Eduardo De Filippo

De Filippo was born in Naples on 26 May 1900. For many years, his birth date was mistakenly thought to be 24 May, but recent research in anagraphic books proved 26 to be the right date. Eduardo was the second son of playwright and actor Eduardo Scarpetta, the "king" of Neapolitan theatre, and theatre seamstress and costumier Luisa De Filippo.{{cite web == Career ==

Theatre Eduardo De Filippo first appeared on stage at the age of four. At 14, he became a professional actor in Scarpetta's company and played there until 1927. In 1925, the company played in Milan's Teatro Fossati where Eduardo di Filippo was spotted and then praised in a review by Renato Simoni, then the most influential critic of Italy. In 1931, Eduardo formed a theatre company with his brother Peppino and sister Titina, called Compagnia del Teatro Umoristico I De Filippo.{{cite web On 18 December 1972, he was honoured with the Antonio Feltrinelli Award for his lifelong contribution to theatrical arts. De Filippo was praised for his poetic approach and unique way of showing drama through comedy; for breaking the limits of a dialect and opening Neapolitan culture to the world. In January 1980, after several years of struggle, he finally opened his drama school in Florence. In 1981, for "highest achievements in the arts of theatre and literature", he was named senator for life by the President of the Italian Republic Sandro Pertini. In the same year, he was appointed to lead the 1981–82 course of Literature at the Theatre Institute in Rome. Cinema De Filippo first role in cinema was in Mario Bonnard's Tre uomini in frak. In 1950, De Filippo filmed Napoli milionaria (Side Street Story), based on his 1945 play. He also starred in De Sica's ''L'oro di Napoli with Totò and Sophia Loren in 1954. In 1964, Vittorio De Sica made Matrimonio all'Italiana (Marriage Italian Style'') based on De Filippo's play Filumena Marturano, where Filumena was portrayed by Sophia Loren.{{cite web In 1979, Laurence Olivier filmed Filumena with Frank Finlay and Joan Plowright in the lead roles. De Filippo was the one to discover the talent of Marina Confalone, in his theatre company she thrived into one of the best Italian actresses of her time.{{cite web == Personal life and death ==

De Filippo was married three times. His first wife was Dorothy Pennington, they married in 1928 and separated after a few months. In 1954, he married the actress Thea Prandi, with whom he already had two children: Luisa "Luisella" and Luca. Luisella played in her father's theatre and showed remarkable talent. The couple separated in 1959. In early 1960, on Christmas holidays Luisella, stayed with her mother and brother at the Savoia-Belvedere hotel near Rome. On 5 January 1960, she suddenly lost consciousness while playing and died suddenly from a cerebral haemorrhage. De Filippo was at the rehearsal when he got the news, he never fully recovered. Luisella was buried at Verano cemetery. Thea Prandi died in 1961 from a tumour.{{cite web In 1963, De Filippo lost his sister Titina after a long illness. In 1980, his brother Peppino died. Eduardo died of kidney failure on 31 October 1984, in Rome, at the age of 84. His artistic legacy was inherited by his son Luca. == Works ==

