Biography of Walter Chiari

The art of spontaneity

March 8, 1924
December 20, 1991
Born as Walter Abdulla, in Verona on March 8, 1924. His parents were from Puglia, where his father was a Brigadier by profession; Walter has only 8 years old when the family moved to Milan. At the age of thirteen he enrolled in one of the many boxing club of Milan and in 1939, not yet 16 years old, becomes regional champion in Lombardy in the featherweight category. After his military service and taking it for a short time the boxing career, Walter Chiari began to realize the dream of becoming an actor. After the war, is the 1946, made a brief and casual appearance in a show called "If you kiss Lola".
The following year gets his breakthrough as a film actor in the film "Vanity" by Giorgio Pastina, for which she won a special Silver Ribbon for best actor debut. In the 1950 's the incomparable interpreter of the magazine "Gildo". Then he starred with Anna Magnani in dramatic masterpiece "beautiful" directed by Luchino Visconti. Also in 1951 is acclaimed in a magazine titled "dream of a Walter". Afterwards continues to alternate the blockbusters to successes on stage. Established itself as one of the most revolutionary talent of Italian comedy. Clear offers a new way of acting due to his innate ability to chat for hours with the public and to interpret several characters. His acting style is just like that, quick as a chat continues. In 1956 alongside the talented Delia Scala, takes part in the musical comedy entitled "Goodnight Bettina", Garinei and Giovannini. In 1958 appears on tv in "the way to success", where next to Carlo Campanini, offers tested numbers in her journals, from the shoulder-to-with Charles Bell as Sarchiapone submarine, from Chicago to bully beast of Gallarate. The collaboration with Garinei and Giovannini continues with a musical comedy "Un mandarino per Teo (1960), with Sandra Mondaini, Ave Ninchi and Alberto Bonucci.
In 1964 is an outstanding performer in the movie "Thursdays", directed by Dino Risi. The following year she two plays, the first alongside Gianrico Tedeschi, entitled "Luv" (1965) by Shisgal and next to Renato Rascel, entitled "the odd couple" (1966) by Neil Simon. In 1966 is the non-talking bastard Mr Silence in "Falstaff", directed by and starring Orson Welles, and the Italian economic miracle, selfish and cynical, "Io, Io, Io ... e gli altri", directed by Alessandro Blasetti. In 1968 he was called to lead the famous musical for television transmission "Canzonissima", next to Mina and Paolo Panelli. His fame as a real womanizer: many beautiful famous women fall at his feet, by Silvana Pampanini to Sylva Koscina, by Lucia Bosé in Ava Gardner, by Anita Ekberg in Mina, until he decides to marry the actress and singer Alida Chelli: the two have a son, Simon.
In May 1970 receives an arrest warrant. The accusation is very heavy: consumption and selling cocaine. On May 22, 1970 is confined to Regina Coeli Roman prison and on 26 August acquitted from the first two counts, the most serious. However, it remains standing charges of personal consumption, which still gets parole. His career undergoes a kind of demotion to serie B. Only in 1986 began to come back on the crest of a wave: are broadcast on tv seven installments of "story of another Italian", which paraphrases the "story of an Italian", with Alberto Sordi, an intense filmed biography, Tatti Sanguinetti runs for RAI. Ugo Gregoretti, artistic director of the Teatro Stabile di Torino, calls him to begin an intense collaboration, from which will emerge a memorable rendition of "the critic", eighteenth-century comedy by Richard caustic Sheridan, and "Six heures au plus tard", a two-actor-proof, written by Marc Light Terrier who plays together with Ruggero Cara. Peppino di Leva, then with the Tuscan regional Theater, directing him together with Renato Rascel in "endgame" by Samuel Beckett. Then also the compensation by the cinema. In 1986 run "Romance", film by Massimo Mazzucco, which was presented at the Venice Film Festival.
All moviegoers await him as a sure winner of the Golden Lion for the best performance, but it's up to Carlo Delle Piane, that Walter had known and helped in his difficult early years in Music Hall. In 1988 in television plays in the scripted series "I promessi sposi", in the role of Tonio. In 1990 plays his last film, the drama "Tracce di vita amorosa, directed by Peter Del Monte, offering again a perfect interpretation. Walter Chiari dies at his home in Milan on December 20, 1991 at the age of 67 years, seized with a heart attack. In February 2012 Rai produces a fiction in two episodes dedicated to the tormented artist's life: the protagonist is actor Alessio Boni.
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.