Gigi Ballista
| Gigi Ballista | |
|---|---|
 Gigi Ballista (1966) | |
| Born |
1 December 1918 Florence, Italy |
| Died |
2 August 1980 (aged 61) Rome, Italy |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1961-1980 |
Gigi Ballista (1 December 1918 – 2 August 1980) was an Italian film and television actor. He appeared in 60 films between 1961 and 1980.
Life and career
Born in Florence, Ballista graduated in Law, then he started working as a PR consultant in the field of advertising and industrial documentaries.[1] He debuted as an actor at a mature age in the early 1960s with some minor roles, but his breakout came in 1966 with a role of weight in Pietro Germi's The Birds, the Bees and the Italians.[1]
Following the critical and commercial success of the film, Ballista decided to pursue a professional career as an actor, and he became, mainly thanks to his characteristic hoarse and dysphonic voice, one of the most recognizable character actors in Italian cinema and television.[1]
Selected filmography
- The Birds, the Bees and the Italians (1966)
- How I Learned to Love Women (1966)
- Sex Quartet (1966)
- L'immorale (1967)
- The Seventh Floor (1967)
- Galileo (1968)
- Emma Hamilton (1968)
- Torture Me But Kill Me with Kisses (1968)
- The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969)
- La califfa (1970)
- Roma Bene (1971)
- Trastevere (1971)
- The Blonde in the Blue Movie (1971)
- Black Turin (1972)
- Snow Job (1972)
- Beati i ricchi (1972)
- Kill the Fatted Calf and Roast It (1972)
- Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia (1973) - doctor
- Giovannona Long-Thigh (1973)
- Poker in Bed (1974)
- Claretta and Ben (1974)
- Il giustiziere di mezzogiorno (1975)
- The Sunday Woman (1975)
- La madama (1976)
- Confessions of a Lady Cop (1976)
- Febbre da cavallo (1976)
- La dottoressa sotto il lenzuolo (1976)
- La compagna di banco (1977)
- Midnight Express (1978)
- Liquirizia (1979)
- I Hate Blondes (1980)
- L'assistente sociale tutto pepe (1981)