Gilberto Govi
Amerigo Armando Gilberto Govi (born October 22, 1885 in Genoa , † April 28, 1966 there ) was an Italian actor .
Life
Govi was born as the second son of Anselmo and Francesca Gardini in the "Via S. Ugo" in Oregina-Lagaccio, a district of Genoa. The family originally came from the Emilia region . His father worked as an inspector for a railway company in Modena , his mother came from Bologna . His older brother was called Hamlet. Govi attended the “Accademia di Belle Arti” (Academy of Fine Arts) in Genoa, where he developed a passion for drawing.
In 1902 he worked full-time as a designer and worked as an amateur actor on the side. As a child he had already been interested in acting and the theater, encouraged by his uncle Torquato, a brother of his mother's who was a puppeteer. At the age of twelve he had already appeared in church performances or a few years later at Andrea Podestà's amateur theater. Together with Podestà, the director of the “Colombazzi” and D. Castelli, he founded the “Circolo filodrammatico”, who worked at the Eldorado theater, and became a well-known actor. When this group dissolved again, Govi went to the "Accademia filodrammatica italiana del teatro Nazionale" (amateur theater group of the National Theater). As a young actor, Govi achieved his first successes in the comedies of Giuseppe Giacosa , Georges Feydeau and others. His theatrical breakthrough only came when he switched to dialect theater, so that he could also be seen in leading roles.
Due to his increasing success in public he founded a new company in 1914 with some colleagues, which was dedicated to acting in the Genoese dialect. This hosted tours in the province where comedies were popularly played. Since these dialectical performances did not meet with goodwill everywhere in theater circles and a more classical program was demanded, Govi was given an ultimatum, so that he left the academy in 1916.
In 1917 he married the Milanese actress Rina (Caterina) Franchi Gaioni.
In 1960 the society gathered again to organize a farewell tour of the theater for one season. For this they chose the piece Il porto di casa mia by Enrico Bassano. Subsequently, Govi largely withdrew from public life and only appeared at awards. In 1961 he was seen again in an advertisement for "Tè Ati" on television.
Govi died in Genoa on April 28, 1966.
Filmography (selection)
- cinemamovies
- 1942: Colpi di timone
- 1948: Che tempi!
- 1950: Il diavolo in convento
- 1959: Lui, lei e il nonno
- Television comedies
- 1957: Pignasecca e Pignaverde
- 1958: Quello buonanima
- 1958: Colpi di timone (TV theater broadcast)
- 1959: Sotto a chi tocca
- 1959: Maneggi per maritare una figlia
- 1960: Gildo Peragallo, ingegnere
Web links
- Gilberto Govi in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Gilberto Govi at Discogs (English)
- Videos with Gilberto Govi on digilander.libero.it
- Gilberto Govi on teatro.org (biography)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Caterina Cerra: Amerigo Armando Gilberto, detto Gilberto Govi on treccani.it, accessed on August 11, 2013.
- ↑ Rina Gaioni on placidasignora.com, accessed on August 11, 2013.
- ↑ Gilberto Govi on findagrave.com, accessed August 11, 2013.
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Govi, Gilberto |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Govi, Amerigo Armando Gilberto (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian actor |
DATE OF BIRTH | October 22, 1885 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Genoa |
DATE OF DEATH | April 28, 1966 |
Place of death | Genoa |