INGRASSIA, CICCIO

(1922-2003)

(Ciccio, short for Francesco.) Actor. A vaudeville performer from a very young age, Ingrassia metFranco Franchiwhile touring in the mid-1950s and together they formed what would soon become one of the most successful comic acts in postwar Italian cinema. After making a name for themselves with their variety shows onstage, the duo appeared in very small roles inMario Mattoli'sAppuntamento a Ischia(Rendezvous at Ischia, 1960). Then, during the next decade and a half, they came to star in over 100 films of varying quality, many of them hastily concocted farces and parodies of other well-known films, such asIl bello il brutto e il cretino(The Handsome, the Ugly and the Stupid, 1967) andIndovina chi viene a merenda?(Guess Who's Coming to Afternoon Tea, 1968).

Loved by the audiences who flocked to see the films but generally maligned by the critics, the duo were able to give better proof of their abilities inPier Paolo Pasolini'sChe cosa sono le nuvole?, an episode of the compilation filmCapriccio italiano(Caprice Italian Style, 1968), and as the Fox and the Cat inLuigi Comencini's adaptation ofPinocchio(1972) for Italian television.Ingrassia also appeared on his own: he played the eccentric uncle who shouts, "I want a woman" from the treetops inFederico Fellini'sAmarcord(1973), and won aNastro d'argentofor his supporting role inElio Petri's political satireTodo modo(1976). In 1991 he was also awarded aDavid di Donatellofor his supporting role in Felice Farina'sCondominio(Condominium, 1991). Nevertheless, Ingrassia's most memorable performance probably remains his interpretation of Don Lollo, the antagonist of Zi Dima, played by Franchi, in theLa giaraepisode ofPaolo and Vittorio Taviani'sKaos(Chaos, 1984). Ingrassia also directed two films:Paolo il freddo(Paolo, the Cold-Blooded, 1974) andL'esorciccio(The Exorcist:Italian Style, 1975).