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'' ("the prince of laughter"), was an Italian actor, comedian, screenwriter, dramatist, poet, singer and lyricist. He is commonly referred to as one of the most popular Italian performers of all time. While best known for his funny and sometimes cynical comic characters in theatre and then many successful comedy films made from the 1940s to the 1960s, he also worked with many iconic Italian film directors in dramatic roles.

Early life

Totò was born Antonio Vincenzo Stefano Clemente on 15 February 1898 in the Rione Sanità, a poor district of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, the illegitimate son of Anna Clemente (1881–1947), a Sicilian woman, and the Neapolitan marquis Giuseppe de Curtis (1873–1944). His father did not legally recognize him, and Totò so regretted growing up without a father that in 1933, at age 35, he managed to have the marquis Francesco Maria Gagliardi Focas adopt him in exchange for a life annuity. As a consequence, when Marquis de Curtis finally recognized him in 1937 Totò had become an heir of two noble families, ultimately claiming an impressive slew of titles. Totò's mother wanted him to become a priest, but as early as 1913, at the age of 15, he was already acting as a comedian in small theatres, under the pseudonym Clerment. His early repertoire mostly consisted in imitations of Gustavo De Marco's characters. In the minor venues where he performed, Totò had the chance to meet famous artists like Eduardo and Peppino De Filippo. He served in the Italian Army during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and then went back to acting. He learned the art of the '' guitti'', the Neapolitan scriptless comedians, heirs to the tradition of the

Commedia dell'Arte Commedia dell'arte was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Theatre of Italy, Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is a ...

, and began developing the trademarks of his style, including a puppet-like, disjointed gesticulation, emphasized facial expressions, and an extreme, sometimes surrealistic, sense of humor, largely based on emphasizing primitive urges such as hunger and sexual desire.

Career

In 1922, he moved to Rome to perform in bigger theatres. He performed in the genre of '' avanspettacolo'', a

vaudevillian Vaudeville (; ) is a theatre, theatrical genre of variety show, variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comic ...

mixture of music, ballet and comedy preceding the main act (hence its name, which roughly translates as "before show"). He became adept at these shows (also known as ''rivista'' – '' Revue''), and in the 1930s he had his own company, with which he travelled across Italy. In 1937, he appeared in his first movie '' Fermo con le mani'', and later starred in 96 other films. As the vast majority of his movies were essentially meant to showcase his performances, many have his name "Totò" in the title. Some of his best-known films are '' Fear and Sand'', '' Toto Tours Italy'', '' Toto the Sheik'', '' Cops and Robbers'', '' Toto and the Women'', ''

Totò Tarzan ''Totò Tarzan'' is a 1950 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Totò, Marilyn Buferd and Alba Arnova. It is a parody of Edgar Rice Burroughs's novel ''Tarzan of the Apes''. It was shot at the Farnesina Studios in Rome. The ...

'', '' Toto the Third Man'', '' Toto in Color'' (one of the first Italian color movies, 1952, in Ferraniacolor), '' Big Deal on Madonna Street'', '' Toto, Peppino, and the Hussy'', '' The Law Is the Law''. Pier Paolo Pasolini's '' The Hawks and the Sparrows'' and the episode "Che cosa sono le nuvole" from '' Caprice Italian Style'' (the latter released after his death), showed his dramatic skills. In his vast cinematographic career, Totò had the opportunity to act side by side with virtually all major Italian actors of the time. With some of them he paired in several films, the most renowned and successful teams being established with

Aldo Fabrizi Aldo Fabrizi (; born Aldo Fabbrizi; 1 November 1905 – 2 April 1990) was an Italian actor, director, screenwriter and comedian, best known for the role of the heroic priest in Roberto Rossellini's ''Rome, Open City'' and as partner of Totò in ...

and Peppino De Filippo. De Filippo was one of the few actors to have his name appear in movie titles along with that of Totò, for example in '' Toto, Peppino, and the Hussy'' and '' Toto and Peppino Divided in Berlin''. Partly because of the radical, naive immorality of his roles, some of his more spicy gags raised much controversy in a society that was both strictly

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and ruled by the conservative Democrazia Cristiana (Christian Democracy) party. For example, Totò's 1964 film '' What Ever Happened to Baby Toto?'' (a parody of '' What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'') included a humorous celebration of cannabis in an era when drugs were perceived by the Italian audience as something exotic, depraved and dangerous.

