Totò Biography

Totò was the stage name of Antonio de Curtis (born AntonioClemente, February 15, 1898, Naples - April 15, 1967, Rome), a Neapolitanactor, writer, and songwriter.Totò was born in the rione Sanità, a poor area of Naples where he met manyfamous artists.In 1922 he moved to Rome, where he had his first appearances in biggertheatres; in 1937 he appeared in his first movie, Hands Off Me!, and went onto appear in over 100 films, many of which contained gags later absorbed inthe Italian phraseology.Some of his most famous movies are Toto and the Women, Poverty and Nobility,Big Deal on Madonna Street, The Thieves, Toto and Cleopatra and Hawks andSparrows.Totò's strange figure, with the peculiar irregular face, soon became verypopular and his comic gags were widely appreciated.It was with Pier Paolo Pasolini's Hawks and Sparrows a first acknowledgmentof his talent, later better understood. He had lost part of his eyesight, andhad started to compose poetry.In the artistic milieu he was nicknamed "il Principe" (the prince) and wasfamous for his generous spirit: having personally suffered poverty, healways tried to help and protect poorer colleagues.He died on April 15, 1967, in Rome, Italy after a series of heart attacks,at the age of 69.