Luigi Almirante (1886–1963) was an Italian stage and screen actor. His slender body and his wiry face made him an incisive comic actor. In the 1930s, he established himself at the new Cinecittà studios in the telefoni bianchi films.
Italian postcard by Ed. A Traldi, Milano, no. 44. Photo: Trevisani, Bologna.
In 1886, Luigi Almirante was born in Tunis, French Protectorate of Tunisia (now Tunisia), where his father's stage company was touring at the time. He was the son of the actor Nunzio Almirante, brother of the actors Ernesto and Giacomo Almirante, and the director Mario Almirante. He was also the nephew of the silent film actress Italia Almirante Manzini.
Luigi Almirante began his career on stage at the age of 14 or 15 (sources differ), reciting small parts in the company of Angelo Pezzaglia. He appeared together with Pezzaglia's young niece Paola Pezzaglia, with whom he would later also work in the company of Dina Galli. Active in humorous roles since 1907, Almirante had his acting breakthrough in 1909 with the 'Grand Guignol' stage company directed by Alfredo Sainati.
During World War I, he served at the Soldier's Theatre in Udine, under Renato Simoni. After the war, he was part of the Antonio Gandusio company for three years, and then joined the Theater Company Niccodemi, staying there until 1923. He obtained a resounding success with the plays by Luigi Pirandello. He was very successful in the drama 'Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore' (Six Characters in Search of an Author), in his first performance at the Teatro Valle in Rome, on 9 May 1921.
In 1926, he made his cinema debut with the silent film La bellezza del mondo/Beauty of the World, directed by Mario Almirante. He starred alongside his aunt Italia. From then on, he also devoted himself to the cinema. With the advent of sound film, he began to emerge in comical roles, favoured by his slender body and his wiry face, which made him an incisive comic actor.
Equipped with a shrill and perfect voice to provoke ironic effects, he was considered one of the best character actors of his time, as demonstrated in the film Il presidente della Ba.Ce.Cre.Mi./The President of the Ba.Ce.Cre.Mi. (Gennaro Righelli, 1933). Also in 1933, he played Francis Flute in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by William Shakespeare, directed by Max Reinhardt. In 1935 he was the antiquarian in 'Savonarola' by Rino Alessi, staged at the Piazza della Signoria in Florence.
Italian postcard by Ed. Stab. Capecchi, Livorno, no. 209.
Italian postcard, no. 539. Photo: Scoffone.
In the thirties, Luigi Almirante often acted alongside Eduardo and Peppino De Filippo, Assia Noris, Vivi Gioi, Franco Coop, and Anna Magnani. He established himself at the new Cinecittà studios in the telefoni bianchi films, where he made friends with the greatest Italian directors of the time, such as Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia, Mario Camerini, Mario Bonnard, Guido Brignone, Alberto Lattuada, Carmine Gallone, and Mario Mattoli.
Examples pf his telefoni bianchi are the comedy O la borsa o la vita/Your Money or Your Life (Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia, 1932) with Sergio Tofano, Darò un milione/I'll give a million (Mario Camerini, 1935), with Vittorio De Sica and Assia Noris, and Batticuore/Heartbeat (Mario Camerini, 1939) with, again, Noris, and Maurizio D'Ancora.
During the Second World War, and in the immediate postwar era, Almirante continued to work with the great names of Italian cinema, such as Delia Scala, Camillo Pilotto, Ave and Carlo Ninchi, Silvana Jachino, Totò Mignone, Alida Valli, Massimo Girotti, Giuditta Rissone, Umberto Spadaro, Totò, and Isa Barzizza.
He acted in many comedies, often directed by Mario Mattoli, but also in dramas by Carmine Gallone, Amleto Palermi, and others. The last film Almirante played in was Gli ultimi cinque minuti/The Last Five Minutes (Giuseppe Amato, 1955). He retired from the stage the following year. He was also active as a teacher at the Accademia d'Arte Drammatica.
Luigi Almirante married Ebe Brigliadori in 1928. In 1951 he was forced to abandon his activity as an actor due to a severe nervous breakdown. Two years before his death he was struck by a serious loss, the death of his son Nunzio. He was the uncle of the politician Giorgio Almirante. Luigi Almirante passed away in Rome in 1963, at the age of 76.
Italian postcard, no. 183. Photo: Vettori, Bologna.
