Rosario Tindaro Fiorello (born 16 May 1960), known just as Fiorello, is an Italian comedian, singer, radio, and television presenter.

Career

Fiorello was 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 (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, and raised in Augusta, Sicily. He began his career working in tourist villages, first as a barman, and then as an entertainer. Near the end of the 1980s, Fiorello was brought to Milan by Bernardo Cherubini, whom he had met in Valtur Villages. Bernardo, brother of

Jovanotti Lorenzo Cherubini (; born 27 September 1966), better known as Jovanotti (), is an Italian singer-songwriter, rapper and disc jockey. The name Jovanotti derives from ''giovanotti'', the plural form of the Italian word ''giovanotto'' ("young man") ...

, who introduced him to

Claudio Cecchetto Claudio Cecchetto (born 19 April 1952) is an Italian record producer and talent scout. Life and career Cecchetto was born in Ceggia, (metropolitan city of Venice). He has hosted several Italian music festivals, from Festival di Sanremo to ...

, who directed Radio Deejay and where he met Antonio Germinario, a talent-scout, that become his manager for many years. Soon afterwards, Fiorello began hosting the show "Viva Radio Deejay" with Marco Baldini. Having become popular through the TV show ''

Karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...

'', Fiorello went on to host various TV shows. Soon after, he endured a period of drug problems that kept him away from the world of TV. However, he returned to show business and television in the 1990s, displaying great abilities as a showman, first in the Mediaset networks, then with

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 ...

in 2001, 2002, and 2004 with '' Stasera Pago Io''. Since 2002, Fiorello has hosted the radio broadcast '' Viva Radio 2'' together with Marco Baldini and the musician Enrico Cremonesi, during which Fiorello shows off his skills as a singer, mimic and entertainer. The authors of the program were Rosario Fiorello with Marco Baldini, Francesco Bozzi, Alberto De Risio, Riccardo Cassini and Federico Taddia. In the summer of 2003, was published the 1st of a long series of CD's that collected the best of his radio show. The CD's included the imitation of:

Mike Bongiorno Michael Nicholas Salvatore Bongiorno (; May 26, 1924 – September 8, 2009) was an Italian-American television host. After a few experiences in the US, he started working on RAI in the 1950s and was considered to be the most popular host in Ital ...

and the Forgetful of Cologno (

Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies ...

Andrea Camilleri Andrea Calogero Camilleri (; 6 September 1925 – 17 July 2019) was an Italian writer. Biography Originally from Porto Empedocle, Girgenti, Sicily, Camilleri began university studies in the Faculty of Literature at the University of Palermo, b ...

Antonio Cassano Antonio Cassano (; born 12 July 1982) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a forward. A talented and technically gifted player, he was usually deployed as a supporting forward, but could also play as an attacking midfield ...

Carlo Azeglio Ciampi Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (; 9 December 1920 – 16 September 2016) was an Italian politician and banker who was the prime minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994 and the president of Italy from 1999 to 2006. Biography Education Ciampi was born i ...

Gianni Minà Gianni Minà (; Turin, 17 May 1938) is an Italian journalist, writer, magazine editor and television host. He has collaborated with both Italian and International newspapers and magazines; produced hundreds of reports for RAI (''Radiotelevisione ...

Franco Califano Franco Califano (14 September 1938 – 30 March 2013) was an Italian lyricist, composer, singer-songwriter, author and actor. During his career he sold about 20 million records. Life and career Born in an airplane above Tripoli, Libya, Califan ...

Carla Bruni Carla Bruni-Sarkozy

Oliviero Toscani Oliviero Toscani (born 28 February 1942) is an Italian photographer, best-known worldwide for designing controversial advertising campaigns for Italian brand Benetton, from 1982 to 2000. Toscani was born in Milan, and took up photography foll ...

, Marina Flaibani from Onda Verde,

Nanni Moretti Giovanni "Nanni" Moretti (; born 19 August 1953) is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His films have won accolades including a Palme d'Or at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival for ''The Son's Room'', a Silver Bear at the ...

Vittorio Cecchi Gori Vittorio Cecchi Gori (; born 27 April 1942) is an Italian film producer and politician. He pleaded guilty to bankruptcy and was sentenced in February 2020 to 8 years and 5 months of imprisonment. Born in Florence, Italy he is the son of Mario ...

Ignazio La Russa Ignazio Benito Maria La Russa (born 18 July 1947) is an Italian politician who is serving as President of the Senate of the Republic since 13 October 2022. He is the first politician with a neo-fascist background to hold the position of Presid ...

