Christian De Sica
Encyclopedia
Christian De Sica (ˈkristjan de ˈsiːka) (born 5 January 1951) is an Italian
actor, director and scriptwriter.
, Italy, the second son of Italian director Vittorio De Sica
and Spanish actress María Mercader
. After attending liceo classico
in Rome, he worked in a hotel in Venezuela
, where he began his career as an artist. He enrolled in "Lettere" (Literature and Arts) at La Sapienza university (1970), but did not reach a degree.
He was attracted to music, and participated in the Sanremo Festival singing "Mondo mio" ("My world") (1973). However, the results convinced him to follow in his father's footsteps and devote himself to acting. De Sica developed his own style of comedy and entertainment also in Rai
television shows, as Bambole, non c'è una lira which gave him a large success in 1978.
(Blaise Pascal, 1971), Vittorio De Sica
himself (Una breve vacanza, 1973), Pupi Avati
(Bordella, 1976) and Salvatore Samperi
(1979 Liquirizia and 1981 Casta e pura).
He married Silvia Verdone, sister of Carlo
, with whom he had two children Brando and Mariarosa. He was directed by Verdone in Borotalco (1982) and Compagni di scuola
(1988).
After Night club, the last film directed by Italian director Sergio Corbucci
, Christian De Sica became one of the most famous interpreters of the "cine-panettone
" (comedies that reach movie theatres during the Christmas
season) and formed till 2005 a couple with actor Massimo Boldi
. They acted together in the series of Vacanze di Natale and A spasso nel tempo, Paparazzi (1998) (1998), Tifosi (1999) (1999) and Christmas in Love (2001) (2004). Afterwards, he played with actor Neri Parenti in Natale a New York (2006), Natale in crociera (2007) and Natale a Rio (2008).
As an actor, De Sica won three David di Donatello
: a prize for Giovannino in 1976, a special one together with Massimo Boldi in 2000, and a third one in 2009.
, Anita Ekberg
and his mother Maria Mercader, De Sica went on self-directing in Ricky e Barabba (1992), Uomini uomini uomini (1995), Tre (1996), Simpatici & antipatici (1998) and The Clan (2005).
A great admirer of Frank Sinatra
and above all of Marlon Brando
, he named his first child Brando in honor of the American actor. Criticism has often likened his acting to that of Alberto Sordi
, from whom De Sica has drawn a lot of his expressions.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
actor, director and scriptwriter.
Life
De Sica was born in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy, the second son of Italian director Vittorio De Sica
Vittorio de Sica
Vittorio De Sica was an Italian director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement....
and Spanish actress María Mercader
María Mercader
María Mercader was a Spanish film actress. She appeared in 40 films between 1923 and 1992. She was the second wife of film director Vittorio De Sica....
. After attending liceo classico
Liceo classico
Liceo classico is a secondary school type in Italy. The educational curriculum lasts five years, and students are generally about 14 to 19 years of age....
in Rome, he worked in a hotel in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, where he began his career as an artist. He enrolled in "Lettere" (Literature and Arts) at La Sapienza university (1970), but did not reach a degree.
He was attracted to music, and participated in the Sanremo Festival singing "Mondo mio" ("My world") (1973). However, the results convinced him to follow in his father's footsteps and devote himself to acting. De Sica developed his own style of comedy and entertainment also in Rai
Rai
Rai may refer to:Acronyms*RAI, radioactive iodine, in the medical context of the treatment of thyroid problems*RAI, Radiotelevisione Italiana, Italian public broadcasting*Praia International Airport in Cape Verde, IATA airport code...
television shows, as Bambole, non c'è una lira which gave him a large success in 1978.
Acting career
With his father's help, he was able to take his first steps in the movies world with such teachers and mentors as Roberto RosselliniRoberto Rossellini
Roberto Rossellini was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Rossellini was one of the directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing films such as Roma città aperta to the movement.-Early life:Born in Rome, Roberto Rossellini lived on the Via Ludovisi, where Benito Mussolini had...
(Blaise Pascal, 1971), Vittorio De Sica
Vittorio de Sica
Vittorio De Sica was an Italian director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement....
himself (Una breve vacanza, 1973), Pupi Avati
Pupi Avati
Giuseppe Avati, better known as Pupi Avati is an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter.-Early life and career:...
(Bordella, 1976) and Salvatore Samperi
Salvatore Samperi
Salvatore Samperi was an Italian film director. His 1973 film Malicious was entered into the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival and his 1979 film Ernesto was entered into the 29th Berlin International Film Festival.-Selected filmography:* Come Play with Me * Malicious * Ernesto...
(1979 Liquirizia and 1981 Casta e pura).
He married Silvia Verdone, sister of Carlo
Carlo Verdone
Carlo Verdone is an Italian actor, screenwriter and film director.-Early life:Carlo Verdone was born in Rome to Mario Verdone, an important Italian film critic, and during his youth he earned a degree in Modern Literature at Sapienza University of Rome and a degree in Film Direction at the Centro...
, with whom he had two children Brando and Mariarosa. He was directed by Verdone in Borotalco (1982) and Compagni di scuola
Compagni di scuola
Compagni di scuola is a 1988 Italian comedy film directed by and starring Carlo Verdone. It was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy at the 67th Venice International Film Festival.-Cast:* Carlo Verdone - Piero 'Il Patata' Ruffolo...
(1988).
After Night club, the last film directed by Italian director Sergio Corbucci
Sergio Corbucci
Sergio Corbucci was an Italian film director. He is best known for his very violent yet intelligent spaghetti westerns...
