Born in
La Spezia, at the age of 17, Pagni started attending the
Silvio d'Amico National Academy of Dramatic Arts in
Rome and then went back to
Genoa and played roles in works by
William Shakespeare,
Molière,
Eugene O'Neill,
Luigi Pirandello and more. As a film actor, Pagni has appeared in more than 30 films since 1964. He is well known for his collaboration with
Lina Wertmüller in films such as
Love and Anarchy,
Swept Away and
All Screwed Up and for his minor role in
Dario Argento's
Deep Red. He and all the cast of
Ettore Scola's
The Dinner received the
Nastro d'Argento Award for Best Supporting Actor. Occasionally, Pagni also serves as a voice actor. He is notable for having dubbed in Italian actors like
R. Lee Ermey in
Full Metal Jacket and
Christopher Lee in
Gremlins 2: The New Batch and animated characters such as
Judge Claude Frollo from
The Hunchback of Notre Dame and
Master Shifu in the
Kung Fu Panda film series. ==Selected filmography==