Source: Wikipedia (Italian and English), and IMDb.
Italian postcard by Ed. A Traldi, Milano, no. 44. Photo: Trevisani, Bologna.
Six Characters in Search of an Author
In 1886, Luigi Almirante was born in Tunis, French Protectorate of Tunisia (now Tunisia), where his father's stage company was touring at the time. He was the son of the actor Nunzio Almirante, brother of the actors Ernesto and Giacomo Almirante, and the director Mario Almirante. He was also the nephew of the silent film actress Italia Almirante Manzini.
Luigi Almirante began his career on stage at the age of 14 or 15 (sources differ), reciting small parts in the company of Angelo Pezzaglia. He appeared together with Pezzaglia's young niece Paola Pezzaglia, with whom he would later also work in the company of Dina Galli. Active in humorous roles since 1907, Almirante had his acting breakthrough in 1909 with the 'Grand Guignol' stage company directed by Alfredo Sainati.
During World War I, he served at the Soldier's Theatre in Udine, under Renato Simoni. After the war, he was part of the Antonio Gandusio company for three years, and then joined the Theater Company Niccodemi, staying there until 1923. He obtained a resounding success with the plays by Luigi Pirandello. He was very successful in the drama 'Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore' (Six Characters in Search of an Author), in his first performance at the Teatro Valle in Rome, on 9 May 1921.
In 1926, he made his cinema debut with the silent film La bellezza del mondo/Beauty of the World, directed by Mario Almirante. He starred alongside his aunt Italia. From then on, he also devoted himself to the cinema. With the advent of sound film, he began to emerge in comical roles, favoured by his slender body and his wiry face, which made him an incisive comic actor.
Equipped with a shrill and perfect voice to provoke ironic effects, he was considered one of the best character actors of his time, as demonstrated in the film Il presidente della Ba.Ce.Cre.Mi./The President of the Ba.Ce.Cre.Mi. (Gennaro Righelli, 1933). Also in 1933, he played Francis Flute in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by William Shakespeare, directed by Max Reinhardt. In 1935 he was the antiquarian in 'Savonarola' by Rino Alessi, staged at the Piazza della Signoria in Florence.
Italian postcard by Ed. Stab. Capecchi, Livorno, no. 209.
Italian postcard, no. 539. Photo: Scoffone.
Telefoni bianchi at the new Cinecittà studios
In the thirties, Luigi Almirante often acted alongside Eduardo and Peppino De Filippo, Assia Noris, Vivi Gioi, Franco Coop, and Anna Magnani. He established himself at the new Cinecittà studios in the telefoni bianchi films, where he made friends with the greatest Italian directors of the time, such as Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia, Mario Camerini, Mario Bonnard, Guido Brignone, Alberto Lattuada, Carmine Gallone, and Mario Mattoli.
Examples pf his telefoni bianchi are the comedy O la borsa o la vita/Your Money or Your Life (Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia, 1932) with Sergio Tofano, Darò un milione/I'll give a million (Mario Camerini, 1935), with Vittorio De Sica and Assia Noris, and Batticuore/Heartbeat (Mario Camerini, 1939) with, again, Noris, and Maurizio D'Ancora.
During the Second World War, and in the immediate postwar era, Almirante continued to work with the great names of Italian cinema, such as Delia Scala, Camillo Pilotto, Ave and Carlo Ninchi, Silvana Jachino, Totò Mignone, Alida Valli, Massimo Girotti, Giuditta Rissone, Umberto Spadaro, Totò, and Isa Barzizza.
He acted in many comedies, often directed by Mario Mattoli, but also in dramas by Carmine Gallone, Amleto Palermi, and others. The last film Almirante played in was Gli ultimi cinque minuti/The Last Five Minutes (Giuseppe Amato, 1955). He retired from the stage the following year. He was also active as a teacher at the Accademia d'Arte Drammatica.
Luigi Almirante married Ebe Brigliadori in 1928. In 1951 he was forced to abandon his activity as an actor due to a severe nervous breakdown. Two years before his death he was struck by a serious loss, the death of his son Nunzio. He was the uncle of the politician Giorgio Almirante. Luigi Almirante passed away in Rome in 1963, at the age of 76.
Italian postcard, no. 183. Photo: Vettori, Bologna.
Source: Wikipedia (Italian and English), and IMDb.
No comments:
Post a Comment