Writing

During the 1950s, he started to compose poetry. The best-known is probably A Livella'', in which an arrogant rich man and a humble poor man meet after their deaths and discuss their differences. Totò was also a songwriter: '' Malafemmena'' (''Wayward Woman''), dedicated to his wife Diana after they separated, is considered a classic of the Neapolitan popular music.

Personal life

Totò had a reputation as a playboy. One of his lovers, the well known chanteuse and

dancer Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, committed suicide after their relationship ended. This tragedy marked his life. He buried Liliana in his family's chapel, and named his only daughter Liliana (born 10 May 1933 to his wife, Diana Bandini Rogliani, whom he married in 1935). Another personal tragedy was the premature birth of his son Massenzio in 1954. The child died a few hours later. He was the son of Totò's mistress Franca Faldini. During a tour in 1956, he lost most of his eyesight due to an eye infection that he had ignored to avoid cancelling his show and disappointing his fans. Arguably however, the handicap almost never affected his schedule and acting abilities. Totò died at the age of 69 on 15 April 1967 in Rome after a series of heart attacks. Due to overwhelming demand, there were no fewer than three funeral services: the first in Rome, a second in his birth city of

—and a few days later, in a third one by the local

Camorra The Camorra (; ) is an Italian Mafia-typeMafia and Mafia-type orga ...

boss, an empty casket was carried along the packed streets of the popular Rione Sanità quarter where he was born.

Noble titles

In 1946, when the Consulta Araldica—the body that advised the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

on matters of nobility—ceased operations, the Tribunal of Naples recognized his numerous titles, so his complete name was changed from Antonio Clemente to Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Ducas Komnenos Gagliardi de Curtis of

Byzantium Byzantium () or Byzantion () was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' continued to be used as a n ...

, His Imperial Highness, Palatine Count, Knight of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

, Exarch of

Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

, Duke of Macedonia and Illyria, Prince of

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

, Cilicia,

Thessaly Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Aeolic Greek#Thessalian, Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient Thessaly, a ...

, Pontus,

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

, Dardania, Peloponnesus, Count of

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

and

Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...

, Count and Duke of Drivasto and Durazzo. For someone born and raised in one of the poorest Neapolitan neighbourhoods, this must have been quite an achievement, but in claiming the titles (at the time they had become meaningless) the comedian also mocked them for their intrinsic worthlessness. In fact, when he was not using his stage name Totò, he mostly referred to himself simply as Antonio de Curtis.

Filmography

Actor

Totò starred in 97 films: *'' Hands Off Me!'' (1937) as Antonio 'Totò' Toretota *'' Mad Animals'' (1939) as Totò / Barone Tolomeo dei Tolomei *'' Saint John, the Beheaded'' (1940) as Mastro Agostino Miciacio *'' The Happy Ghost'' (1941) as Nicolino & Gelsomino & Antonino *'' Two Hearts Among the Beasts'' (1943) as Totò *' (1943) *'' Romulus and the Sabines'' (1945) as Aristide Tromboni *'' The Two Orphans'' (1947) as Gasparre *'' Toto Tours Italy'' (1948) as Prof. Toto' Casamandrei *'' Fear and Sand'' (1948) as Nicolino Capece *'' The Firemen of Viggiù'' (1949) as The Suitor - Disguises Himself as Dummy / Band Leader *'' Yvonne of the Night'' (1949) as Nino, il fantasista *'' Toto Looks for a House'' (1949) as Beniamino Lomacchio *'' The Emperor of Capri'' (1949) as Antonio De Fazio *'' Totò Le Mokò'' (1949) as Antonio Lumaconi / Totò le Moko *'' Side Street Story'' (1950) as Pasquale Miele *'' Figaro Here, Figaro There'' (1950) as Figaro *'' Toto Looks for a Wife'' (1950) as Toto *''

'' (1950) as Antonio Della Buffas *'' Bluebeard's Six Wives'' (1950) as Totò Esposito *'' Toto the Sheik'' (1950) as Antonio Sapore, il maggiordomo *'' 47 morto che parla'' (1950) as Il barone Antonio Peletti *'' Toto the Third Man'' (1951) as Piero / Paolo / Totò *'' Seven Hours of Trouble'' (1951) as Totò De Pasquale *'' Cops and Robbers'' (1951) as Ferdinando Esposito *'' Toto in Color'' (1952) as Antonio Scannagatti *'' Toto and the King of Rome'' (1952) as Ercole Pappalardo *'' Toto and the Women'' (1952) as Antonio Scaparro *'' One of Those'' (1953) as Rocco *'' Man, Beast and Virtue'' (1953) as Prof. Paolino *'' Neapolitan Turk'' (1953) as Felice Sciosciammocca *'' Funniest Show on Earth'' (1953) as Tottons, il clown / Una signora del pubblico *'' Of Life and Love'' (1954) as Rosario Chiarchiaro (segment "La patente") *'' Where Is Freedom?'' (1954) as Salvatore Lojacono *'' A Slice of Life'' (1954) as Il fotografo *'' Poverty and Nobility'' (1954) as Felice Sciosciammocca *''

