Roberto Remigio Benigni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (Italian pronunciation: [roˈbɛrto beˈniɲɲi]; born 27 October 1952) is an Academy Award winning Italian actor, comedian, screenwriter and director of film, theatre and television.

 

Early years

Benigni was born in Manciano La Misericordia (a frazione of Castiglion Fiorentino), Italy, the son of Isolina Papini, a fabric Creator, and Remigio Benigni, a bricklayer, carpenter, and farmer.He was raised Catholic and served as an altar boy.His first experiences as a theatre actor took place in 1971, in Prato. During that autumn he moved to Rome where he took part in some experimental theatre shows, some of which he also directed. In 1975, Benigni had his first theatrical success with Cioni Mario di Gaspare fu Giulia, written by Giuseppe Bertolucci.

 

Benigni became famous in Italy in the 1970s for a shocking TV series called Onda Libera, on RAI2, by Renzo Arbore, in which he interpreted the satirical piece "anthem of the nimble body" (L'inno del corpo sciolto, a hymn to defecation). A great scandal for the time, the series was suspended due to censorship. His first film was 1977's Berlinguer ti voglio bene, also by Bertolucci.

 

Afterwards, he appeared during a public political demonstration by the Italian Communist Party, with which he was a sympathiser, and on this occasion he lifted and cradled the national leader Enrico Berlinguer, a very serious figure. It was an unprecedented act, given that until that moment Italian politicians were proverbially serious and formal. It represented a breaking point, after which politicians experimented with newer habits and "public manners", attended fewer formal events and, generally speaking, modified their lifestyle in order to exhibit a more popular behaviour. Benigni was censored again in the 1980s for calling the Pope John Paul II something impolite during an important live TV show ("Wojtylaccio", meaning "Bad Wojtyla" in Italian).

 

His popularity increased with L'altra domenica (1976/9), another TV show by Arbore in which Benigni portrays a lazy film critic who never watches the films he's asked to review. Then Bernardo Bertolucci cast him in a small speechless role as a window upholsterer in the film La Luna which evaded American distribution due to its subject matter.

 

1980s

In 1980 he met Cesenate actress Nicoletta Braschi, who was to become his wife and who has starred in most of the films he directed.

 

Benigni's first film as director was Tu mi turbi (You upset me, 1983). This film was also his first collaboration with Nicoletta Braschi.

 

In 1984, he played in Non ci resta che piangere ("Nothing left to do but cry") with the very popular comic actor Massimo Troisi. The story was a fable in which the protagonists are suddenly thrown back in time to the 15th century, just a little before 1492. They start looking for Columbus in order to stop him from discovering the Americas (although for very personal love reasons), but are not able to reach him.

 

Benigni in the United States and his collaboration with Cerami

Beginning in 1986, Benigni starred in three films by North American director Jim Jarmusch. In Down By Law (1986) (which in Italy had its title spelled "Daunbailò", in Italian phonetics) he played Bob, the innocent abroad, convicted for manslaughter, whose irrepressible good humour and optimism help him escape and find love (also starring Braschi as his beloved.) In Night on Earth, (1991) he plays a cabbie in Rome, causing his passenger, a priest, great discomfort and a heart attack by confessing his bizarre sexual experiences. Later, he also starred in the first of Jarmusch's series of short films, Coffee and Cigarettes (2003).

 

In 1990, he was a member of the Jury at the 40th Berlin International Film Festival.

 

In 1993, he starred in Son of the Pink Panther, directed by veteran Blake Edwards. There, he played Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau's illegitimate son who is assigned to save the Princess of Lugash. The film bombed in the US, but was a hit in Italy, his home country.

 

A serious role was in Federico Fellini's last film, La voce della luna (1989). In earlier years Benigni had started a long-lasting collaboration with screenwriter Vincenzo Cerami, for a series of films which scored great success in Italy: Il piccolo diavolo ("The little devil", with Walter Matthau), Johnny Stecchino ("Johnny Toothpick"), and Il mostro ("The Monster").

 

Life Is Beautiful and beyond

Benigni is probably best known outside Italy for his 1997 tragicomedy Life Is Beautiful (La vita è bella), filmed in Arezzo, also written by Cerami. The film is about an Italian Jewish man who tries to protect his son's innocence during his internment at a Nazi concentration camp, by telling him that the Holocaust is an elaborate game and he must adhere very carefully to the rules to win. 

 

Benigni's father had spent three years in a concentration camp in Bergen-Belsen, and La vita è bella is based in part on his father's experiences. Although the story and presentation of the film had been discussed during production with different Jewish groups to limit the offense it might cause, the film was attacked by critics who accused it of presenting the Holocaust without much suffering, and some who considered that "laughing at everything" was not remotely appropriate, let alone credible. More favourable critics praised Benigni's artistic daring and skill to create a sensitive comedy involving the tragedy, a challenge that Charles Chaplin confessed he would not have done with The Great Dictator had he been aware of the horrors of the Holocaust.

