Nuti, Francesco

(1955-)

   Actor, screenwriter, director. One of a number of actor-directors who emerged on Italian screens in the 1980s after an apprenticeship in cabaret theater, Nuti had achieved a great deal of success on both stage and television as part of the trio I Giancattivi before appearing with them in the zany comedy Ad ovest di paperino (West of Paperino, 1982), directed by Alessandro Benvenuti. Branching out on his own as an actor, Nuti then starred in three extremely popular films directed by Maurizio Ponzi: Madonna che silenzio c'e stasera (What a Ghostly Silence There Is Tonight, 1982), Io, Chiara e lo Scuro (The Pool Hustlers, 1983), and Son contento (I'm Happy, 1983), creating a lovable if slightly narcissistic comic persona that would earn him something of a cult following. He subsequently directed himself in a string of clever and successful comedies that included Casablanca, Casablanca (1985), which played with the classic film by Michael Curtiz, Stregati (Bewitched, 1986), Caruso Pascoski di padre polacco (Caruso Paskoski, Son of a Pole, 1988), Occhio Pinocchio (1995), and Il signor Quindicipalle (Mr. Fifteen Balls, 1998), which showcased Nuti's favorite game, snooker.

   Historical Dictionary of Italian Cinema by Alberto Mira