, the

prince Albert of Monaco Albert II – Website of the Palace of Monaco (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi; born 14 March 1958) is Prince of Monaco, since 2005. Albert was born at the Prince's Palace of Monaco, and he is the second child and only son of Prince Rai ...

Monica Bellucci Monica Anna Maria Bellucci (; born 30 September 1964) is an Italian actress and model. She began her career as a fashion model, modelling for Dolce & Gabbana and Dior, before making a transition to Italian films and later American and French ...

and her husband

Vincent Cassel Vincent Cassel (; ; born 23 November 1966) is a French actor. He first achieved recognition for his performance as a troubled History of the Jews in France, French Jewish youth in Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 film ''La Haine (Hate)'', for which he ...

and many more. In 2007 Fiorello and Baldini realized the single Chi Siamo Noi, that included many gags of their radio show Viva Radio 2, the song was written by Rosario Fiorello,

Corrado Rizza Corrado Rizza (born 4 August 1961) is an Italian DJ and producer. Career Rizza was born in Rome, Italy and was working as a DJ from the early 80's in some of the main clubs of Rome/Italy and in US: from Histeria and Gilda. in Rome to Lavo in NY ...

, Domenico Scuteri and Luca Leonori and it was in the Italian pop chart. Fiorello's skills as a vocalist have brought him to the cinema as well. He has participated in such varied roles as: a dubber in cartoons (most recently ''

Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, then in nationwide syndication from 1978 as ''Garfield'', it chronicles the life of the title character Garfield the cat, his human ...

''), to an appearance in the film ''

The Talented Mr. Ripley ''The Talented Mr. Ripley'' is a 1955 psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. This novel introduced the character of Tom Ripley, who returns in four subsequent novels. It has been adapted numerous times for screen, including ''Purpl ...

'', in the role of Fausto, a young Italian friend of the main characters. His younger brother

Giuseppe Fiorello Giuseppe Fiorello, also known as Beppe Fiorello or Fiorellino (born 12 March 1969), is an Italian actor. Career Fiorello was born in Catania, Sicily, the youngest of four children. His elder brother is the noted television and radio personali ...

is an actor. In 2008 came out the compilation "Pronto c'e’ Mike" with his gags on the phone with

during the radio show "Viva Radio 2", with a book written by Aldo Grasso. On 14 November 2011 Fiorello back on television with a new program entitled "Il più grande spettacolo dopo il weekend" (inspired by the song "Il più grande spettacolo dopo il Big Bang" of his friend Lorenzo Jovanotti). The first episode showed excellent results, with 10 million viewers and almost 40% share. The data, already outstanding, to further improve in the second episode (with over 12 million viewers and a share of almost 43% 0 and third (almost 12 million viewers and over 43% share).

Impressions and characters

Fiorello's most famous imitations include

, and that of

Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies ...

as a character called ''Smemorato di Cologno'' who, in the parody, loses his memory every time something related to

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

is mentioned. ''Smemorato di Cologno'' is a pun on the main character of the Italian comedy 'Lo smemorato di

Collegno Collegno (; pms, Colegn ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about west of Turin. It occupies an alluvial plain at the end of the Val di Susa, between Rivoli and Turin, at ...

', Cologno being instead the headquarters of

's well-known media company. Other famous impressions and characters include: *

Albert II, Prince of Monaco Albert II – Website of the Palace of Monaco (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi; born 14 March 1958) is Prince of Monaco, since 2005. Albert was born at the Prince's Palace of Monaco, and he is the second child and only son of Prince Rai ...

, an Italian writer * The '' Signorina buonasera'', a

announcer *

, an Italian Football player * ''Avvocato Messina'', a lawyer who defends his clients with absurd pleas *

Barbara Palombelli Barbara may refer to: People * Barbara (given name) * Barbara (painter) (1915–2002), pseudonym of Olga Biglieri, Italian futurist painter * Barbara (singer) (1930–1997), French singer * Barbara Popović (born 2000), also known mononymously ...

, an Italian journalist *

Bruno Vespa Bruno Paolo Vespa (born 27 May 1944) is an Italian television and newspaper journalist. A former director of the Italian state-owned TV channel Rai Uno's news program TG1, Vespa is the founding host of the program ''Porta a Porta'' (English:"Door ...

, an Italian journalist *

Carla Bruni Carla Bruni-Sarkozy

, former President *

Federico Moccia Federico Moccia (born 20 July 1963) is an Italian writer, screenwriter and film director. His father Giuseppe Moccia was also a screenwriter and director. Following his successful book and film ' many people put love padlocks on Ponte Milvio in ...

