Ettore Petrolini
| Ettore Petrolini | |
|---|---|
Ettore in 1934
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| Born |
January 13, 1884 Rome, Italy |
| Died | June 29, 1936 (aged 52) Rome, Italy |
| Occupation | Actor, playwright, novelist, screenwriter |
| Spouse(s) | Elma Criner |
Ettore Petrolini (January 13, 1884 – June 29, 1936) was an Italian stage and film actor, playwright, screenwriter and novelist. He is considered one of the most important figures of avanspettacolo, vaudeville and revue. He was noted for his numerous caricature sketches, and was the "inventor of a revolutionary and anticonformist way of performing". Petrolini is also remembered for having created the Dadaist character Fortunello. His contribution to the history of Italian theater is now widely acknowledged, especially with regard to his influence on 20th century comedy. His iconic character Gastone became a byword in Italian for a certain type of stagey snob.
Born in Rome, the son of a blacksmith of Ronciglione and grandson of a carpenter, Petrolini attended theaters in Rome as a boy, improvising for fun. His first performances were on the sideshows on the Piazza Guglielmo Pepe. At the age of 13, Petrolini attended reform school as he bitterly recalls in his memoirs. When 15, he decided to leave home to pursue a career in the theater. In 1900, he participated in a show at the "Pietro Cossa Theater" on the Trastevere. Later, he performed in small, provincial theaters and in some cafés chantants with the stage name Ettore Loris.
In 1903, Petrolini began performing in Rome at variety theaters and café-chantants, where he provided parodies of renowned nineteenth-century actors, silent movie and opera divas, rhetorical addresses, and even of the variety theater itself. In the same year, when only 19, he met Ines Colapietro, who became both his professional and personal companion for many years, as well as the mother of his children. Ines, who was at the time only 15 years old, was hired as a singer by the Gambrinus theater in Rome, along with her sister Tina. Ettore and Ines formed the comic duo Loris-Petrolini, performing together until the summer of 1911. In May 1907 in Genoa, Ettore and Ines were invited by the impresario Charles Séguin to tour South America. They performed in theaters and cafes in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, enjoying great success everywhere and becoming a household name in the capitals. While Petrolini was in Rio de Janeiro, appendicitis forced him to leave the stage for a month. After an emergency operation and a period of convalescence, his comeback was triumphant, with many theatrical artists giving up their pay in his favor. In a single evening, Petrolini once earned four thousand lire. After Rio, Petrolini remained a few months longer in South America. He returned for other tours in 1909 and 1911-1912, also appearing in Mexico and Cuba.
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