What's After the Movie
Ugo Tognazzi
Ugo Tognazzi (Ottavio Tognazzi, 23 March 1922 – 27 October 1990) was a towering figure of Italian commedia all'italiana, celebrated for his razor‑sharp comic timing, expressive face, and ability to blend satire with deep humanity. Born in Cremona, Kingdom of Italy, he spent his youth moving across northern Italy as his father worked as a travelling insurance clerk, later taking a job as an accountant in a cured‑meats plant before the turmoil of World II interrupted his life. After a brief stint in the Black Brigades, he discovered his passion for performance, organizing shows for fellow soldiers and, in 1945, moving to Milan to join Wanda Osiris’s theatrical troupe. By the early 1950s he had transitioned to film, debuting in The Cadets of Gascony (1950) and quickly forming a popular TV comedy duo with Raimondo Vianello that pushed the boundaries of early Italian television censorship. His breakthrough came with The Fascist (1961), after which he became a staple of the era’s most iconic comedies, working with directors such as Mario Monicelli, Dino Risi, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and Ettore Scola, while also directing his own projects like The Seventh Floor (1967) which screened at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Internationally, Tognazzi’s talent shone in eclectic roles—from the flamboyant Mark Hand in Roger Vadim’s Barbarella (1968) to the beloved gay nightclub owner Renato Baldi in La Cage aux Folles (1978), a film that became the highest‑grossing foreign picture ever released in the United States. His performance in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man (1981) earned him the Best Male Actor award at Cannes. A member of the Radical Party, he was married twice—first to Norwegian actress Margarete Robsahm (1963‑1966) and later to Italian actress Franca Bettoia (from 1972)—and fathered four children, including actors Ricky and Gianmarco Tognazzi and directors Thomas Robsahm and Maria Sole Tognazzi. He died of a brain hemorrhage in Rome in 1990, leaving a legacy that continues to influence Italian comedy and cinema worldwide.
Biography, Career & Filmography
Learn more about Ugo Tognazzi, including a detailed biography, career timeline, personal life insights, and complete filmography. Discover how Ugo Tognazzi rose to fame, their major roles, industry impact, and personal milestones in the world of film.
Given Name: Ottavio Tognazzi
Born: Cremona, Kingdom of Italy
Citizenship: Italian
Birthday: March 23, 1922
Occupations: actor, director, screenwriter
Years Active: 1950-1990
Children: 4
Spouses: Margarete Robsahm, Franca Bettoia
External Links and Streaming Options
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Movies Featuring Ugo Tognazzi
La Cage aux Folles
Portrait Of My Father
The Incredible Mr. Piccoli
La Cage aux Folles II
Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man
I’m Photogenic
Sunday Lovers
A Joke of Destiny, Lying in Wait Around the Corner Like a Street Bandit
Petomaniac
La Cage aux Folles 3
My Friends Act II
The Key
Bertoldo, Bertoldino, and Cacasenno
My Friends Act III
The Last Minute
Days of Inspector Ambrosio
Plato’s Banquet
Tolérance
The Terrace
Good King Dagobert
We Are Cinema
The Degenerates
Il pollo ruspante
The Harem
The Cat
Sua Eccellenza si fermò a mangiare
Kiss the Other Sheik
I Knew Her Well
A Matter of Honor
Goodnight, Ladies and Gentlemen
It’s a Hard Life
Our Husbands
Come Home and Meet My Wife
The Shortest Day
The Audience
The Hours of Love
La Grande Bouffe
Stanza 17-17 palazzo delle tasse, ufficio imposte
Baby Doll
Don’t Touch the White Woman!
The Man with the Balloons
Weak Spot
Lonely Hearts
The Magnificent Cuckold
The Ape Woman
In the Name of the Italian People
His Women
Ro.Go.Pa.G.
The Head of the Family
Come Have Coffee with Us
The Career of a Chambermaid
The Monsters
Nenè
Run for Your Wife
Traffic Jam
Singing Café
Domenica è sempre domenica
We Want the Colonels
This Kind of Love
Complexes
Police Chief Pepe
Beach House
The Baron’s Mazurka
Evil Thoughts
Outlaws of Love
Crazy Desire
Laughs Italian Style
Lady Caliph
The Joy of Living
The Wedding March
Torture Me But Kill Me with Kisses
The Conspirators
Dismissed on His Wedding Night
The Master and Margarita
Pigsty
Il generale dorme in piedi
Where Are You Going on Holiday?
Splendori e miserie di Madame Royale
La cambiale
Property Is No Longer a Theft
Totò in the Moon
The Bishop’s Bedroom
High Infidelity
I viaggiatori della sera
Policarpo, ufficiale di scrittura
The Conjugal Bed
Psycosissimo
E il Casanova di Fellini?