, an Italian writer *

Franco Battiato Francesco "Franco" Battiato (; 23 March 1945 – 18 May 2021) was an Italian musician, singer, composer, filmmaker and, under the pseudonym Süphan Barzani, also a painter. Battiato's songs contain esoteric, philosophical and religious themes, a ...

, an Italian singer/songwriter *

, an Italian journalist *

Gianni Morandi Gianni Morandi (; born 11 December 1944) is an Italian pop singer, actor and entertainer. Early life Gian Luigi Morandi was born in a little village called Monghidoro on the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. His father Renato was active within the I ...

, an Italian singer *

Giorgio Napolitano Giorgio Napolitano (; born 29 June 1925) is an Italian politician who served as president of Italy from 2006 to 2015, the first Italian president to be re-elected to the presidency. Due to his dominant position in Italian politics, some critics ...

, current President * Giovanni Muciaccia, the presenter of the TV program ''Art Attack'' * ''Giulietto e Romeo'', two gay truck drivers *

Kim Jong-il Kim Jong-il (; ; ; born Yuri Irsenovich Kim;, 16 February 1941 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from 1994 to 2011. He led North Korea from the 1994 death of his father Kim ...

Kimi Räikkönen Kimi-Matias Räikkönen (; born 17 October 1979), nicknamed "The Iceman", is a Finnish racing driver who competed in Formula One between 2001 and 2021 for Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, and Alfa Romeo. Räikkönen won the 2007 Formula One Wo ...

, an Italian politician *

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

, Italian Operatic Tenor *

Maurizio Costanzo Maurizio Costanzo (born 28 August 1938) is an Italian television host, journalist, screenwriter and film director. Biography Costanzo began his career as a journalist, first as a contributing writer to ''Paese Sera'' and then as managing editor ...

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, an Italian singer who won the

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annual ...

in 2009 * Marina Flaibani of the radio program Onda Verde * ''Martano Volpi'', a mad man from

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

* The ''"mostroinviato"'' (monster-correspondent), which in Italian sounds like "nostro inviato" (our correspondent) *

, an Italian director and actor *

, an Italian photographer * ''Paolo Fava'', an imaginary jazz

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who is ...

* '' Padre Georg'', Benedetto XVI's secretary *

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician serving as the List of presidents of Turkey, 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as prime minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and as Lis ...

* The hunchback of Notre Dame, a character of

Riccardo Cocciante Riccardo Cocciante (; born 20 February 1946), also known in French-speaking countries and the U.S. as Richard Cocciante (), is an Italian singer, composer, theatre man and musician. He acquired French citizenship. Personal life Cocciante was b ...

's musical * The

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

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Roberto Cavalli Roberto Cavalli (; born 15 November 1940) is an Italian fashion designer and inventor. He is known for exotic prints and for creating the sand-blasted look for jeans. The high-end Italian fashion house Roberto Cavalli sells luxury clothing, perfu ...

Romano Prodi Romano Antonio Prodi (; born 9 August 1939) is an Italian politician, economist, academic, senior civil servant, and business executive who served as the tenth president of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004. He served twice as Prim ...

, former Prime Minister *

Silvio Muccino Silvio Muccino (born 14 April 1982) is an Italian actor, film director and screenwriter. Biography Muccino was born in Rome, Italy, on 14 April 1982. After graduating from a Roman High School dedicated to the arts, he enrolled in the School of ...

as ''Sasha'' *

Tony Sperandeo Tony Sperandeo (born 8 May 1953) is an Italian actor of cinema and television. Sperandeo is notable for frequently playing the roles of tough characters from his native region, Sicily. As of 2011, he was working on ''La Nuova Squadra'', a police ...

, an Italian character actor famous for his stereotypical gangster roles *

Umberto Eco Umberto Eco (5 January 1932 – 19 February 2016) was an Italian medievalist, philosopher, semiotician, novelist, cultural critic, and political and social commentator. In English, he is best known for his popular 1980 novel ''The Name of the ...

* Valerio Staffelli, a journalist from the TV program

Striscia la notizia ''Striscia la notizia'' () is an Italian satirical television program on the Mediaset-controlled Canale 5. Founded in 1988, it is meant to be a parody of the daily news, which airs right before the program, but ''Striscia'' also satirizes gover ...

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

During 16 May 2006 episode, on Fiorello's birthday,

called to wish him a happy birthday and to congratulate him for his impression, especially for the fact that Ciampi doesn't always pronounce clearly the last syllable of some words. During November 2006 the newspaper

Avvenire ''Avvenire'' (English: "Future") is an Italian daily newspaper which is affiliated with the Catholic Church and is based in Milan. History and profile ''Avvenire'' was founded in 1968 in Milan through the merger of two Catholic newspapers: ''L' ...