The Doctor of the Mad ''The Doctor of the Mad'' () is a 1954 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Totò, Franca Marzi and Aldo Giuffrè.Bìspuri p.147 It is based on a 1908 Naples-set play of the same name by Eduardo Scarpetta. Plot summa ...

'' (1954) as Felice Sciosciammocca *'' The Three Thieves'' (1954) as Tapioca *'' Toto Seeks Peace'' (1954) as Gennaro Piselli *'' The Gold of Naples'' (1954) as Don Saverio Petrillo (segment "Il guappo") *'' Toto and Carolina'' (1955) as Antonio Caccavallo *'' Toto in Hell'' (1955) as Antonio Marchi / March' Antonio *'' Carousel of Variety'' (1955) *'' Are We Men or Corporals?'' (1955) as Toto Esposito *'' Destination Piovarolo'' (1955) as Antonio La Quaglia *'' Roman Tales'' (1955) as Professore Semprini *'' Il coraggio'' (1955) as Gennaro Vaccariello *'' The Band of Honest Men'' (1956) as Antonio Buonocore *'' Totò, lascia o raddoppia?'' (1956) as Duca Gagliardo della Forcoletta *'' Toto, Peppino, and the Hussy'' (1956) as Antonio Caponi *''

Toto, Peppino and the Outlaws ''Toto, Peppino and the Outlaws'' () is a 1956 Italian comedy film directed by Camillo Mastrocinque. For this film Peppino De Filippo was awarded with a Silver Ribbon for best supporting actor. Plot Antonio and Peppino live in a small town ...

'' (1956) as Antonio *'' The Lady Doctor'' (1957) as Michele 'Mike' Spillone *'' Toto and Marcellino'' (1958) as Il professore *'' The Law Is the Law'' (1958) as Giuseppe La Paglia *'' Big Deal on Madonna Street'' (1958) as Dante Cruciani *'' Toto, Peppino and the Fanatics'' (1958) as Ragionier Antonio Vignanelli *'' Toto in Paris'' (1958) as Marchese Gastone de Chemantel / Chateau-Boiron / il vagabondo Totò *'' Toto in the Moon'' (1958) as Pasquale Belafronte *'' Legs of Gold'' (1958) as barone Luigi Fontana *'' Toto in Madrid'' (1959) as Totò Scorceletti *'' The Overtaxed'' (1959) as Torquato Pezzella *'' The Thieves'' (1959) as Commissario Di Sapio *'' You're on Your Own'' (1959) as Il nonno illuminato *'' La cambiale'' (1959) as Cesare Posalaquaglia *'' Tough Guys'' (1960) as L'Algerino *'' Gentlemen Are Born'' (1960) as Ottone Degli Ulivi, detto Zazà *'' Toto, Fabrizi and the Young People Today'' (1960) as Antonio Cocozza *'' Letto a tre piazze'' (1960) as Antonio Di Cosimo *'' The Passionate Thief'' (1960) as Umberto 'Infortunio' Pennazzuto *'' Who Hesitates Is Lost'' (1960) as Antonio Guardalavecchia *''Totò ciak'' (1960) as Toto *'' Totò, Peppino e... la dolce vita'' (1961) as Antonio Barbacane *'' Sua Eccellenza si fermò a mangiare'' (1961) as The So-Called Dr Biagio Tanzarella *'' Totòtruffa 62'' (1961) as Antonio Peluffo *'' The Two Marshals'' (1961) as Antonio Capurro *'' Toto vs. Maciste'' (1962) as Totokamen Sabachi *'' Totò Diabolicus'' (1962) as Marquis Galeazzo di Torrealta / Gen. Scipione di Torrealta / Prof. Carlo di Torrealta / Baroness Laudomia di Torrealta / Mons. Antonino di Torrealta / Pasquale Bonocore *'' Lo smemorato di Collegno'' (1962) as Lo smemorato *'' Toto and Peppino Divided in Berlin'' (1962) as Antonio La Puzza / Canarinis *'' Toto's First Night'' (1962) as Nini *'' The Two Colonels'' (1962) as Colonnello Di Maggio *'' The Shortest Day'' (1962) as Frate bersagliere *'' Toto vs. the Four'' (1963) as Antonio Saracino *'' The Monk of Monza'' (1963) as Pasquale Cicciacalda / Don Manuel *'' Toto and Cleopatra'' (1963) as

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman people, Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the Crisis of the Roman Republic, transformation of the Roman Republic ...

