Gianni Lunadei
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Gianni Lunadei (May 1, 1938 – June 17, 1998) was an
Italian Argentine Italian Argentines ( it, italo-argentini; es, ítalo-argentinos, or ''tanos'' in Rioplatense Spanish) are Italian-born people (born in Argentina or Italy) or non-Italian citizens of Italian descent residing in Argentina. Italian is the largest ...
actor. He is considered one of the most versatile actors of his generation, and is best known for his work in Argentine comedy.


Biography

Lunadei was born in
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
in 1938. His mother was a seamstress and his father a brick mason, and the young Lunadei first developed an interest in acting when at age five, his parents introduced him to the
cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...
and
theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
. The family struggled during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, however, and his mother emigrated to
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
,
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, where Gianni arrived in 1950, followed by his father shortly afterward. He debuted in the local theater in 1954 playing George in a local production of
Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...
's '' All My Sons'', and was later cast in
Seán O'Casey Seán O'Casey ( ga, Seán Ó Cathasaigh ; born John Casey; 30 March 1880 – 18 September 1964) was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes. ...
's '' The Shadow of a Gunman'' and Anton Chekhov's '' Platonov''. His career on the stage flourished, and he worked as a resident actor in the National Comedy for eleven years, and in the General San Martín Theatre for six. Beyond the stage, he had a turn as
Count Dracula Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. He is considered to be both the prototypical and the archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by some ...
in a 1968
made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...
special starring veteran horror film actor Narciso Ibáñez Menta. Among Lunadei's notable stage roles from this era include those in
Peter Weiss Peter Ulrich Weiss (8 November 1916 – 10 May 1982) was a German writer, painter, graphic artist, and experimental filmmaker of adopted Swedish nationality. He is particularly known for his plays ''Marat/Sade'' and ''The Investigation'' and hi ...
' ''
Marat/Sade ''The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade'' (german: Die Verfolgung und Ermordung Jean Paul Marats dargestellt durch die Schauspielgrupp ...
'',
Carlo Goldoni Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: * Carlo (name) * Monte Carlo * Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince ...
's '' Servant of Two Masters'', as well as the title role in ''
Pantaleon Pantaleon, also known as Panteleimon, (Greek: ) was a Greek king who reigned some time between 190–180 BC in Bactria and India. He was a younger contemporary or successor of the Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius, and is sometimes believed to ha ...
'', a '' commedia dell'arte'' work by Argentine playwright
Villanueva Cosse Villanueva Félix Cosse Vega (born 9 November 1933) is a Uruguayan actor, theater director, and writer who has developed a distinguished career in his country and internationally, especially in Argentina, where he has lived since 1973. Biograph ...
. This latter role won Lunadei the city of Mar del Plata's "Star of the Sea" in 1975 with co-star China Zorrilla. He earned a Molière Award for this role, and won a second one in 1977. He married actress Stella Maris Lanzani, and they had four children. Lunadei ventured into
Argentine cinema Cinema of Argentina refers to the film industry based in Argentina. The Argentine cinema comprises the art of film and creative movies made within the nation of Argentina or by Argentine filmmakers abroad. The Argentine film industry has histor ...
in 1976 with a minor part in Carlos Galettini's tragedy ''
Juan que reía ''Juan que reía'' is a 1976 Argentine film. Cast Luis Brandoni, Ana María Campoy, Enrique Pinti, Luisina Brando, Federico Luppi, Gianni Lunadei Gianni Lunadei (May 1, 1938 – June 17, 1998) was an Italian Argentine actor. He is conside ...
'' (''Juan Who Once Laughed''). He had a leading role in
Manuel Antín Manuel Antín (born February 27, 1926) is an Argentine film director and screenwriter. Manuel Antín was born in Las Palmas, Chaco Province, in 1926. He first wrote for Argentine television in 1956 and made his directorial debut in 1962 with hi ...
's '' Allá lejos y hace tiempo'' (''Long Ago and Far Away'', 1978); but in subsequent years he became known for portraying manic characters in
picaresque The picaresque novel ( Spanish: ''picaresca'', from ''pícaro'', for "rogue" or "rascal") is a genre of prose fiction. It depicts the adventures of a roguish, but "appealing hero", usually of low social class, who lives by his wits in a corru ...
comedy films and on
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
. Lunadei explained in a 1984 interview that his childhood dream had been to be a clown. One notable exception was his role as the unscrupulous financier Arteche in
Fernando Ayala Fernando Ayala (2 July 1920 – 11 September 1997) was an Argentine film director, screenwriter and film producer of the classic era. He is widely considered one of the most important Argentine film directors and producers in the history of ...
