Totò

Totò was born Antonio Clemente in a poor district of Naples the illegitimate son of Anna Clemente from Sicily and Marquis Giuseppe De Curtis from Naples Nicknamed il principe della risata the prince of laughter he was an Italian comedian film and theatre actor writer singer and songwriter and widely considered one of the greatest Italian artists of the 20th century  While he first gained his popularity as a comic actor his dramatic roles poetry and songs are all of cultural import his style and a number of his recurring jokes and gestures have become universally known memes in Italy As a comic actor Totò is classified as an heir of the Commedia dellArte tradition and has been compared to such figures as Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin  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 Marcos characters He served in the army during World War I and then went back to acting to develop the trademarks of his style    In 1937 he appeared in his first movie Fermo con le mani and later starred in 96 more films many of which are still frequently broadcast on Italian television In his vast cinematographic career Totò had the opportunity to act side by side with virtually all major Italian actors of the time Totòs unmistakable figure with his peculiarly irregular face due to an accident in his teen years and his unique trademark ability to disarticulate his body like a marionette soon became very popular and his comic gags became part of the Italian culture Totò died at the age of 69 in Rome after a series of heart attacks Due to overwhelming popularity there were three funeral services the first in Rome and the second and third in Naples Totòs birth home has been recently opened to the public as a museum