Mario Carotenuto

Growing up the son of Italian silent film actor Nello Carotenuto, it's no surprise that Mario Carotenuto--along with his brother Memmo, who often appeared at his side on screen and stage--developed the itch to perform early in life. But he didn't become the iconic star of more than 100 Italian comedies by staying within the good graces of his father; Carotenuto actually spent three years in reformatory school for his extreme bursts of teenage rebellion. He began acting at the age of eight when he performed in the Roman theatre Teatro Costanzi, but Carotenuto's performance career was put on hold in 1943 when he volunteered to serve in the Italian Waffen-SS, a military unit of Hitler's Third Reich. After returning home, he found success as a radio actor and started his own theatre company specializing in "revue theater," a form of variety show emphasizing lavish comedy. Several low-profile roles in comedy films of the early '50s led to his first significant on-screen performance in the 1954 hit comedy "La Splaggia." The role paved the way for Carotenuto to establish himself as a heavy-hitting comedian with a knack for portraying snooty rich men, and he earned consistent work throughout the '60s and '70s by playing to type. He starred opposite Hollywood megastars Bette Davis and Joseph Cotton in the 1972 comedy "Lo scopone scientifico," and for his turn as the "professor," Carotenuto won the Nastro d'Argento Award for Best Supporting Actor.