Villaggio, Paolo 1932-

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VILLAGGIO, Paolo 1932-

PERSONAL: Born December 31, 1932, in Genoa, Liguria, Italy.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Mondadori Libri, Via Mondadori 15, 37131 Verona, Italy.

CAREER: Actor, author and screenwriter. Actor in films, including Mangiala (also known as Eat It), 1968; (as Eddy) I quattro del pater noster (also known as In the Name of the Father), 1969; Il terribile ispettore, 1969; Pensando a te, Titanus, 1969; La torta in cielo (also known as Cake in the Sky), 1970; (as Thorz) Brancaeleone alle crociate (also known as Brancaleone at the Crusades), Titanus, 1970; (as Agostino Antoniucci) Senza famiglia, nullatenenti cercano affetto (also known as Without Family), 1972; Beati i ricchi, 1972; (as Don Albino Moncalieri) Che c'entriamano noi con la rivoluzione? (also known as What Am I Doing in the Middle of the Revolution?), 1973; (as CIA agent) Non toccare la donna bianca (also known as Don't Touch the White Woman!), Video Search of Miami, 1974; (as Giovanni Bonfiglio) Sistemo l'America e torno, (also known as Black Is Beautiful and I Fix America and Return), 1974; (as Checco "Biancone" Coniglio/the pimp) La mazurka del barone, della santa e del fico fiorone, 1974; Alla mia cara mamma nel giorno del suo compleanno, 1974; (as Ugo Fantozzi) Fantozzi (also known as White Collar Blues), 1975; (as Dante Bompazzi) Di che segno sei? 1975; (as Robi) Il Signore Robinson, monstruosa storia d'amore e d'avventure (also known as Mr. Robinson), 1976; (as Schmidt) Signore e signori, buonanotte (also known as Goodnight, Ladies and Gentlemen), 1976; (as Gio Batta/Superman Italiano) Quelle strane occasioni (also known as Strange Occasion), 1976; (as Ugo Fantozzi) Il secondo tragico Fantozzi, 1976; Tre tigri contro tre tigri (also known as Three Tigers against Three Tigers), 1977; (as Guido) Il belpaese, 1977; (as Della Spignola) Io tigro, tu tigri, egli tigra, 1978; (as Kranz) Professor Kranz tedesco di Germania, Gold Film, 1978; (as Wilson/Arturo) Dove vai in vacanza? (also known as Where Are You Going on Holiday?), 1978; (as Rag. Arturo De Fanti) Rag. Arturo de Fanti, bancario—precario (also known as The Precarious Bank Teller), 1979; (as Dr. Jekyll) Dottor Jekyll e gentile signora (also known as Dr. Jekyll Likes Them Hot and Jekyll Junior), Video Search of Miami, 1979; (as Marchese di Forlipopoli) La Locandiera (also known as Mirandolina), 1980; (as Ugo Fantozzi) Fantozzi contro tutti (also known as Fantozzi against the Wind), 1980; (as Giandomenico Fracchia/la Belva Umana) Fracchia la belva umana, 1981; (as Don Pepe Alletto) Il Turno, 1981; Pappa e ciccia, 1982; (as Leo) Bonnie e Clyde all'italiana (also known as Bonnie and Clyde Italian Style), 1982; (as Paolo Coniglio) Sogni mostruosamente proibiti, 1983; (as Ugo Fantozzi) Fantozzi subisce ancora, 1983; (as Gino Sciaccaluga) A tu per tu, 1984; (as Ugo Fantozzi) Superfantozzi, 1985; (as Paolo Casarotti) I Pompieri, 1986; (as Giandomenico Fracchia) Fracchia contro Dracula, 1985; (as Robot) Grandi Magazzini (also known as Department Store), 1986; (as Dalmazio Siraghi) Scuola di ladri—parte seconda, 1987; Roba di ricchi, 1987; (as Gildo Morelli) Rimini Rimini, 1987; (as Paolo Casalotti) Missione Eroica. I pompiere 2, 1987; (as Ugo Maria Volpone) Il Volpone (also known as The Big Fox), 1988; (as Ugo Fantozzi) Fantozzi va in pensione, 1988; (as Doctor Zappi) Come è dura l'avventura, 1988; (as Gonella) La voce della luna (also known as The Voice of the Moon), 1989; (as Paolo Ciottoli) Ho vinto la lotteria di Capodanno, 1989; (as Ugo Fantozzi) Fantozzi alla riscossa (also known as Fantozzi colpisce ancora), 1990; (as Paolo) Le comiche (also known as The Comics), 1990; (as Paolo) Le Comiche 2 (also known as The Comics 2), 1992; (as Marco Sperelli) Io speriamo che me la cavo (also known as Ciao, Professore! and Me Let's Hope I Make It), Miramax, 1993; (as Colonel Procolo) Il segreto del bosco vecchio (also known as The Secret of the Old Woods), 1993; (as Ugo Fantozzi) Fantozzi in paradiso (also known as Fantozzi in Heaven), 1993; Le nuove comiche, 1994; (as Dieci) Cari fottutissimi amici (also known as Dear Goddamned Friends), 1994; (as Billy Bolla) Palla di neve (also known as Snowball), 1995; (as Sergio Colombo) Io no spik inglish, 1995; (as Loris Bianchi) Camerieri (also known as Waiters, 1995; (as Ugo Fantozzi) Fantozzi—Il ritomo, Italian International Film, 1996; Il caso Kappa (also known as The Strange Case of Mr. K), 1996; (as Sergio Colombo) Banzai, Italian International Film, 1997; (as Gino) Un bugiardo in paradiso, Cecchi Gori Group, 1998; (as Gino) Per motivi di famiglia, 1998; (as Ugo Fantozzi) Fantozzi 2000-la clonazione, 1999; (as Guiseppe De Metrio) Azzurro, 2000; (as Doctor Cagnano) Denti (also known as Teeth), Cecchi Gori Distribuzione, 2000; (as Grossvater) Heidi, 2001; (as Gaio) San Giovanni—L'apocalisse (also known as The Apocalypse), 2002; and (as Don Eugenio) Hermano, 2003.

