are highly praised as some of the most ...

'' from scripts by

Hugo Pratt Ugo Eugenio Prat, better known as Hugo Pratt (15 June 1927 – 20 August 1995), was an Italian comic book creator who was known for combining strong storytelling with extensive historical research on works such as ''Corto Maltese''. He was indu ...

and music by

Paolo Conte Paolo Conte (; born 6 January 1937) is an Italian singer, pianist, songwriter and lawyer known for his distinctly grainy, resonant voice. His compositions fuse Italian and Mediterranean sounds with jazz, boogie and elements of the French and L ...

. Recently he returned to the stage with '' Edipo.com'', directed by famous Italian star

Sergio Fantoni Sergio Fantoni (7 August 1930 – 17 April 2020) was an Italian actor, voice actor and director. Biography Fantoni was born in Rome to the actor Cesare Fantoni. He began his career appearing in films, radio dramas, television and theatrical pro ...

(2003); then ''La Bibbia ha quasi sempre ragione (The Bible Is Almost Always Right)'' with Cesare Picco at the

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

(2004), all of them ''pièces'' enhancing the narrative dimension of the story, thus exploiting Dix’s natural talent as a

raconteur A humorist (American) or humourist (British spelling) is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking, but is not an artist who seeks only to elicit laughs. Humorists are distinct from comedians, who are show business ...

. In 2007 he was engaged in the cast of ''

'' (a popular comedy TV show) as one of the comedians, interpreting his now famous caricature of the "permanently enraged car driver". In 2008 he staged ''Tutta colpa di Garibaldi (It’s All Garibaldi’s Fault)'' with scripts by Gioele Dix,

and Nicola Fano, directed by

; he followed with the play ''Dixplay'' by himself, with the participation of

Bebo Best Baldan Bebo ( ) was an American social networking website that originally operated from 2005 until its bankruptcy in 2013 and relaunched in February 2021. The site relaunched several times after its bankruptcy with a number of short-lived offerings, ...

Quote

Filmography

*''Crimini - Disegno di sangue'', directed by Gianfranco Cabiddu per

2 *''Tracce di vita amorosa'', directed by Peter Del Monte (1990) *''Per non dimenticare'', directed by Massimo Martelli (1992) *''Tre passi nel delitto'', directed by Fabrizio Laurenti (1993) *''Bidoni'', directed by Felice Farina (1995) *''Olimpo Lupo, cronista di nera'', directed by Fabrizio Laurenti (1995) *''Uno di noi'', (1996) *''

All the Moron's Men ''All the Moron's Men'' ( it, Tutti gli uomini del deficiente) is a 1999 Italian comedy film directed by Paolo Costella. The movie's title is a parody of ''All the President's Men ''All the President's Men'' is a 1974 non-fiction book by Carl ...

'' (1999) *''Se fossi in te'', directed by Giulio Manfredonia (2001) *''Cerco lavoro'', directed by Fratelli Frazzi (2002) *''Marcinelle'', directed by Vincenzo Verdecchi (2004) *''Ora e per sempre'', directed by Vincenzo Verdecchi (2004) *''Ricomincio da me'', directed by Rossella Izzo (2005) *''A voce alta'', directed by Vincenzo Verdecchi (2006) *''Tutti i rumori del mondo'', directed by Tiziana Aristarco (2007) *''

Happily Mixed Up ''Happily Mixed Up'' ( it, Confusi e felici) is a 2014 Italian comedy film directed by Massimiliano Bruno. Cast *Claudio Bisio as Marcello *Marco Giallini as Nazareno *Anna Foglietta as Silvia *Massimiliano Bruno as Pasquale *Paola Minaccioni as ...

'', directed by

Massimiliano Bruno Massimiliano Bruno (born 4 June 1970) is an Italian director, screenwriter, playwright and actor. Life and career Born in Rome into a family of Calabrian origins, Bruno formed as an actor in a drama laboratory "Torre Spaccata". He started hi ...

(2014)

Theatre

*''La mia patente non scade mai'', regia di Gioele Dix, (1988)(1989) *''Mai a stomaco vuoto'', regia di Gioele Dix, (1990) *''Antologia di Edipo'', regia di Gioele Dix, (1991)(1992) *''Anna'', regia di Gioele Dix, (1992)(1993) *''Sto ristrutturando'', regia di Gioele Dix, (1993)(1994) *''Questa estate'', regia di Gioele Dix, (1994) *''Cinque Dix'', regia di Gioele Dix, (1995) *''Mi sembra che andiamo bene'', regia di Gioele Dix, (1997)(1998) *''L'uomo degli appuntamenti, regia di Gioele Dix, (1998) *''Recital'', regia di Gioele Dix, (1999) *''Agamennone'', regia di Giorgio Gallione, (2000) *''Cuori pazzi'', regia di Giorgio Gallione, (2000)(2001) *''Il Libertino'', regia di

, (2001)(2002) *''Mappa del nuovo mondo'', lettura delle liriche di

Derek Walcott Sir Derek Alton Walcott (23 January 1930 – 17 March 2017) was a Saint Lucian poet and playwright. He received the 1992 Nobel Prize in Literature. His works include the Homeric epic poem ''Omeros'' (1990), which many critics view "as Walcot ...

, regia di Piero Maccarinelli, (2002) *''A posto così'', regia di Gioele Dix, (2002) *''Corto Maltese'', regia di Giorgio Gallione, (2003)(2004) *''Edipo.com'', regia di

, (2003)(2004)(2005) *''La Bibbia ha (quasi) sempre ragione'', regia di Andree Ruth Shamma, (2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007) *''Grand Tour'', cronache di viaggiatori illustri, regia di Gioele Dix, (2004) *''Amore a prima vista'', letture delle poesie con regia di Wislawa Szimborska, (2004) *''I ragazzi hanno orecchie'', interpretazione delle fiabe di Fernand Deligny, regia di Gioele Dix, (2005) *''Meglio il nuovo oggi (L'innovazione fa spettacolo)'', regia di Serena Sinigaglia, (2006) *''Tutta colpa di Garibaldi'', regia di

, (2008) *''Dixplay'', regia di Giancarlo Bozzo, (2008)

Bibliography

Dix has also published some books on amusing themes: * ''Il manuale del vero automobilista (Manual Of The True Car Driver)'' (M.M., 1991) * ''Cinque Dix (Five Dix)'' (Baldini&Castoldi, 1995) * ''La Bibbia ha quasi sempre ragione (The Bible Is Almost Always Right)'' (

Mondadori Arnoldo Mondadori Editore () is the biggest publishing company in Italy. History The company was founded in 1907 in Ostiglia by 18-year-old Arnoldo Mondadori who began his publishing career with the publication of the magazine ''Luce!''. In 1 ...

, 2003) * ''Manuale dell'automobilista incazzato (Manual Of The Friggin’ Mad Car Driver)'' (

, 2007)

External links

*
Official YouTube Account"Gieole Dix, My Roots", by C. Cannella
(''

Corriere della Sera The ''Corriere della Sera'' (; en, "Evening Courier") is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average daily circulation of 410,242 copies in December 2015. First published on 5 March 1876, ''Corriere della Sera'' is one of It ...

'', 2004) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dix, Gioele Italian comedians 20th-century Italian Jews Jewish male comedians Jewish male actors Male actors from Milan Living people 1956 births