's
tragicomic Tragicomedy is a literary genre that blends aspects of both tragic and comic forms. Most often seen in dramatic literature, the term can describe either a tragic play which contains enough comic elements to lighten the overall mood or a serious ...
'' Plata dulce'' (''Sweet Money'', 1982), whose title referred to the economic bubble and collapse caused by
José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz (13 August 1925 – 16 March 2013) was an Argentine lawyer, businessman and economist. He was Minister of Economy under Jorge Rafael Videla's administration between 1976 and 1981, and shaped economic policy at th ...
's financial deregulation policies of the late 1970s. Lunadei was cast by comedy writer Juan Carlos Mesa in the
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
''Mesa de noticias'' (''News Desk''). The prime time show, which premiered on ATC in December 1983, was set in a struggling
network news News broadcasting is the medium of broadcasting various news events and other information via television, radio, or the internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or televi ...
program, where Lunadei played De La Nata, an obsequious correspondent who showered the hapless programming director (Mesa) with compliments such as ''"benemérito señor director, le pertenezco"'' ("I belong to you, my honorable director"), while sabotaging coworkers and dispensing ad hominem attacks such as ''"infeliz!"'' ("loser!"/"wretch!") and his trademark interjection: ''"SHAQ!"'' (typically with a chopping motion of the hand). The sitcom was a success and ran until New Year's Eve 1987, appealing to audiences of an unusually varied demographic. Lunadei returned to cinema in a 1987 lampoon of profiteering in the medical industry, ''La clínica del Doctor Cureta'', and in a 1988 film adaptation of cartoonist
Horacio Altuna Horacio Altuna (born November 24, 1941) is an Argentine comics artist. Biography Altuna was born in Córdoba. He began working in the comics world in 1965 for the publisher Editorial Columbia. His first characters were Titan, a Superman-like s ...
'a '' Las Puertitas del señor López''. Lunadei earned a
Konex Award Konex Foundation Awards, or simply Konex Awards, are cultural awards from the Konex Foundation honouring Argentine cultural personalities. History and purpose Konex Awards are granted by the Konex Foundation, created in 1980 in Argentina. The pur ...
for lifetime achievement in comedy in 1991. He then joined Mesa in a spin-off of ''Mesa de Noticias'', ''El gordo y el flaco'' (akin to Laurel and Hardy), which aired from 1991 to 1994, and appeared in a number of sitcoms in subsequent years. However, Lunadei's often manic on-screen persona belied his struggle with
clinical depression Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Intro ...
. Separated from his wife, he began a relationship with television actress Perla Caron in 1993, and in 1997 moved to her Belgrano home. He continued to work despite his worsening condition, and had memorable roles such as in the
mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...
mini-series ''Archivo negro'' (''Black File''), for which he was nominated for a
Martín Fierro Award Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...
in 1997, and in the
film-noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarde ...
''El inquietante caso de José Blum'' (''The Troubling Case of José Blum''). Alone in Perla Caron's home, he shot himself with a
.32 caliber .32 caliber is a size of ammunition, fitted to firearms with a bore diameter of . .32 in caliber variations include: * .32 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol), a pistol cartridge * .32-40 Ballard, an American rifle cartridge * .32 H&R Magnum, a rimmed ...
pistol on June 17, 1998. Lunadei was interred in the Actors' Pantheon at
La Chacarita Cemetery Cementerio de la Chacarita in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is known as the National Cemetery and is the largest in Argentina. Location The cemetery is in the barrio or district of Chacarita, in the western part of Buenos Aires. Its main entrance i ...
. The respected stage, television and film actor was renowned in the local entertainment industry for his improvisational skills. A production company operated by Juan Carlos Mesa and others announced that a remake of ''Mesa de noticias'' was being considered; Mesa himself expressed that "bringing back a hit such as that inevitably leads to criticism that it's somehow not the same, and it wouldn't be the same: Gianni is no longer here".


References


External links

*
Gianni Lunadei
at
Cinenacional.com Cinenacional.com is a web portal and World Wide Web, web-based database about Cinema of Argentina, Argentine cinema. It is the most comprehensive site for information about the Argentine film industry, with a vast array of information on films, tel ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lunadei, Gianni 1938 births 1998 deaths Male actors from Rome Argentine male stage actors Argentine male comedians Argentine television personalities Suicides by firearm in Argentina Italian emigrants to Argentina Burials at La Chacarita Cemetery 20th-century Argentine male actors Italian expatriates in Argentina Naturalized citizens of Argentina 20th-century comedians 1998 suicides