Gino Cervi

Luigi "Gino" Cervi (; 3 May 1901 – 3 January 1974) was an Italian actor. He was best known for portraying Peppone in a series of comedies based on the character Don Camillo (1952–1965), and police detective Jules Maigret on the television series Le inchieste del commissario Maigret (1964–1972).

Life and career Cervi was born in Bologna as Luigi Cervi. His father was Antonio Cervi, a theatre critic for Il Resto del Carlino. His family held close ties to the town of Casalbuttano ed Uniti, where the elder Cervi would eventually be buried. thumb

He was best known for his role of Giuseppe Bottazzi ("Peppone"), the Communist mayor in the Don Camillo movies of the 1950s and the 1960s. He shared great understanding and friendship with co-star Fernandel during the 15 years playing their respective roles in Don Camillo movies. He was a stage actor, particularly known for his interpretations of Shakespeare, and co-founded the Teatro Eliseo's stable company with Paolo Stoppa and Rina Morelli in 1939.

Toward the end of his career he played Commissioner Maigret for eight years in the Italian TV adaptation of the series of crime novels by Georges Simenon, Le inchieste del commissario Maigret (1964–1972), during which he also starred in a spin-off movie Maigret a Pigalle (1966), produced by his son Tonino Cervi.

Cervi was also a voice actor, and dubbed into Italian the films of Laurence Olivier (Henry V, 1944; Hamlet, 1948; Richard III, 1955), Orson Welles, Clark Gable (It Happened One Night, 1934), and James Stewart (Harvey, 1950). He dubbed Alec Guinness' voice in the Italian version of Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972) and Charles Boyer in Lucky to Be a Woman (1956).

Personal life In 1928, Cervi married actress Ninì Gordini and they had a son, Tonino Cervi. He later became the grandfather of actress Valentina Cervi and producer Antonio Levesi Cervi.

He was initiated to the Italian Scottish Rite Freemasonry in the Lodge "Palingenesi" (Rome, 1946) and later he joined the Lodge "Galvani" in Bologna.

As a young adult, Cervi was a supporter of the Fascist Party and participated in the March on Rome. His political alignment changed during World War II, when he openly denounced Fascism and far-right politics in general. He supported the Christian Democrats during the 1968 general election, and later joined the Italian Liberal Party, winning an election as councilor for the Lazio region.

Death Cervi died in Punta Ala in 1974.

