With numerous film awards and as many nominations, Diego Abatantuono conquered the public with his comic and dramatic parts. Here is the story of the well-known Italian actor capable of playing extremely varied roles.
Who is Diego Abatantuono
Diego Abatantuono (Milan, 20 May 1955) is an Italian actor, director and TV presenter. He grew up in the Lombard capital with his shoemaker father and costume designer mother at the Derby Club, a well-known club in the city of Milan. This is owned by the uncles and therefore from childhood it is placed in this world where attends cabaret and show business background. He began working as a lighting technician during his high school years, and then left with the group of “I Gatti di Vicolo Mircoli” in their evenings.
He is passionate about comedy and creates with Giorgio Porcaro the caricature of the southern man who moved to the Milanese metropolis. Together with the well-known comedians Massimo Boldi, Giorgio Faletti, Enzo Jannacci, Beppe Viola, Mauro Di Francesco and Ernst Thole the well-known “Repellent Group” which presents the show “La Upholstery” around.
Career and success of Diego Abatantuono
It approaches the world of cinema making himself noticed by Romolo Guerrieri, director who proposes him a part in his film “Liberi armed dangerous”.
After this debut takes part in a series of plays including “Lend me your wife”, “Fantozzi against all”, “Saxofone” and “Il pap’occhio” where he collaborates with Roberto Benigni, Isabella Rossellini, Renzo Arbore and many others. He then gets his first part as the protagonist in “The tango of jealousy” project of 1981 which sees him alongside Monica Vitti.
With the character emphasizing the southern features he then gets a contract with Carlo Vanzina for parts in “The cats are coming”, “A bestial holiday”, “I fichissimi” and “Eccezzziunale… really”. There will be many other projects in collaboration with the director that are, however, set aside in favor of more dramatic roles in the world of theater.
He then founds the “Colorado Film”, his production house with which he realizes well-known projects together with directors Giuseppe Bortolucci and Gabriele Salvatores that give him real notoriety. With “Mediterraneo”, created by the latter, they also get the Oscar for best foreign film in 1992. He then returned over the years to alternate more comic parts with other more dramatic ones, obtaining enormous success.
Diego Abatantuono and the projects on television
In addition to the very long filmography made over the years, Abtantuono also dedicates himself to various projects. For example, he collaborates with Elio e le Storie Tese in some pieces of his album Italyan, Rum Casusu Çikti. He also realizes, and briefly leads, the program “Colorado Cafe” broadcast on Italia 1. The success of the program leads them to make numerous editions in which we see the conducting well-known faces like Andrea Appi, Rossella Brescia or Nino Frassica.
He takes over the management in 2014 together with Chiara Francini with whom he celebrates the ten years of transmission celebrating the names that have made the history of the program. However, this is not the only project that sees him on the small screen because for two years takes part in the fiction “The judge Mastrangelo” aired on Canale 5. He also takes part as a juror in the program “Truly exceptional” and as a conductor of “Enjoy – Laughing is good” together with Diana Del Bufalo.