 

In 1998, the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards. At the 1999 ceremony Benigni received the award for Best Actor (the first for a male performer in a non-English-speaking role, and only the third overall acting Oscar for non-English-speaking roles), the score by Nicola Piovani won Best Original Dramatic Score, and the film was awarded the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, which Benigni accepted as the film's director.

 

Famously, in the midst of being so giddy with delight after Life Is Beautiful was announced as the Best Foreign Film, Benigni climbed over and then stood on the backs of the seats in front of him and applauded the audience before proceeding to the stage. And after winning his Best Actor Oscar later in the evening, he said in his acceptance speech, "There must be some terrible mistake, I used up all my English!" As well, to close his speech, Benigni quoted the closing lines of Dante's Divine Comedy, referencing "the love that moves the sun and all the stars." At the following year's ceremony, when he read the nominees for Best Actress (won by Hilary Swank for Boys Don't Cry), host Billy Crystal playfully appeared behind him with a large net to restrain Benigni if he got excessive with his antics again. In addition, on a 1999 episode of Saturday Night Live, host Ray Romano played him in a sketch parodying his giddy behavior at the ceremony.

 

Benigni played one of the main characters in Asterix and Obelix vs Caesar as Detritus, a corrupted Roman tax collector who wants to kill Julius Caesar, thereby seizing control of the Roman Republic.

 

As a director, his 2002 film Pinocchio, one of the costliest films in Italian cinema, performed well in Italy, but it bombed in North America, with a 0% critics' score at Rotten Tomatoes. He was also named as the Worst Actor for his role as Pinocchio, in the 23rd Golden Raspberry Awards.

 

That same year, he gave a typically energetic and revealing interview to Canadian filmmaker Damian Pettigrew for Fellini: I'm a Born Liar (2002), a cinematic portrait of the maestro that was nominated for Best Documentary at the European Film Awards, Europe's equivalent of the Oscars. The film went on to win the prestigious Rockie Award for Best Arts Documentary at the Banff World Television Festival (2002) and the Coup de Coeur at the International Sunnyside of the Doc Marseille (2002).

 

In 2003, Benigni was honored by the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), receiving the Foundation's NIAF Special Achievement Award in Entertainment.

 

Benigni's latest film is La tigre e la neve (The Tiger and the Snow, 2005), a love story set during the initial stage of the Iraq War.

 

On 15 October 2005, he performed an impromptu strip tease on Italy's most watched evening news program, removing his shirt and draping it over the newscaster's shoulders. Prior to removing his shirt, Benigni had already hijacked the opening credits of the news program, jumping behind the newscaster and announcing: "Berlusconi has resigned!" (Benigni is an outspoken critic of media tycoon and then former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.) The previous day, he had led a crowd of thousands in Rome on Friday in protest at the center-right government's decision to cut state arts funding by 35 percent.

 

On 2 February 2007, he was awarded the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa by the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. On 22 April 2008, the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa was conferred on him by the University of Malta, celebrated by a Settimana Dantesca including Benigni's first stage appearance at a university and the premiere of his performing with Dante scholar Robert Hollander.

 

Benigni has reportedly received offers to bring his Dante show to Broadway, all of which he has turned down.

 

TuttoDante

Benigni is an improvisatory poet (poesia estemporanea is a form of art popularly followed and practiced in Tuscany), appreciated for his explanation and recitations of Dante's Divina Commedia by memory. He has reached over 45% Italian households with his lectures on the Divine Comedy.

 

During 2006 and 2007, Benigni had a lot of success touring Italy with his 90-minute "one man show" show TuttoDante ("Everything About Dante"). Combining current events and memories of his past narrated with an ironic tone, Benigni then begins a journey of poetry and passion through the world of the Divine Comedy.

 

TuttoDante has been performed in numerous Italian piazzas, arenas, and stadiums for a total of 130 shows, with an estimated audience of about one million spectators. Over 10 million more spectators watched the TV show, Il V° canto dell’Inferno ("The 5th Song of Hell"), broadcast by Rai Uno on 29 November 2007, with re-runs on Rai International.

 

Benigni began North American presentations of TuttoDante with an announcement that he learned English to bring the gift of Dante's work to English speakers. The English performance incorporates dialectic discussion of language and verse and is a celebration of modernity and the concept of human consciousness as created by language.

 

Benigni brought "TuttoDante" to the United States, Canada and Argentina in the TuttoDante Tour between 2008-2009 with performances in San Francisco, Boston and Chicago. Benigni was feted in San Francisco at a special reception held by the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) in his honor in May 24, 2009. Following his U.S. premiere Benigni performed his last presentation in 16 June 2009, in Buenos Aires, Argentina where he was awarded as Honorary Citizen of the City of Buenos Aires in a ceremony held at the Legislative Palace of the City in homage to the notable Italian diaspora and culture in Argentina.

 

Other media

Roberto Benigni is also a singer-songwriter. Among his recorded performances are versions of Paolo Conte's songs.

