Biography of Lello Arena

November 1, 1953 Lello Arena, whose real name is Raffaele Arena, was born on 1 November 1953 in Naples, the son of two employees at the tobacco factory. At twelve years old, together with his family moves from Naples in San Giorgio a Cremano, in the province, just 10 kilometers away, although it is not at all happy with this move. Start playing rugby but soon abandons dreams of glory, devoting himself instead to the theater together with Massimo Troisi, his young friend he met just thirteen years on the occasion of a show in the theatre of the Chiesa di Sant'Anna. With Tang and another boy, Enzo Decaro, forms a comedy trio, the Saracens, who soon renamed it the grimace. Thanks to a sudden forfeit Leopoldo Mastelloni, the Group debuted at the Teatro San Carluccio di Napoli before arriving in La Chanson, a cabaret in Rome. Stars of "Cordially together", a radio show, the three are noted by Giancarlo Magalli and Enzo Trapani, which causes them to debut in the tv show "Non stop". The sketch staged by Lello Arena and his two companions offer caricatures and parodies of many social and human types and rely not only on verbal language but also on the non-verbal, with an extraordinary variety of gestures and movements that support a wide variety of issues embracing irony from religion to human relationships.

Gli anni ' 80

For all these reasons the trio gets a considerable success, and after "Non stop" takes part in "the slap" and "Luna Park" broadcast presented by Pippo Baudo on Saturday evening on Raiuno. The grimace is dissolved in the early 1980s, and Lello Arena -as well as his two friends-began his career as a soloist in 1981 is called by Tana acting in "Ricomincio da tre", a film that won a great success and is appreciated by critics, which plays the role of the main character's friend played by Lello obtrusive Troisi. The following year she starred in the movie "No thank you, the coffee makes me nervous", directed by Lodovico Gasparini, of which he is the main protagonist being the face and voice to a reporter named Michael begins to kill all the participants of the first Festival New Naples, following a jealous. After taking part in the film "Dead Troisi, viva Troisi!", playing guardian angel to Massimo Troisi, is back to his side in "sorry I'm late", in 1983: thanks to his performance you see awarded the David di Donatello for best supporting actor. In 1984 back to cinema with Enrico Oldoini in "Hearts in the storm" and with Mario Monicelli in "Bertoldo, Bertoldino e Cacasenno"; in 1987, however, recite for Leandro Castellani in "the courage to speak out." The following year his first Arena engages with filmmaking, directing "moonlights", also wrote the screenplay.

Gli anni ' 90

In 1993 he devoted himself to writing, publishing the book "the secrets of the sacred Papyrus of the Supreme Urz"; in 1995 finds himself behind the camera Monicelli in "let heaven", and leads alongside Enzo Iacchetti "Striscia la notizia", by Antonio Ricci. Back behind the counter of the satirical newscast of Canale 5 the next year, when he played the title character-always with Iacchetti-sitcom "those two above the varano" which plays the role of an agent of the modest success that has to manage the career of actor Enzo. In 1997, again on Channel 5 leads Lello Arena, the fifth edition of "seriously", alongside Elenoire Casalegno and Massimo Lopez. In 1998 the Taviani brothers to play in the episode "the two seizures" for the film "you laugh" also starring Antonio Albanese and Sabrina Ferilli.

Lello Arena in the years 2000 and 2010

In 2003, at the age of 50 years, becoming father of Leonardo and engages with the dubbing, lending his voice to the character of Pulcinella in Totò Sapore e la magica storia della pizza "," first to find Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani in the tv movie "Luisa Sanfelice"; in 2006, he married the daughter of Vittorio Taviani, Francesca. In 2008 is "I killed Berlusconi", by Gianluca Rossi, while in 2011 is in fiction by Claudio Norza "Kissed by love". Two years later is a play with "poverty and nobility", where she plays Pasquale, and plays the role of Harpagon in the miser "by Claudio di Palma. Back to the movies in 2014 with the comedy "the school più bella del mondo", directed by Luca Miniero, alongside Christian De Sica, Rocco Papaleo and Angela Finocchiaro, and in 2015 with Wonderful "Boccaccio", directed by the Taviani brothers, alongside Riccardo Scamarcio, Paola Cortellesi and Kasia Smutniak. In 2016 is responsible for the artistic direction and is coauthor of "unique Facts" comic broadcast aired on Tuesdays in the late evening on Raidue, starring Maria Baldwin, Paul C, Costanza Caracciolo and Lorella Petanque.