Ferdinand Guillaume

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Ferdinand Guillaume (born May 19, 1887 in Bayonne , France , † December 3, 1977 in Viareggio , Italy ), also known under the stage names Tontolini and Polidor , was a Franco-Italian actor, comedian, silent film director and author.

life and career

Probably the first film adaptation of Pinocchio with Guillaume in the lead role (1911)

Ferdinand Guillaume came from a French circus family, his ancestors are said to have been of noble origin. After his first stage experience, he came to Italian comedy film in 1910, which was just under construction and often relied on the services of French comedians. He was hired by the film company Cines , which published a series of comedies with the character Tontolini played by him . This brought Cines and Italian film international renown in the field of comedic film. In his first feature-length film, Guillaume played the title role in what was probably the first Pinocchio film in 1911 , directed by Giulio Antamoro . He was then poached by the Pasquali film company , for which he created a new film comedy series as Polidor between 1912 and 1915 . In the 1910s he became Italy's most popular film comedian for a time, and during this time he directed over 100 (short) films and wrote the scripts for a dozen films. According to its origins, Guillaume's comedy was based on that of circus and burlesque shows; the gags were often about breaking through social rituals. Sometimes his film action also took place in the film industry.

At the beginning of the 1920s, his successful phase as a film comedian was over and he turned back to the stage, where he performed in the style of vaudeville for the next few decades . Only occasionally did he get supporting roles in the film. From 1957 Polidor took on minor roles in a number of films under Federico Fellini's direction, for example as a monk in The Nights of Cabiria and in a striking short appearance as a clown in The Sweet Life . Pier Paolo Pasolini cast him in 1961 as a grave digger in Accattone - who never ate his bread with tears . In total, Guillaume played in over 320 films between 1910 and 1968, the majority of which are now lost silent films . He died in December 1977 at the age of 90.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Richard Abel: Encyclopedia of Early Cinema . Taylor & Francis, 2005, ISBN 978-0-415-23440-5 ( google.de [accessed March 21, 2018]).
  2. ^ Marcia Landy: Italian Film . Cambridge University Press, 2000, ISBN 978-0-521-64977-3 ( google.de [accessed March 21, 2018]).
  3. ↑ Louis Bayman: Directory of World Cinema: Italy . Intellect Books, 2011, ISBN 978-1-84150-400-1 ( google.de [accessed March 21, 2018]).
  4. ^ Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" 1960 - The Clown (on YouTube). July 28, 2006, accessed March 21, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Guillaume, Ferdinand
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Polidor (pseudonym); Tontolini (pseudonym)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Franco-Italian actor, comedian, silent film director and author
DATE OF BIRTH May 19, 1887
PLACE OF BIRTH Bayonne , France
DATE OF DEATH 3rd December 1977
Place of death Viareggio , Italy