Lino Banfi
Banfi in 2022
Born
Pasquale Zagaria

(1936-07-09) 9 July 1936
Andria, Kingdom of Italy
Occupations
  • Actor
  • presenter
  • screenwriter
Years active1960–present
Spouse
Lucia Lagrasta
(m. 1962; died 2023)
Children2, including Rosanna

Lino Banfi Knight Grand Cross OMRI (born Pasquale Zagaria; 9 July 1936) is an Italian film actor and presenter. Since 1960 he has appeared in more than 100 films.

Biography

He was born in the Apulian city of Andria and at the age of three, moved to Canosa di Puglia. Lino Banfi became one of the most well-known actors in Italian "sexy comedies" in the 1970s. In the 1980s he reached the peak of his fame by appearing in movies such as L'allenatore nel pallone, Vieni avanti cretino, Il commissario Lo Gatto and Occhio, malocchio, prezzemolo e finocchio; he later portrayed Grandpa Libero in Italian TV series Un medico in famiglia.

During his career, nearly all of Lino Banfi's characters spoke with the distinctive pronunciation of the Bari dialect. Banfi and his wife Lucia Lagrasta were married since 1962 until her death in February 2023; they have two children: Walter and Rosanna, who is also an actress. In 2000, Lino Banfi became a Goodwill ambassador for the Italian National Committee for UNICEF.[1]

Filmography

Films

TV

Books

  • Alla grande! (1991)
  • Una parola è troppa... Nonno Libero racconta (2004)
  • C'era una volta Nonno Libero (2004)
  • Ti racconto una storia. Ricordi di vita e di scena (2006)
  • Il chèlcio[lower-alpha 1] secondo Oronzo Canà (2009)

Honours

Notes

  1. Chèlcio stands for calcio ('football' or 'soccer') pronounced with a heavy Bari accent.

References

  1. "Lino Banfi UNICEF goodwill ambassador".
  2. "Le onorificenze della Repubblica Italiana". www.quirinale.it. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
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