Actor in television programs, including Sogni e bisogni (miniseries), 1984; Angelo di seconda classe (series), 1999; (as Giovanni) Carabinieri (series), 2002; and (as Don Abbondio) Renzo e Lucia (made-for-television movie), 2003. Director of film Fantozzi contro tutti, 1980.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

Fantozzi, Rizzoli (Milan, Italy), 1971.

Il secondo tragico libro di Fantozzi, Rizzoli (Milan, Italy), 1974.

Le lettere di Fantozzi, Rizzoli (Milan, Italy), 1976.

Fantozzi contro tutti, Rizzoli (Milan, Italy), 1979.

Fantozzi subisce ancora, Rizzoli (Milan, Italy), 1983.

Caro direttore, ci scrivo: Rag. Ugo Fantozzi: lettere del tragico ragioniere, Mondadori (Milan, Italy), 1993.

Fantozzi saluta e se ne va: le ultime lettere del rag. Ugo Fantozzi, Mondadori (Milan, Italy), 1994.

Vita, morte e miracoli di un pezzo di merda, Mondadori (Milan, Italy), 2002.

SCREENPLAYS

(With Franco Castellano, Sergio Corbucci, and Giuseppe Moccia) Il Signor Robinson, mostruosa storia d'amore e d'avventure also known as Mr. Robinson), 1976.

(With Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi, and Luciano Salce) Il secondo tragico Fantozzi, 1976.

(With Franco Castellano, Giuseppe Moccia, and Luciano Salce) Il Belpaese, 1977.

(With others) Superfantozzi, 1985.

(With Franco Marotta, Neri Parenti, and Laura Toscano) Fracchia contro Dracula, 1985.

(With others) Fantozzi alla riscossa (also known as Fantozzi colpisce ancora), 1990.

(With others) Fantozzi in paradiso (also known as Fantozzi in Heaven), 1993.

(With others) Fantozzi—Il ritorno, 1996.

ADAPTATIONS: Villaggio's novel Fantozzi was adapted into a screenplay by Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero de Bernardi, and Luciano Salce.

SIDELIGHTS: Italian comic actor Paolo Villaggio is best known for creating the character Ugo Fantozzi, a hapless, put-upon office worker. Fantozzi first appeared in a novel of the same name by Villaggio in 1971, and four years later, a low-budget film based on the novel and starring Villaggio as Fantozzi became a surprise hit and spawned an ongoing series. Throughout the Fantozzi films and novels, Fantozzi struggles against the myriad insults of life but never really overcomes them, giving the stories a biting sense of black humor.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Steward, John, Italian Film: A Who's Who, McFarland & Co. (Jefferson, NC), 1994.

PERIODICALS

Christian Science Monitor, February 2, 1995, David Sterritt, review of Ciao, Professore! p. 10.

New York Times, January 6, 1995, Caryn James, review of Ciao, Professore! pp. B10, D15.

Variety, December 3, 1980, review of La locandiera, p. 26; December 17, 1980, review of Fantozzi contro tutti, pp. 17-18; December 26, 1984, review of A tu per tu, p. 14; January 17, 2000, Deborah Young, review of Fantozzi 2000: The Cloning, p. 53; September 18, 2000, David Rooney, review of Teeth, p. 36.