Ugo Tognazzi

Ottavio "Ugo" Tognazzi (23 March 1922 – 27 October 1990) was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter.

He is considered one of the most important faces of Italian comedy together with Vittorio Gassman, Nino Manfredi, Marcello Mastroianni, and Alberto Sordi.

Early life Tognazzi was born in Cremona in northern Italy but spent his youth in various localities as his father was a travelling clerk for an insurance company.

After his return to his native city in 1936 he worked in a cured meats production plant where he achieved the position of accountant. During World War II he was inducted into the Army and returned home after the Armistice of 8 September 1943, and joined the Black Brigades for a while. His passion for theater and acting dates from his early years, and also during the conflict when he organized shows for his fellow soldiers. In 1945, he moved to Milan, where he was enrolled in the theatrical company led by Wanda Osiris. A few years later, he formed his own successful musical revue company.

Career In 1950, Tognazzi made his cinematic debut in The Cadets of Gascony directed by Mario Mattoli. The following year, he met Raimondo Vianello, with whom he formed a successful comedy duo for the new-born RAI TV (1954–1960).

He was a well-known actor in Italy and starred in several important international films, which brought him fame in other parts of the world.

Roger Vadim cast Tognazzi as Mark Hand, the Catchman, in Barbarella (1968). He rescues Barbarella (Jane Fonda) from the biting dolls she encounters, and after her rescue, he requests payment by asking her to have sex with him (the "old-fashioned" way, not the psycho-cardiopathic way of their future).

In 1981, he won the Best Male Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival for Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. While he worked primarily in Italian cinema, Tognazzi is perhaps best remembered for his role as Renato Baldi, the gay owner of a St. Tropez nightclub, in the 1978 French comedy La Cage aux Folles, which became the highest grossing foreign film ever released in the U.S.

Personal life and death Tognazzi had various relationships during his life. He was married to actresses Margarete Robsahm and later Franca Bettoia. He had four children from three different women: his sons Ricky Tognazzi (born 1955) and Gianmarco Tognazzi (born 1967) are actors; another son, Thomas Robsahm (born 1964), is a Norwegian film director and producer; his daughter, Maria Sole Tognazzi (born 1971), is also a film director.

Tognazzi died of a brain hemorrhage in Rome on 27 October 1990. He was 68. There were rumors that his chronic depression led to suicide. Weak Spot (1975) as Georgis My Friends (1975) as Lello Mascetti Duck in Orange Sauce (1975) as Livio Stefani Al piacere di rivederla (1976) as Mario Aldara The Career of a Chambermaid (1976) as Adelmo Evil Thoughts (1976) as Mario Marani Goodnight, Ladies and Gentlemen (1976) as General in Toilet The Bishop's Bedroom (1977) as Temistocle Mario Orimbelli Beach House (1977) as Alfredo Cerquetti The Cat (1977) as Amedeo Pecoraro I nuovi mostri (1977) as Il marito (segment "L'uccellino della Val Padana") / Il cuoco (segment "Hostaria") / Il figlio (segment "Mammina mammona") Nenè (1977) as 'Baffo' - the barber (uncredited) The Payoff (1978) as Il commissario Assenza First Love (1978) as Ugo La Cage aux Folles (1978) as Renato Baldi Where Are You Going on Holiday? (1978) as Enrico (segment "Sarò tutta per te") Traffic Jam (1979) as Professor I viaggiatori della sera (1979) as Orso Banti I'm Photogenic (1980) as Himself (uncredited) La terrazza (1980) as Amedeo Arrivano i bersaglieri (1980) as Don Prospero Sunday Lovers (1980) as Armando (segment "Armando's Notebook") La Cage aux Folles II (1980) as Renato Baldi Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man (1981) as Primo Spaggiari Scusa se è poco (1982) as Carlo Reani All My Friends Part 2 (1982) as Conte Raffaello Mascetti The Key (1983) as Un ubriaco (cameo) A Joke of Destiny (1983) as On. Vincenzo De Andreiis Petomaniac (1983) as Joseph Pujol Dagobert (1984) as La pape Honorius et son sosie Bertoldo, Bertoldino e Cacasenno (1984) as Bertoldo Fatto su misura (1984) as Dottor Nathan La Cage aux folles 3 - 'Elles' se marient (1985) as Renato Baldi Amici miei – Atto III (1985) as Lello Mascetti The Last Minute (1987) as Walter Ferroni Arrivederci e grazie (1988) as Carlo Days of Inspector Ambrosio (1988) as Giulio Ambrosio Tolérance (1989) as Marmant The Battle of the Three Kings (1990) as Carlo di Palma

Director Il mantenuto (1961) Il fischio al naso (1967) Dismissed on His Wedding Night (1968) Cattivi pensieri (1976) I viaggiatori della sera (1979)