, Christian De Sica became one of the most famous interpreters of the "cine-panettone
Panettone
thumb|200px|right|A non-traditionally shaped panettone loaf.Panettone is a type of sweet bread loaf originally from Milan , usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year in Italy, Malta, Brazil, Germany and Switzerland, and is one of the symbols of the city of Milan. Maltese nationals are...
" (comedies that reach movie theatres during the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
season) and formed till 2005 a couple with actor Massimo Boldi
Massimo Boldi
Massimo Antonio Boldi is an Italian stand-up comedian and actor.- Biography :Been very soon orphan of father, Boldi began to work as a window-dresser from a young age before taking a job selling confectionery. On 29 September 1973 Boldi married Marisa Selo...
. They acted together in the series of Vacanze di Natale and A spasso nel tempo, Paparazzi (1998) (1998), Tifosi (1999) (1999) and Christmas in Love (2001) (2004). Afterwards, he played with actor Neri Parenti in Natale a New York (2006), Natale in crociera (2007) and Natale a Rio (2008).
As an actor, De Sica won three David di Donatello
David di Donatello
David di Donatello, named after Donatello's David, is a movie award assigned each year for cinematic performances and production by Ente David di Donatello, part of Accademia del Cinema Italiano. It is the Italian equivalent to the Academy Award. There are 24 categories as of 2006.- History :The...
: a prize for Giovannino in 1976, a special one together with Massimo Boldi in 2000, and a third one in 2009.
Directing career
Since 1990 Christian De Sica has also been a director: he debuted with Faccione, whose script he wrote and tailor-made for actress Nadia Rinaldi. After Il conte Max, a homage to the cinema of his father and of Mario Camerini, that he interpreted with Ornella MutiOrnella Muti
Ornella Muti is an Italian actress. She was born in Rome as Francesca Romana Rivelli, to a Neapolitan father and Russian mother. Her maternal grandparents immigrated from Leningrad , Russia, to Estonia...
, Anita Ekberg
Anita Ekberg
Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg is a Swedish model, actress and cult sex symbol. She is best known for her role as Sylvia in the 1960 Federico Fellini film La Dolce Vita which features the legendary scene of her cavorting in Trevi Fountain alongside Marcello Mastroianni.-Biography:Ekberg was born in...
and his mother Maria Mercader, De Sica went on self-directing in Ricky e Barabba (1992), Uomini uomini uomini (1995), Tre (1996), Simpatici & antipatici (1998) and The Clan (2005).
A great admirer of Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and above all of Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
, he named his first child Brando in honor of the American actor. Criticism has often likened his acting to that of Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi, also known as Albertone, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian actor. He was also a film director and the dubbing voice of Oliver Hardy in the Italian version of the Laurel & Hardy films....
, from whom De Sica has drawn a lot of his expressions.
Filmography
- (1972) Paulina 1880;
- (1973) Una breve vacanza;
- (1974) La cugina;
- (1975) La madama;
- (1975) Conviene far bene l'amore;
- (1976) Bordella;
- (1976) Giovannino;
- (1979) Il malato immaginario;
- (1979) Liquirizia;
- (1979) Amore in prima classe;
- (1980) Mi faccio la barca;
- (1981) Casta e pura;
- (1981) Teste di quoio;
- (1982) Viuuulentemente mia;
- (1982) Borotalco;
- (1982) Grog;
- (1983) Vacanze di NataleVacanze di NataleVacanze di Natale is a 1983 Italian comedy film directed by Carlo Vanzina. It was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy at the 67th Venice International Film Festival.-Cast:* Jerry Calà - Billo, il pianista del Night Club...
; - (1983) Sapore di mare;
- (1983) Acqua e sapone;
- (1984) Mi faccia causa;
- (1984) Vacanze in America;
- (1985) I pompieri;
- (1986) Asilo di polizia;
- (1986) Yuppies, i giovani di successo;
- (1986) Yuppies 2;
- (1986) Grandi magazzini;
- (1987) Montecarlo Gran Casinò;
- (1987) Missione eroica - I pompieri 2;
- (1987) Bellifreschi;
- (1988) Compagni di scuola;
- (1989) Night Club;
- (1989) Fratelli d'Italia;
- (1990) Vacanze di Natale '90;
- (1991) Il conte Max;
- (1991) Vacanze di Natale '91;
- (1992) Ricky e Barabba;
- (1992) Anni 90;
- (1993) Anni 90 - Parte II;
- (1994) S.P.Q.R. 2000 e ½ anni fa;
- (1995) Uomini uomini uomini;
- (1995) Vacanze di Natale '95;
- (1996) ;
- (1996) A spasso nel tempo;
- (1997) A spasso nel tempo: l'avventura continua;
- (1998) Paparazzi;
- (1998) Simpatici & antipatici;
- (1999) Tifosi;
- (1999) Vacanze di Natale 2000;
- (2000) Body Guards - Guardie del corpo;
- (2001) Merry Christmas;
- (2002) Natale sul Nilo;
- (2003) Natale in India;
- (2004) Christmas in LoveChristmas in LoveChristmas in Love is a 2004 film starring Danny DeVito. The film was directed by Neri Parenti.The film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song at the 63rd Golden Globe Awards.- Actors :*Danny DeVito: Brad La Guardia...
; - (2005) The Clan ;
- (2005) Natale a Miami;
- (2006) Natale a New York;
- (2007) Natale in crociera;
- (2008) Parlami di me;
- (2008) Natale a Rio;
- (2009) Natale a Beverly Hills;
- (2010) Il figlio più piccolo;
- (2010) L'età dell'oro;
- (2010) The TouristThe Tourist (2010 film)The Tourist is a 2010 romantic thriller film directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. It is a remake of the 2005 French action film Anthony Zimmer....
; - (2011) Amici miei - Come tutto ebbe inizio;
- (2011) Natale in Sud Africa.