Gilberto Govi
Amerigo Armando Gilberto Govi ( born October 22, 1885 in Genoa, † April 28, 1966 ) was an Italian actor.
Life
Govi was born as the second son of Anselmo and Francesca Gardini in the " Via S. Ugo " in Oregina - Lagaccio, a district of Genoa. The family originally came from the region of Emilia. His father worked as an inspector for a railroad company in Modena, his mother was born in Bologna. His older brother's name was Hamlet. Govi visited the " Accademia di Belle Arti" ( Academy of Fine Arts) in Genoa, where he developed a passion for drawing.
In 1902, he worked full time as a designer and worked casually as an amateur actor. Even as a child he had been interested, inspired by his uncle Torquato, a brother of his mother, who was a puppeteer, for acting and the theater. The age of twelve he had appeared in performances in the church or a few years later at the amateur theater by Andrea Podestà. He co-founded Podesta, the director of " Colombazzi " D. Castelli and the " Circolo filodrammatico " who worked at the Eldorado Theatre, and thus became a famous actor. When this group disbanded again, Govi went to the " Accademia italiana del teatro Filodrammatica Nazionale " ( amateur dramatics group of the National Theatre ). As a young actor Govi achieved so early successes in the comedies of Giuseppe Giacosa, Georges Feydeau and others. However, the acting breakthrough came only with the change to the vernacular theater, so that he could also be seen in lead roles.
With its increasing success among the public, he founded in 1914 with some colleagues a new company that was dedicated to spectacle in Genoese dialect. These organized tours in the province, where comedies were played popularly. Since these dialectical performances met with kindness everywhere not in the theatrical circles and more of a classic program was called, Govi was an ultimatum, so he left the academy in 1916.
In 1917 he married the actress Rina Milanese ( Caterina ) Franchi Gaioni.
In 1960, the company gathered again to organize a farewell tour of the theater for a season. For this purpose, they selected the piece Il porto di casa mia by Enrico Bassano. Subsequently, Govi drew largely withdrew from public life and only appeared at ceremonies of awards. In 1961, he appeared in an advertisement for " Ati Tè " again on TV.
Govi died on April 28, 1966 in Genoa.