The New Monsters
Formula 1 - Speed fever
The Climax
March on Rome
I motorizzati
The Seventh Floor
Pleasant Nights
Controsesso
My Friends
Career Timeline
Track the complete movie timeline of Ugo Tognazzi, including all film releases, career breakthroughs, and notable roles. Follow their journey from early performances to recent blockbusters and upcoming projects.
1983
A Joke of Destiny, Lying in Wait Around the Corner Like a Street Bandit
onorevole De Andreis
Petomaniac
Joseph Pujol
The Key
drunk
1980
La Cage aux Folles II
Renato Baldi
I’m Photogenic
Ugo Tognazzi (uncredited)
Sunday Lovers
Armando (sketch 'Le carnet d'Armando')
The Terrace
Amedeo
1978
Where Are You Going on Holiday?
Enrico (episodio "Sarò tutta per te")
Formula 1 - Speed fever
Self
1977
The Cat
Amedeo Pecoraro
Nenè
Barber "Baffo" (uncredited)
Beach House
Alfredo Cerquetti
The Bishop’s Bedroom
Orimbelli
The New Monsters
il marito/il cuoco/il figlio
1976
Goodnight, Ladies and Gentlemen
Generale / Menelao Guardiaferri
The Career of a Chambermaid
Adelmo
Evil Thoughts
Mario Marani
1975
Weak Spot
Georgis
The Baron’s Mazurka
Barone Anteo Pellacani
E il Casanova di Fellini?
Self
My Friends
Raffaello Mascetti
1974
Come Home and Meet My Wife
Giulio Blasetti
Don’t Touch the White Woman!
Mitch
Il generale dorme in piedi
Col. Umberto Leone
1973
La Grande Bouffe
Ugo
We Want the Colonels
On. Giuseppe Tritoni
Property Is No Longer a Theft
The Butcher
1972
The Audience
Aureliano Diaz
This Kind of Love
Federico / Federico's father
The Master and Margarita
Nikolaj Afanasijevic Maksudov 'Maestro'
1971
Stanza 17-17 palazzo delle tasse, ufficio imposte
Ugo La Strizza
In the Name of the Italian People
Mariano Bonifazi
1970
Lonely Hearts
Stefano
Come Have Coffee with Us
Emerenziano Paronzini
Lady Caliph
Annibale Doberdò
Splendori e miserie di Madame Royale
Alessio / Madame Royale
1969
The Degenerates
Trimalchione
Police Chief Pepe
Commissario Antonio Pepe
The Conspirators
Cardinal Agostino Rivarola
Pigsty
Herdhitze
1968
Baby Doll
Giulio Broggini
Torture Me But Kill Me with Kisses
Umberto Ciceri
Dismissed on His Wedding Night
Oscar Pettini
1967
The Harem
Himself
The Man with the Balloons
Man With Car
The Head of the Family
Remo
The Climax
Sergio Masini
The Seventh Floor
Giuseppe Inzerna
1966
A Matter of Honor
Efisio Mulas
Our Husbands
Umberto Codegato
The Wedding March
Avvocato / Michele / Frank / Igor Savoia
Pleasant Nights
Uguccione de' Tornaquinci
1965
Kiss the Other Sheik
Man With Car (segment "L'uomo dei 5 palloni") (uncredited)
I Knew Her Well
Gigi Baggini
Run for Your Wife
Riccardo
Complexes
Prof. Gildo Beozi
1964
It’s a Hard Life
Luciano Bianchi
The Magnificent Cuckold
Andrea Artusi
The Ape Woman
Antonio Semola
Laughs Italian Style
High Infidelity
Cesare
Controsesso
The professor (segment "Il professore")
1963
Il pollo ruspante
Togni
The Shortest Day
Pecoraio
The Hours of Love
Gianni
Ro.Go.Pa.G.
Togni (segment "Il pollo ruspante")
The Monsters
The Father (segment "L'Educazione sentimentale") / Policeman (segment "Il Mostro") / Stefano (segment "Come un Padre") / Battacchi (segment "Il povero Soldato") / L'Onorevole (segment "La Giornata dell'Onorevole") / Dark Latin Lover (segment "Latin Lover…
Outlaws of Love
Vasco Timballo
The Conjugal Bed
Alfonso
1962
Crazy Desire
Ing. Antonio Berlinghieri
March on Rome
Umberto Gavazza
I motorizzati
Achille Pestani
1961
Sua Eccellenza si fermò a mangiare
Ernesto
His Women
Stefano
The Joy of Living
Anarchist
Psycosissimo
Ugo Bertolazzi
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