Domenico "Memo" Benassi (21 June 1886 – 24 February 1957) was an Italian

film 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 (), lite ...

who appeared in more than forty films in a mixture of

leading In typography, leading ( ) is the space between adjacent lines of type; the exact definition varies. In hand typesetting, leading is the thin strips of lead (or aluminium) that were inserted between lines of type in the composing stick to incre ...

and

supporting role A supporting character is a character in a narrative that is not the focus of the primary storyline, but is important to the plot/protagonist, and appears or is mentioned in the story enough to be more than just a minor character or a cameo ap ...

s. He played the composer

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

in the 1942 film '' Rossini''.Mathew & Walton p.337

Selected filmography

* ''Notte di tempesta'' (1916) * ''Mimì e gli straccioni'' (1916) * ''Il gioiello sinistro'' (1917) * ''La nemica'' (1917) * ''Margheritella'' (1918) * ''La scala di seta'' (1920) * ''

The Love Letters of Baroness S ''The Love Letters of Baroness S'' (German: ''Liebesbriefe der Baronin von S...'') is a 1924 German silent film directed by Henrik Galeen and starring Mia May and Memo Benassi.Grange p.183 The film's sets were designed by the art director Paul ...

'' (1924) - Straßenmusikant Giovanni * ''

The Adventures of Sybil Brent ''The Adventures of Sybil Brent'' (german: Das Abenteuer der Sibylle Brant) is a 1925 German silent film directed by Carl Froelich and starring Henny Porten, Memo Benassi and Rudolf Biebrach.Grange p. 204 It was shot at the EFA Studios in Berlin. ...

'' (1925) - Theo Hartwig, Schriftsteller * ''

The Old Lady ''The Old Lady'' ( it, La vecchia signora) is a 1932 Italian comedy film directed by Amleto Palermi. It features Vittorio De Sica in his first sound film. Cast * Emma Gramatica as Maria * Nella Maria Bonora as Bianchina * Maurizio D'Ancora as ...

'' (1932) - Joe * '' The Lucky Diamond'' (1933) - Il maggiordomo * ''Il trattato scomparso'' (1933) - John Brown - detective * ''

The Haller Case ''The Haller Case'' (Italian: ''Il caso Haller'') is a 1933 Italian thriller film directed by Alessandro Blasetti and starring Marta Abba, Memo Benassi and Camillo Pilotto.Brizio-Skov p.54 The film is based on the 1893 play ''Der Andere'' by Pau ...

'' (1933) - Judge Haller * ''L'impiegata di papà'' (1934) - Banchiere Monti * ''

Everybody's Woman ''Everybody's Woman'' (Italian: ''La signora di tutti'') is a 1934 Italian drama film directed by Max Ophüls and starring Isa Miranda, Memo Benassi and Tatyana Pavlova. It is the only film Max Ophüls made in Italy. The film was a success an ...

'' (1934) - Leonardo Nanni * ''

Conquest of the Air ''Conquest of the Air'' is a 1936 documentary film or docudrama on the history of aviation up to that time. The film features historical footage, and dramatic re-creations, of the developments of commercial and military aviation; including the e ...

'' (1936) - Francesco Lama di Brescia (uncredited) * '' Lady of Paradise'' (1937) - Matteo Iran * ''

Scipione l'africano ''Scipione l'africano'' (1937) — in English ''Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of Hannibal'' — is an Italian historical film that focuses on Publius Cornelius Scipio (Scipio Africanus) from the time of his election as proconsul until his defeat o ...

'' (1937) - Cato * '' Tonight at Eleven'' (1938) - L'ambasciatore Leopoldo Norton * ''

Princess Tarakanova Princess Tarakanova (c. 1745 – ) was a pretender to the Russian throne. She styled herself, among other names, ''Knyazhna Yelizaveta Vladimirskaya'' (Princess of Vladimir), ''Fräulein Frank'', and ''Madame Trémouille''. Tarakanova ('' ...

'' (1938) - L'ambasciatore russo * ''La conquista dell'aria'' (1939) - Il Gesuita Franceesco Lama * ''Orizzonte dipinto'' (1941) - Il burattinaio * ''Il vagabondo'' (1941) - Fanfulla * '' The Jester's Supper'' (1942) - Il Tornaquinci * '' The Two Orphans'' (1942) - Il conte di Linières * ''

Fedora A fedora () is a hat with a soft brim and indented crown.Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1958). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''. R. M. McBride Company. It is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" near the front on both sides ...

'' (1942) - Il principe Yariskine * '' Rossini'' (1942) - Beethoven * ''I due Foscari'' (1942) - Donato Almorò * ''Quarta pagina'' (1942) - Il pazzo * '' The Son of the Red Corsair'' (1943) - Il marchese di Montelimar * ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604, according to available records. It was published in the ''First Folio'' of 1623. The play's plot features its ...

'' (1943) - Lucio * ''Peccatori'' (1945) * ''Paese senza pace'' (1946) - Padron Toni * ''L'ultimo sogno'' (1946) * ''

The Tyrant of Padua ''The Tyrant of Padua'' (Italian: ''Il tiranno di Padova'') is a 1946 Italian historical film directed by Max Neufeld and starring Clara Calamai, Carlo Lombardi and Elsa De Giorgi.Brunetta, p. 150. It is an adaptation of the 1835 play '' Angelo, ...

'' (1946) - Cesare, il pittore * ''La taverna della libertà'' (1950) * '' The Affairs of Messalina'' (1951) - Claudio / Claude * '' Red Shirts'' (1952) - (uncredited) * ''

Too Bad She's Bad ''Too Bad She's Bad'' ( it, Peccato che sia una canaglia) is a 1955 Italian comedy directed by Alessandro Blasetti. It stars Sophia Loren and is based on Alberto Moravia's story "Fanatico", from his ''Racconti Romani''. It was shot at the Cine ...

'' (1954) - (uncredited) * ''

Adriana Lecouvreur ''Adriana Lecouvreur'' () is an opera in four acts by Francesco Cilea to an Italian libretto by Arturo Colautti, based on the 1849 play ''Adrienne Lecouvreur'' by Eugène Scribe and Ernest Legouvé. It was first performed on 6 November 1902 at t ...

'' (1955) - Michonnet

References

External links

Bibliography

* Mathew, Nicholas & Walton, Benjamin. ''The Invention of Beethoven and Rossini: Historiography, Analysis, Criticism''. Cambridge University Press, 2013. 1886 births 1957 deaths Actors from the Province of Parma Italian male film actors Italian male silent film actors Italian male stage actors 20th-century Italian male actors {{Italy-actor-stub