This year, the celebrated actor, screenwriter and director Roberto Benigni turns 64 years old. For many years this amazingly bright man of art has been helping the world look at troubles, difficulties, tragedies, and injustice through the eyes of optimism.
Poverty and optimism
Roberto Benigni was born in 1952 in one of the poorest villages of Tuscany at that time under the name Misericordia. Symbolic was the fact that the Italian word translated as charity. The Benigni family eked out a miserable existence, but the cruelty and inflexibility of those times, which affected everyone equally, allowed his parents to remain optimistic and try to get on their feet. It was a particularly difficult period for his father. A patient exhausted by hunger, constant wanderings and searching for opportunities to earn money, Luigi could not provide his family with even shelter.
Shortly before Roberto was born, he had to go through the tests of a concentration camp, where he got by mistake. Despite all the troubles that befell Luigi, he did not allow himself to be discouraged, especially in the presence of children. In contrast, the dark events of his past, he tried to teach easy and unpretentious, often with humor, so that neither Roberto nor his sister were not aware of the whole tragedy befell their tests father. Then, years later, Roberto realized how difficult these stories were for Luigi, but, appreciating his father’s courage and his bright outlook on life, he paid tribute to these stories in his brilliant creation entitled “Life is Beautiful”.
School? Cramming? Well, no, the future genius has a different way!
Born in poverty and wandering, as a child, Roberto suffered from many diseases that lay in wait for him at every turn, was very small and too thin compared to his peers. However, in addition to a slim physique, he was distinguished from all the others by his liveliness of mind, vivid imagination and incredible activity. Roberto's virtues were especially appreciated by the local clergyman who taught the classes. It was he who contributed to the fact that soon the boy got a job at the Florentine Jesuit school. However, no matter how strong or a joy to parents who even could not imagine that their son will learn in such a place, Roberto did not last long among the diligent students and at the first opportunity to make a real escape.
The charm of magic in the circus
Voluntary wanderings led him to a traveling circus, the time spent in which he considers the happiest in his life. And how can one not be proud of such a grand stage in life: a twelve-year-old child received his first real job - an assistant illusionist. Impressionable boys get pleasure from staying in the circus, which the atmosphere was saturated with magic and unknown wonders. But having got acquainted with the life of circus artists closer, Benigni came to the conclusion that he was not ready to work so much in the name of a new profession, since this work really reminded him very much of boring school in a disgusting school.
A return to books is inevitable
Roberto’s return to his native village was not easy. He devoted a lot of time to thinking about what to do where he grew up. Physical labor repelled no less than school cramming, there was no profession, so Roberto decided to direct his energy into a poetic direction. His signature style was eight-line verses that quickly fell in love with the locals for their capacity, severity and topicality. Before Roberto became a local favorite, Rome beckoned him …
This city has changed Benigni beyond recognition. Future colleagues in creative craft reacted to him as to an uncouth village bumpkin who had not been holding books in his hands. Several times Roberto was painfully burned about his own ignorance, after which he had to change his attitude to learning, and he began to devote all night to studying literature.
Good memory, intelligence, the ability to analyze and notice the important thing to do its job: it took several months and Benigni turned into an interesting conversationalist who could compete with and arrogant erudite Italians in the world classical knowledge.
Becoming an artist, first roles
Further success was not long in coming: a series of significant roles in theatrical productions followed, performances with satirical monologues, a fateful acquaintance with Giuseppe and Bernardo Bertolucci, who made a significant contribution to the formation of the artist Roberto Benigni. Filmography genius replenished roles in films of outstanding directors, "Berlinguer I love you" and "Moon". 1990 brought him a role in Federico Fellini's Voice of the Moon. In the 80-90-ies of the actor Roberto Benigni made his debut in American cinema, and has successfully put his own paintings.
