Ricky Memphis

Ricky Memphis, born Riccardo Fortunati on 29 August 1968 in Rome, Italy, is a prolific Italian actor whose career spans more than three decades of television and cinema. He first emerged on the public stage at the end of the 1980s, appearing as an urban poet on the popular Maurizio Costanzo talk show, and adopted the stage name “Memphis” as a tribute to Elvis Presley, whom he admired for his cultural impact. His breakthrough in film came with the 1990 drama Ultra, directed by Ricky Tognazzi, where his performance earned him the Best Supporting Actor award at the European Film Awards and marked him as a rising talent in Italian cinema. Throughout the 1990s he built a solid résumé with roles in Pugni di rabbia, La scorta, Il branco and a string of comedies and crime thrillers, demonstrating a versatile range that alternated between gritty realism and light‑hearted humor. The role that cemented his national fame was that of Inspector Mauro Belli in the Canale 5 police drama Distretto di Polizia, a series that ran for eight seasons from 2000 to 2009 and made his character a household name across Italy. Although his character departed in the sixth season, rumors of his return kept audiences engaged. Beyond the police series, Memphis has showcased his talent in productions such as Crimini bianchi, where he played lawyer Claudio Bruni, and the 2011 Rai 1 crime series Caccia al re – La Narcotici. His extensive filmography includes titles like The Heroes (1994), The Immature (2011), Loro (2018) and the recent comedy Parasite (2020). In addition to acting, he remains a recognizable figure on Italian television, appearing in short films and TV movies, and continues to work actively in the industry to the present day.