Theatre • Farmacia di turno (The All-night Chemist, 1920) • Uomo e galantuomo (Man and Gentleman, 1922) • ''*Requie a l'anema soja/I morti non fanno paura (May his soul rest'', 1926) • Ditegli sempre di sì (Always tell him "yes", 1927) • Filosoficamente (Philosophically, 1928) • ''Sik-sik, l'artefice magico (Sik-sik the magical maker'', 1929) • ''Chi è cchiu' felice 'e me (Who's Happier than Me?'', 1929) • ''Quei figuri di trent'anni fa (Those Dudes of 30 Years Ago'', 1929) • Ogni anno punto e da capo (Every Year Back from the Start, 1931) • ''È arrivato 'o trentuno (The 31st is Here'', 1931) • Natale in casa Cupiello (''Christmas at the Cupiello's'', 1931) • La voce del padrone/Il successo del giorno (Success of the Day, 1932) • Napoli milionaria (The Millions of Naples, 1945) • Filumena Marturano (1946) • Questi fantasmi (These Ghosts, 1946) • Le voci di dentro (Inner Voices, 1948) • La grande magia (The Great Magic, 1948) • La paura numero uno (The Greatest Fear, 1950) • Mia famiglia (Family of Mine, 1955) • Bene mio e core mio (My Heart, my Treasure, 1955) • De Pretore Vincenzo (Vincent De Pretore, 1957) • Sabato, domenica e lunedì (Saturday, Sunday and Monday, 1959) • Il sindaco del rione Sanità (Mayor of "Sanità" alley, 1961) • ''L'arte della commedia'' ("The Art of Comedy", 1964) • Il monumento (The Monument 1970) • Gli esami non finiscono mai (Exams never end, 1973) Filmography and Eduardo De Filippo in Side Street Story (1950) • Three Lucky Fools (1933) – Gilberto, l'impresario • The Three-Cornered Hat (1935) – Don Teofilo, il governatore • Those Two (1935) – Il professore • It Was I! (1937) – Giovannino Apicella • Una Commedia fra i pazzi (1937) • ''L'amor mio non muore!'' (1938) – Lorenzo, il finanziere • The Marquis of Ruvolito (1939) – Il marchese di Ruvolito • In the Country Fell a Star (1939) – Pasquale Montuori • Il sogno di tutti (1940) – Il professore scienziato • A che servono questi quattrini? (1942) – Il marchese Eduardo Parascandolo • Non ti pago! (1942) – Don Ferdinando Quagliolo • ''After Casanova's Fashion'' (1942) – Don Ferdinando • Non mi muovo! (1943) – Don Carlo Mezzetti • Il fidanzato di mia moglie (1943) – Gaspare Bellini • Ti conosco, mascherina! (I know you, little Mask!, 1943) – Carmine • Life Begins Anew (1945) – Il professore • Uno tra la folla (1946) – Paolo Bianchi • Assunta Spina (1948) – Michele Boccadifuoco • Alarm Bells (1949) – Don Andrea • Yvonne of the Night (1949) – L'avvocato Rubini • Napoli milionaria (Side Street Story, 1950) – Gennaro Iovine • Cameriera bella presenza offresi... (1951) – Raffaele, il professore di matematica • Filumena Marturano (1951) – Domenico Soriano • Three Girls from Rome (1952) – Vittorio • Un Ladro in paradiso (1952) • I sette peccati capitali ( Seven Deadly Sins, 1952) – Eduardo (segment "Avarice et la colère, L' / Avarice and Anger") • Altri tempi (1952) • Five Paupers in an Automobile (1952) – Eduardo Moschettone • Ragazze da marito (Girls to be married, 1952) – Oreste Mazzillo • Husband and Wife (1952) – Matteo Cuomo / Gennaro Imparato • Napoletani a Milano (Neapolitans in Milan, 1953) – Salvatore Aianello • ''Traviata '53'' (1953) – Commendator Cesati • It Happened in the Park (1953) – Donato Ventrella (segment: Il paraninfo) • 100 Years of Love (1954) – Soldier Vincenzo Pagliaro (segment "Purificazione") • Tempi nostri (1954) – Il conduttore • Questi fantasmi (These Ghosts, 1954) • The Gold of Naples (1954) – Don Ersilio Miccio (segment "Il professore") • Cortile (1955) – Luigi • La canzone del destino (1957) • Fortunella (Happy-go-lucky Girl, 1958) – Head of the Theater Company • ''L'amore più bello'' (1958) – Gennaro Esposito • Raw Wind in Eden (1958) – Urbano Varno • Ferdinando I, re di Napoli (1959) – Pulcinella • Il sogno di una notte di mezza sbornia (''A Midsummer's Hangover Dream'', 1959) – Pasquale Grifone • Everybody Go Home (1960) – Signor Innocenzi • Ghosts of Rome (1961) – Don Annibale, Principe di Roviano • The Shortest Day (1963) – Mafioso • Oggi, domani, dopodomani (Today, Tomorrow and the Day After, 1965) – Driver (segment "L'uomo dei 5 palloni") • Spara più forte, più forte... non capisco (''Shoot louder, I can't hear You'', 1966) – Zi Nicola • Ghosts – Italian Style (1966) • The Canterbury Tales – voice of the old man in the Pardoner's Tale == References ==