Vittorio Gassman, born Vittorio Gassmann, was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the greatest Italian actors of all time. His filmography includes over 100 films, spanning from 1940 to 2002.
Gassman was born in Genoa, Italy, on September 1, 1922. His parents were of German and Italian descent. He had two brothers, one of whom died in infancy. Gassman’s father was a doctor. His mother died when he was two years old.
Gassman was educated at the prestigious Liceo classico Cavour in Turin. He later studied at the University of Rome, where he earned a degree in literature.
Gassman’s acting career began in 1940, when he made his film debut in the comedy La cena delle beffe (The Feast of Fools). He went on to appear in a number of Italian films throughout the 1940s and 1950s.
In 1951, Gassman made his stage debut in the play La locandiera (The Landlady), which was a huge success. He went on to star in a number of other successful stage productions, including I quattro rusteghi (The Four Rustics) and Il berretto a sonagli (The Noise-maker’s Hat).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-yZUU7NSz0
Gassman’s film career reached new heights in the 1960s with his performances in the films La dolce vita (1960), L’armata Brancaleone (1966), and Blow-Up (1966). He won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for his performance in L’armata Brancaleone.
In the 1970s, Gassman continued to appear in both films and television shows. He had a leading role in the miniseries Jesus of Nazareth (1977) and won a Golden Globe Award for his performance in the film A Bridge Too Far (1977).
Gassman’s later film roles include those in La notte di San Lorenzo (1982), Il muro di gomma (1984), and La piovra (1984). He also appeared in several American films, such as The Godfather Part III (1990) and The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999).
Gassman was married three times and had four children. His first wife was the actress Stefania Sandrelli, with whom he had two sons. His second wife was the actress Florinda Bolkan, with whom he had a daughter. His third wife was the actress Alessandra Martines, with whom he had a son.
Gassman died of a heart attack on June 29, 2000, at the age of 77.
Alessandro Gassmann, Paola Gassman, Vittoria Gassman, Jacopo Gassman
Parents
Heinrich Gassmann, Luisa Ambron
Accomplishments
Awards
Cannes Best Actor Award, David di Donatello for Best Actor, Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, David di Donatello Special Award, David di Donatello Special Plate Award, David di Donatello Golden Medal of the Minister of Tourism Award, Honorary Molière Award, David di Donatello International Thea...
Nominations
Strega Prize
Movies
Il Sorpasso, Big Deal on Madonna Street, Bitter Rice, Scent of a Woman, Sleepers, We All Loved Each Other So Much, The Great War, For Love and Gold, War and Peace, Opiate '67, Quintet, Rhapsody, Sharky's Machine, Viva Italia!, Barabbas, Love and Larceny, Life Is a Bed of Roses, The Tiger and the Pus...
From 1961 until 1963 he was the partner of actress Annette Stroyberg.
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His mother, Luisa Ambron, from Pisa, Tuscany, was an Italian Jew. His father, Heinrich Gassmann, was German, from Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
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Studied acting at the Accademia Nazionale d'Arte Drammatica in Rome.
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In his public appearances, he often criticized moderated cultural positions and gained some enemies in the world of art for his frank judgments.
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Became widely popular with Luchino Visconti's theater company, performing in important plays such as Tennessee Williams' "Un tram che si chiama desiderio" (A Streetcar Named Desire) or William Shakespeare's "Rosalinda".
Founded and ran for years one of the most select acting schools.
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The standard joke on him was that he had such an interesting, flexible voice (and such an outstanding acting ability) that he could have made everything he read entertaining and intense. In mid-90s, a satirical show on Italy national TV gave him a 2 minutes space (named "Gassman Legge", literally "Gassman Reads") where he just "acted" few lines from banal, utterly non-poetic texts, e.g. the Yellow Pages, a blood test report, a telephone bill, the classifieds page in a local newspaper and so on. The segment was a success.
Pictures
Movies
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Inferno by Dante
2017
post-production
Dante - Italian Recitation (voice)
La bomba
1999
Don Vito Bracalone
La cena
1998
Maestro Pezzullo
Un homme digne de confiance
1997
TV Movie
Adriano Venturi
Il deserto di fuoco
1997
TV Mini-Series
Tarek
Sleepers
1996
King Benny
Once a Year, Every Year
1994
Giuseppe
Abraham
1993
TV Mini-Series
Terah
Ulisse e la balena bianca
1993
TV Movie
Achab
Quando eravamo repressi
1992
The Sexologist
El largo invierno
1992
Claudio
Rossini! Rossini!
