Pippo Baudo

Baudo (2011)

Giuseppe Raimondo Vittorio Baudo (born  June 7, 1936 in Militello in Val di Catania , Italy ), better known as Pippo Baudo, is an Italian entertainer and presenter .

life and career

Pippo Baudo studied law at the University of Catania and, during his courses, also began to be interested in show business . He tried hard both as an actor and as a presenter. He learned to play the piano and oriented himself in various areas in show business. He successfully completed his law degree, but afterwards he never held a corresponding appointment in law, as his entry into show business had already begun.

With the advent of private television , Baudo's success also increased. He supported the local broadcaster Antenna Sicilia , based in Catania, when it started broadcasting as program director and personally moderated several shows. He achieved great success with the state television station RAI , where he became a well-known presenter and took over the management of numerous later cult programs. Disputes with the management of RAI led him to switch to the private broadcasting group Mediaset for a short time , under the direction of the later Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi . But he had little success on private television. He returned to RAI and hosted the programs Novecento and Serata d'onore , which became very successful. At the age of 70 he took over the moderation of the Sunday program Domenica in as well as that of the legendary Sanremo Festival . Baudo's name is associated with the moderation of this festival anyway, since he was also artistic director in numerous editions. In addition, he has also worked for many years as the artistic director of the Stabile Theater in Catania.

Highlights of his career

• Baudo hosted the programs Settevoci , Canzonissima , Fantastico , the Sanremo Festival and Mille lire al mese . These programs are cult in Italy and made Baudo an icon on television.
• In 1987, after a dispute with the then President of the RAI Enrico Manca , he went to Canale 5 , a station of Berlusconi's Mediaset group , with great attention , but returned a few years later with the programs Novecento and Serata D'onore to the RAI.
• On October 2nd, 2005 he took over the moderation of the cult Sunday show Domenica In for the eighth time , which he had already presented seven times in the past alone or in a duo with other moderators. Baudo was also entrusted with the moderation of the show Ieri, oggi e domani .
• In 2007 he hosted the Sanremo Festival with Michelle Hunziker . This twelfth participation as moderator enabled him to overtake Mike Bongiorno in the ranking of most moderators , who moderated the festival eleven times. His salary of 7,500 euros compared to the one million euros for Michelle Hunziker were subsequently the subject of a dispute between Baudo and the RAI.
• Baudo brought Beppe Grillo and Heather Parisi to the screen and was the initiator of their careers. In the shows, he always announced them with the words "I invented him / her ...".

Private life

Pippo Baudo was married to the Italian opera singer Katia Ricciarelli for almost 20 years . The wedding was celebrated on January 18, 1986 in Militello, Val di Catania. The separation took place in 2004. Daughter Tiziana, born in 1970, emerged from Baudo's previous marriage.

Oddities

• Baudo has participated as an actor in a number of films, including Operazione San Gennaro by Dino Risi and Sono un fenomeno paranormale (Eng: I am a paranormal phenomenon ) by Sergio Corbucci .
• The constant presence on television and the remarkable success of his programs have earned him the nickname Super Pippo , also based on the Italian national soccer player Filippo Inzaghi , who bears the same nickname.
• Baudo was also regularly seen on television in commercials. Most recently, he promoted the new Toyota together with the Italian Toyota Formula 1 driver Jarno Trulli .

Web links

• Pippo Baudo in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Biography (italian)