/ Totonno *'' Le motorizzate'' (1963) as Urbano Cacace (segment "Il Vigile Ignoto") *'' Sexy Toto'' (1963) as Nini Cantachiaro *'' Gli onorevoli'' (1963) as Antonio La Trippa *'' The Commandant'' (1963) as Col. Antonio Cavalli *'' Toto vs. the Black Pirate'' (1964) as José *'' Beautiful Families'' (1964) as Filiberto Comanducci (segment "Amare è un po' morire") *'' What Ever Happened to Baby Toto?'' (1964) as Totò Baby / il Padre *'' Toto of Arabia'' (1965) as Totò *'' Latin Lovers'' (1965) as Antonio Gargiulo (segment "Amore e morte") *'' The Mandrake'' (1965) as Il Frate *'' Rita the American Girl'' (1965) as Serafino Benvenuti *'' The Hawks and the Sparrows'' (1966) as Innocenti Totò / Brother Ciccillo *'' Treasure of San Gennaro'' (1966) as Don Vincenzo *'' The Witches'' (1967) as Ciancicato Miao (segment "La terra vista dalla luna") *'' The Head of the Family'' (1968) as Man at Funeral (uncredited, released posthumously) *'' Caprice Italian Style'' (1968) as Anziano signore (segment "Mostro della domenica, Il") / Iago (segment "Che cosa sono le nuvole?") (final film role, released posthumously)

Screenwriter

* '' Il medico dei pazzi'' * '' Totò all'inferno'' * '' Siamo uomini o caporali'' * '' Il coraggio'' * '' I due marescialli''

TV

* '' TuttoTotò'' (1967, aired posthumously)

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Giancarlo Governi. ''Il pianeta Totò''. Gremese, 1992. . * Liliana De Curtis, Matilde Amorosi. ''Totò a prescindere''. Mondadori, 1992. . * Ennio Bìspuri. ''Totò: principe clown''. Guida Editori, 1997. . * Alberto Anile. ''Il cinema di Totò: (1930-1945) : l'estro funambolo e l'ameno spettro''. Le mani, 1997. . * Associazione Antonio De Curtis. ''Totò, partenopeo e parte napoletano: il teatro, la poesia, la musica''. Marsilio, 1998. . * Alberto Anile. ''I film di Totò (1946-1967): la maschera tradita''. Le mani, 1998. * Costanzo Ioni, Ruggero Guarini. ''Tutto Totò''. Gremese Editore, 1999. . * Ennio Bìspuri. ''Vita di Totò''. Gremese Editore, 2000. . * Franca Faldini, Goffredo Fofi. ''Totò: l'uomo e la maschera''. L'Ancora del Mediterraneo, 2000. . * Paolo Pistolese. ''Totò, stars and stripes''. Cinecittà, 2000. * Orio Caldiron. ''Totò''. Gremese Editore, 2001. . * Antonio Napolitano. ''Totò, uno e centomila''. Tempo Lungo Ed., 2001. . * Fabio Rossi. ''La lingua in gioco: da Totò a lezione di retorica''. Bulzoni, 2002. . * Orio Caldiron. ''Il principe Totò''. Gremese Editore, 2002. . * Liliana De Curtis. ''Totò, mio padre''. Rizzoli, 2002. . * Daniela Aronica, Gino Frezza, Raffaele Pinto. ''Totò. Linguaggi e maschere del comico''. Carocci, 2003. . * Patricia Bianchi, Nicola De Blasi. ''Totò parole di attore e di poeta''. Dante & Descartes, 2007. . * Sonia Pedalino. ''Totò e la maschera''. Firenze Atheneum, 2007. . * Edmondo Capecelatro, Daniele Gallo. ''Totò: vita e arte di un genio''. Viator, 2008. . * Liliana De Curtis, Matilde Amorosi. ''Malafemmena: il romanzo dell'unico, vero, grande amore di Totò''. Mondadori, 2009. . * Ornella Di Russo. ''Cogito ergo De Curtis''. Fermenti, 2013. .

External links