1991
Ludwig van Beethoven (uncredited)
I divertimenti della vita privata
1990
Marquis
Il giudice istruttore
1990
TV Series
Consigliere Istruttore
Les 1001 nuits
1990
Sinbad
Tolgo il disturbo
1990
Augusto Scribani
Dimenticare Palermo
1990
Il Principe
The Sleazy Uncle
1989
Uncle Luca
Mortacci
1989
Domenico
L'altro enigma
1988
TV Movie
Il padre / Sofocle
I picari
1987
Marchese Felipe de Aragona
The Family
1987
Carlo, as a man / Carlo's grandfather
Big Deal After 20 Years
1985
Peppe il pantera
Paradigma
1985
Gottfried
Benvenuta
1983
Livio Carpi
Life Is a Bed of Roses
1983
Walter Guarini
Il conte Tacchia
1982
Prince Torquato Terenzi
Tempest
1982
Alonzo
Sharky's Machine
1981
Victor Scorelli
Il turno
1981
Ciro Coppa
Camera d'albergo
1981
Achille Mengaroni
The Nude Bomb
1980
Sauvage
Nino Salvatori Sebastiani
La terrazza
1980
Mario
Due pezzi di pane
1979
Pippo Mif
Caro pap
1979
Albino Millozza
Quintet
1979
St. Christopher
A Wedding
1978
Luigi Corelli
Viva Italia!
1977
Il cardinale (segment "Tantum ergo") / Il cameriere (segment "Hostaria") / Il marito (segment "Sequestro di persona cara") / ...
Anima persa
1977
Fabio Stolz
Il deserto dei tartari
1976
Colonel Giovanbattista Filimore
Signore e signori, buonanotte
1976
CIA agent / Tuttumpezzo
Come una rosa al naso
1976
Anthony M. Wilson
The Career of a Chambermaid
1976
Franco Denza
The Immortal Bachelor
1975
Andrea Sansoni
We All Loved Each Other So Much
1974
Gianni Perego
Scent of a Woman
1974
Il capitano Fausto Consolo
La Tosca
1973
Scarpia
What Am I Doing in the Middle of the Revolution
1972
Guido Guidi
L'udienza
1972
Principe Donati
Senza famiglia, nullatenenti cercano affetto
1972
Armando Zavanatti
In nome del popolo italiano
1971
Lorenzo Santenocito
Scipione detto anche l'africano
1971
Catone il Censore
Brancaleone alle Crociate
1970
Brancaleone da Norcia
L'uomo dal fiore in bocca
1970
TV Short
L'uomo dal fiore
Il divorzio
1970
Leonardo Nenci
Contestazione generale
1970
Riccardo
L'arcangelo
1969
Furio Bertuccia
12 + 1
1969
Mario Beretti
Dove vai tutta nuda?
1969
Rufus Conforti
L'alibi
1969
Vittorio
La pecora nera
1968
Mario Agasti / Filippo Agasti
Il profeta
1968
Pietro Breccia
Catch As Catch Can
1968
Bob Chiaramonte
Questi fantasmi
1967
Pasquale Lojacono
Woman Times Seven
1967
Cenci (segment "Two Against One")
The Tiger and the Pussycat
1967
Francesco Vincenzini
The Devil in Love
1966
Belfagor
Le piacevoli notti
1966
Bastiano da Sangallo
L'armata Brancaleone
1966
Brancaleone da Norcia
A Maiden for the Prince
1966
Principe don vincenzo gonzaga
Slalom
1965
Lucio Ridolfi
The Secret Agents
1965
Perego / Ferrari (French)
La congiuntura
1964
Giuliano
Il gaucho
1964
Marco Ravicchio
Let's Talk About Women
1964
Stranger / Practical Joker / Client / ...
Frenesia dell'estate
1964
Captain Mario Nardoni
I mostri
1963
The Actor (segment "La Raccomandazione") / Policeman (segment "Il Mostro") / Favilla (segment "Presa dalla Vita") / ...