Enrico Montesano

Born in Rome, in the Garbatella Neighbourhood on June 7th 1945, he takes his first steps in show business at the beginning of the sixties, working as an extra in movie pictures and as an actor in cabaret shows. During the seventies his comedian instincts find freedom to roam, first in the TV broadcasts of the time, and then when he made his theatrical début with a great success as the lead in the musical comedies by Garinei and Giovannini. (Rugantino and, later on, Bravo!). In the same period of time his in-born comedian abilities achieve great success in the so called Italian comedy and he becomes a constant presence in the Italian cinema, acting in about 50 pictures, directed by directors of the calibre of Steno in Febbre da Cavallo (High Fever), Corbucci in Conte Tacchia (Count Tacchia), Monicelli in Camera d'albergo (A Hotel Room), Pasquale Festa Campanile in Ladrone (The Robber) and many other ones among which I due Carabinieri (The Two Carabinieri) together with Carlo Verdone and Uomini duri (Tough Men) are prominent.In 1985 he made his début as a cinema director by producing, directing and acting in the picture "A me mi piace" ("Me I like it") for which he received the David of Donatello pricze for the best directorial debut. At the end of the eighties he tries the so called Mini-TV series when he directed two editions of Fantastico (1988 e 1997). In the remake of Fantastico, not having much success, he left the direction to Giancarlo Magalli. For several years he has kept himself busy in touring with different shows, even if in 2002 he had a "relapse" with the cinema together with Gigi Proietti in the Mandrakata directed by Carlo Vanzina.