 

Honors

In 1999, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.

 

Honorary degrees

Besides receiving many film awards, Benigni has received many honorary degrees from many universities around the world.

 

• 1999 – Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel.

• 2002 – Honorary Doctorate in Letters from the University of Bologna, Italy.

• 2003 – Honorary Degree in Psychology from the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.

• 2007 – Honorary Doctorate in Letters from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium.

• 2007 – Honorary Degree in Modern Philology from the University of Florence, Italy.

• 2008 – Honorary Doctorate in Letters from the University of Malta.

• 2008 – Honorary Degree in Communication Arts from the Touro University Rome, Zagarolo, Italy.

• 2012 – Honorary Degree in Modern Philology from the University of Calabria, Italy.

• 2012 – Honorary Doctorate in Letters from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.

Filmography (director)

Year	Film	Notes
1983	You Upset Me (Tu mi turbi)	also starred
1984	L'addio a Enrico Berlinguer
1985	Nothing Left To Do But Cry (Non ci resta che piangere)	also starred
1988	The Little Devil (Il piccolo diavolo)	also starred
1991	Johnny Toothpick (Johnny Stecchino)	also starred
1994	The Monster (Il mostro)	also starred
1997	Life Is Beautiful (La vita è bella)	also starred
2002	Pinocchio	also starred
2005	The Tiger and the Snow (La tigre e la neve)	also starred

 
Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1976	Onda Libera	Mario Cioni	Television show
1977	Berlinguer Ti Voglio Bene	Mario Cioni
1979	I giorni cantati
1979	Clair de Femme	Barman
1979	Seeking Asylum	Roberti
1979	La Luna	Upholsterer
1979	Tigers in Lipstick	Principal
1980	Pap'occhio, IlIl Pap'occhio	Benigni
1981	Minestrone, IlIl Minestrone	maestro, IlIl maestro	Grolla d'Oro for Best Actor
1981	Anche i ladri hanno un santo
1983	Effetti personali
1983	Tu mi Turbi	Benigno
1983	Tutto Benigni	Himself
1984	Non ci resta che piangere	Saverio	Also Director
1984	Cinématon	Himself
1986	Down by Law	Roberto	Nastro d'Argento Best Actor Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead
1988	The Little Devil	Giuditta	Also director David di Donatello for Best Actor
1990	voce della luna, LaLa voce della luna	Ivo Salvini
1991	Night on Earth	Driver (Rome)
1991	Johnny Stecchino	Dante, Johnny Stecchino	Also director Nastro d'Argento Best Actor David di Donatello for Best Actor
1993	Son of the Pink Panther	Jacques Gambrelli
1994	Monster, TheThe Monster	Loris	Also director Globo d'Oro Best Actor
1997	Life Is Beautiful	Guido Orefice	Best Actor Awards: Academy Award for Best Actor American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Ciak d'Oro Best Actor in a Leading Role David di Donatello for Best Actor European Film Award for Best Actor Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival Award for Best Actor Globo d'Oro Best Actor Grolla d'oro Best Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor Nastro d'Argento for Best Actor Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Nominated — Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated — Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screenplay and Directing Awards: Academy Award for Best Foreign Film American Film Institute Audience Award for Best Feature Film Athens International Film Festival Audience Award Australian Film Institute Best Foreign Film Award Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Best Foreign-Language Film Blue Ribbon Awards Best Foreign Language Film Grand Prix (Cannes Film Festival) César Awards Best Foreign Film Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Language Film Chlotrudis Award for Best Director David di Donatello for Best Director David di Donatello for Best Script David di Donatello for Best Film Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Language Film Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival Award Best Director Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival Award for Best Film German Film Awards Best Foreign Film Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Language Film Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Director Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Foreign Language Film Nastro d'Argento for Best Director Nastro d'Argento for Best Original Story Nastro d'Argento for Best Original Screenplay Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Foreign Language Film San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Foreign Language Film Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Language Film Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award Nominated — Academy Award for Best Director Nominated — Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) Nominated — Amanda Award Best Foreign Feature Film Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Film not in the English Language Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Film Nominated — Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film Nominated — Chlotrudis Award for Best Film Nominated — Chlotrudis Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated — Golden Palm Cannes Film Festival Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Foreign Language Film
1999	Asterix and Obelix vs Caesar	Lucius Detritus
2002	Roberto Benigni – Chaos With Method
2002	Pinocchio	Pinocchio	Also director Razzie Award for Worst Actor Nominated — David di Donatello for Best Actor Nominated — Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple(shared with Nicoletta Braschi) Nominated — Razzie Award for Worst Screenplay(shared with Vincenzo Cerami) Nominated — Razzie Award for Worst Director
2003	Coffee and Cigarettes	Roberto	segment "Strange to Meet You"
2005	The Tiger and the Snow	Attilio de Giovanni	Also director Nastro d'Argento Best Original Story Nominated — Nastro d'Argento Best Actor
2012	To Rome with Love (film)	Leopoldo Pisanello