(linked with CEI) criticized Fiorello for his impression of '' Padre Georg''. Most of the journalists admitted that they had never listened to the radio program directly.

Discography

Singles

* '' La canzone del sole'' (1991) * ''

Azzurro "Azzurro" is an Italian pop song composed by Paolo Conte and Vito Pallavicini. Its most famous version was recorded by Adriano Celentano in 1968. Background Conte and Pallavicini wrote "Azzurro" especially for Celentano. The song describes a ...

'' (''1991'') * '' Una carezza in un pugno'' (1992) * '' Si o No (Please don't go)'' (1993) * '' Spiagge'' (1993) * ''Puoi'' (1993) * ''Mare Nostrum'' (1993) * '' Finalmente tu'' (1995) * ''Ridi'' (1995) * '' Dimmi dimmi perché'' (1998) * ''Vivere a colori'' (1998) * '' Città vuota'' (2004) * ''L'appuntamento'' (2005)

Album

* '' Veramente falso'' (1991) * '' Nuovamente falso'' (1992) * '' Spiagge e lune'' (1993) * '' Karaoke Compilation'' (1993) * '' Finalmente tu'' (1995) * '' Saro Fiorello'' (1996) * '' Dai miei amici cantautori'' (1997) * '' Batticuore'' (1998) * '' I miei amici cantautori'' (2000) * '' Fiorello the Greatest'' (2002) * '' A modo mio'' (2004)

Duets

* With Caterina: ''Il cielo – Favola semplice'', (1994) * With 360 Gradi: ''E poi... non ti ho vista più'' 2003 * With Marco Baldini: ''Chi siamo noi'' (dall'album Chi siamo noi – Gli inediti di Viva Radio 2) 2007 * With Giorgia: ''Più'' (dall'album Spirito libero - Viaggi di voce 1992-2008) 2008 * With

Claudio Baglioni Claudio Baglioni (; born 16 May 1951) is an Italian pop singer-songwriter and musician. His career has been going on for over 50 years. Some songs from the 70s are part of Italian culture such as ''E tu come stai?''. In the 80s he released the ...

: ''Porta Portese'' (dall'album QPGA) 2009 * With

Max Pezzali Massimo Pezzali (born 14 November 1967 in Pavia), commonly known as Max Pezzali, is an Italian singer-songwriter. He was the principal singer and songwriter of the pop rock group 883. In 2004, he released his first solo album ''Il Mondo Insieme ...

: '' Sei un mito'' (dall'album Max 20) 2013 * With Mina: ''

Baby, It's Cold Outside "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a popular song written by Frank Loesser in 1944 and popularized in the 1949 film '' Neptune's Daughter''. While the lyrics make no mention of a holiday, it is commonly regarded as a Christmas song owing to its winter ...

'' (dall'album Christmas Song Book 2013 * With Matteo Brancaleoni and Fabrizio Bosso: "L'italiano" (from the album ''

Made in Italy Made in Italy is a merchandise mark indicating that a product is all planned, manufactured and packed in Italy, especially concerning the design, fashion, food, manufacturing, craftsmanship, and engineering industries. History Made in Italy ...

'') 2015 * With Daniele Lazzarin, Danti: ''Fatti mandare dalla mamma'' 2017

Compilation

* ''Uno è famoso, l'altro no: il meglio di Viva Radio2 CD + LIBRO'' (2002) * '' Viva Radio 2 (il meglio del 2003)'' (2003) * '' Viva Radio 2 (il meglio del 2005)'' (2005) * '' Viva Radio Deejay - Il meglio di...'' (2006) * '' Viva Radio 2 (il meglio del 2006)'' (2006) * '' Fiorello e Baldini visti da dietro'' (2006) – ''DVD'' – * '' Viva Radio 2 (il meglio del 2007)'' (2007) * '' Chi Siamo Noi (Gli inediti di Viva Radio 2)'' (2007) * '' Pronto c'è Mike: Telefonate al "vero" Mike Bongiorno con libro di Aldo Grasso'' (2008) * '' Viva Radio 2 (il meglio del 2008)'' (2008)

Filmography

Films

Television

References

External links

Official website
* https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278502/ * https://www.discogs.com/artist/71521-Fiorello?page=2 {{DEFAULTSORT:Fiorello, Rosario 1960 births Living people Mass media people from Catania People from the Province of Syracuse People from Taormina Italian male singers Italian impressionists (entertainers) Italian television personalities Italian radio personalities

Career

Impressions and characters

Discography

Singles

Album

Duets

Compilation

Filmography

Films

Television

See also

References

External links