Selected filmography

The Blue Fleet (1932) Frontiere (1934) The Two Sergeants (1936) - Commander Federico Martelli / Sergeant Guglielmo Salvoni Aldebaran (1936) - Cmdr. Corrado Valeri Amore (1936) - Paolo Venieri Gli uomini non sono ingrati (1937) - Ferencz Korvat I Want to Live with Letizia (1938) - Bebe L'argine (1938) - Zvanì Ettore Fieramosca (1938) - Ettore Fieramosca Inventiamo l'amore (1938) - Carlo Morelli The Sons of the Marquis Lucera (1939) - Ermanno Un'avventura di Salvator Rosa (1939) - Salvador Rosa, il "Formica" The Sinner (1940) - Alberto A Romantic Adventure (1940) - Luigi Eternal Melodies (1940) - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Il sogno di tutti (1940) - Baby's fathe The Iron Crown (1941) - King Sedemondo of Kindaor The Betrothed (1941) - Renzo Tramaglino L'ultimo addio (1942) - Doctor Gino Landi The Queen of Navarre (1942) - Carlo Vº Don Cesare di Bazan (1942) - Don Cesare of Bazan Torrents of Spring (1942) - Francesco Fourth Page (1942) - Former inmate Four Steps in the Clouds (1942) - Paolo Bianchi Gente dell'aria (1943) - Captain Pietro Sandri Sad Loves (1943) - Giulio Scarli I'll Always Love You (1943) - Mario Fabbrini The Innkeeper (1944) - The poet Vivere ancora (1945) Quartetto pazzo (1945) - Roberto What a Distinguished Family (1945) - Michele Montischi My Widow and I (1945) - Mr. Guglielmi His Young Wife (1945) - Knight Commander Francesco Battilocchio Un uomo ritorna (1946) - Sergio Tibaldi Malìa (1946) - Don Alfonso L'angelo e il diavolo (1946) - Giulio Serra Black Eagle (1946) - Kirila Petrovic Umanità (1946) Crime News (1947) Fury (1947) - Oreste Daniele Cortis (1947) - Elena's husband I miserabili (1948) - Jean Valjean Anna Karenina (1948) - Enrico Fabiola (1949) - Quadratus William Tell (1949) - William Tell The Flame That Will Not Die (1949) - Luigi Manfredi The Bride Can't Wait (1949) - Anselmo Brunelli Yvonne of the Night (1949) - Colonnel Baretti Il cielo è rosso (1950) The Cliff of Sin (1950) - Silvano Women Without Names (1950) - MP Sergeant Pietro Zanini Story of a Love Affair (1950) Red Seal (1950) Il caimano del Piave (1951) - Colonel of Torrebruna The Forbidden Christ (1951) - The Sexton Cameriera bella presenza offresi... (1951) - Filiberto 'Berto' Morucchi O.K. Nerone (1951) - Nero Hello Elephant (1952) - Narrator Don Camillo (1952) - Giuseppe 'Peppone' Bottazzi Wife For a Night (1952) - Count D'Origo Three Forbidden Stories (1952) - Prof. Aragona (Third segment) The Queen of Sheba (1952) - King Solomon of Jerusalem La scogliera del peccato (1952) The Lady Without Camelias (1953) - Ercole 'Ercolino' Borra Terminal Station (1953) - Police commissioner The Return of Don Camillo (1953) - Giuseppe 'Peppone' Bottazzi Nero and the Burning of Rome (1953) - Nero The Three Musketeers (1953) - Porthos The Lady of the Camellias (1953) - Monsieur Duval Cavallina storna (1953) - Ruggero Pascoli Royal Affairs in Versailles (1954) - Cagliostro Maddalena (1954) - Don Vincenzo Cardinal Lambertini (1954) - Cardinal Lambertini A Free Woman (1954) - Knight Commander Massimo Marchi La grande avventura (1954) Farewell, My Beautiful Lady (1954) - Count Riccardo Salluzzo Frou-Frou (1955) - Prince Vladimir Bilinsky Non c'è amore più grande (1955) Don Camillo's Last Round (1955) - Giuseppe 'Peppone' Bottazzi Il coraggio (1955) - Comm. Aristide Paoloni Wild Love (1956) - Sor Cesare Guardia, guardia scelta, brigadiere e maresciallo (1956) - Marshall Beatrice Cenci (1956) - Francesco Cenci Wives and Obscurities (1956) - John Cattabriga Desert Warrior (1957) - Ibrahim Trapped in Tangier (1957) - Prof. Bolevasco Le belle dell'aria (1957) - Don Fogazza Amore e chiacchiere (Salviamo il panorama) (1958) - Paseroni El pasado te acusa (1958) - Comisario (1958) - Vitalis The Naked Maja (1958) - King Carlos IV of Spain Nel Segno di Roma (1959) - Aurelianus - Emperor of Rome The Big Chief (1959) - Paulo The Black Chapel (1959) - Police commissioner Ferrari Vacations in Majorca (1959) - André Breton The Employee (1960) - King Lear (uncredited) David and Goliath (1960) - King Saul (voice, uncredited) Siege of Syracuse (1960) - Gerome Mistress of the World (1960) - Professor Johanson Long Night in 1943 (1960) - Carlo Aretusi aka "Sciagura" Le olimpiadi dei mariti (1960) - Director of the newspaper Femmine di lusso (1960) - Comm. Lemeni, Ugo's father The Revolt of the Slaves (1960) - Fabio Un figlio d'oggi (1961) - Andrea The Joy of Living (1961) - Olinto Fossati Don Camillo: Monsignor (1961) - Giuseppe 'Peppone' Bottazzi The Orderly (1961) - Major Penna Ten Italians for One German (1962) - Duke Alfonso di San Severino Roaring Years (1962) - Podestà Salvatore Acquamano La monaca di Monza (1962) - Cardinale Borromeo Le Crime ne paie pas (1962) - L'inquisiteur (segment "Le masque") The Changing of the Guard (1962) - Mario Vinicio Avventura al motel (1963) - Knight Commander The Shortest Day (1963) - Colonel Daini The Eye of the Needle (1963) - D'Angelo - lawyer Gli onorevoli (1963) - Senator Rossani Braschi Le Bon Roi Dagobert (1963) - Le ministre saint-eloi Full Hearts and Empty Pockets (1964) - Botta Becket (1964) - the Cardinal / Cardinal Zambelli Don Camillo in Moscow (1965) - Giuseppe 'Peppone' Bottazzi Maigret a Pigalle (1966) - Jules Maigret Gli altri, gli altri... e noi (1967) (1972) - Don Lino Uccidere in silenzio (1972) - Nono Devoto I racconti romani di una ex novizia (1973) - (final film role)