Ezio Greggio
Ezio Greggio (Italian pronunciation: [ˈɛttsjo ˈɡreddʒo]; born 7 April 1954) is an Italian comedian, actor, writer and film director.
Ezio Greggio | |
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Ezio Greggio | |
Born | Cossato, Italy | 7 April 1954
Occupation | Actor, comedian, film director, writer |
Website | eziogreggio |
In Italy he is mostly known for his long-lasting appearances in TV shows like Drive In and Striscia la notizia, while abroad he is noted for his movies and his collaboration with Mel Brooks.
TV career
Born in Cossato, a small town near Biella,[1] Greggio began his TV career at age 18 in Telebiella, the first local private owned station in Italy thanks to the help of founder Peppo Sacchi.
In 1978 he was hired as a comedian in RAI, appearing in La sberla e Tutto compreso with Giancarlo Nicotra and Giancarlo Magalli. His appearances in the national TV didn't gain him success, but Greggio had the chance to meet Gianfranco D'Angelo, another young comedian.
D'Angelo convinced Greggio to move to the newborn Fininvest (later Mediaset), a local TV channel founded in Milan by Silvio Berlusconi. They were both included in the cast of the main show of the network, Drive In, a 2-hour weekly show featuring a bunch of young emerging comedians. Greggio quickly became spotlight chaser of the whole show.
Drive In was a very innovative show, and had great success giving national fame to almost all the actors involved, like Enrico Beruschi, Giorgio Faletti, Teo Teocoli, Francesco Salvi, Carlo Pistarino, Enzo Braschi and many others, including of course Greggio and D'Angelo.
In 1988 he followed the creator and head writer Antonio Ricci to a long series of successful shows: after Odiens, a show loosely inspired by Drive In, Greggio in 1990 and 1993 presented Paperissima, a container for bloopers and funny homemade videos. In these shows, Greggio created his most famous recurring gags.
Since 1988 he has been the main presenter (along with D'Angelo and later Enzo Iacchetti) of Striscia la notizia, a daily television news parody. He starred in the program every year for some months, from the beginning up to now.
Movie career
Greggio wrote and acted his first movie, Sbamm! in 1980.
He was noted by Carlo Vanzina, and was included in the cast of Yuppies, in the 1986 sequel Yuppies 2 and in the 1987 film Montecarlo Gran Casinò with Paolo Rossi.
He appeared in many other comic/trash films, almost always directed by Enrico Oldoini.
In 1994, he debuted as director with The Silence of the Hams, a parody movie inspired by The Silence of the Lambs and Psycho. The movie was shot in the United States: during this work, Greggio built a strong friendship with movie director Mel Brooks and with Dom DeLuise (both appearing in the movie).
Brooks named one of Dom DeLuise's killers in his Robin Hood: Men in Tights, "Dirty Ezio", and had Greggio in the cast of Dracula: Dead and Loving It.
In 1997, Greggio came back to the camera, directing The Good Bad Guy and in 1999 Screw Loose, with Mel Brooks as actor.
Since 2000, Greggio acted in a great number of TV productions.
Greggio moved his residence to Montecarlo,[2][3] and is the director of the Montecarlo Film Festival.
As a writer
Ezio Greggio published five humor books with Mondadori:
- Presto che è tardi (1997)
- Chi se ne fut-fut (1998)
- E lui o non è lui? (1999)
- E su e giù e trik e trak (2003)
- In una certa manieeera (2005)
Works
As director
- The Silence of the Hams (1994)
- The Good Bad Guy (1997)
- Screw Loose (1999)
- Box Office 3D: The Filmest of Films (2011)
As actor
- Sbamm! (1981)
- Yuppies (1985)
- Yuppies 2 (1986)
- Montecarlo Gran Casinò (1987)
- Occhio alla Perestroika (1989)
- Vacanze di Natale '90 (1990)
- Vacanze di Natale '91 (1991)
- Anni 90 (1992)
- Infelici e contenti (1992)
- The Silence of the Hams (1994)
- Miracolo italiano (1994)
- Selvaggi (1995)
- Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1996)
- The Good Bad Guy (1997)
- Screw Loose (1999)
- 2001: A Space Travesty (2001)
- Un'estate al mare (2008)
- Giovanna's Father (2008)
- Box Office 3D: The Filmest of Films (2011)
- Lockdown all'italiana (2020)
As writer
- Italian Fast Food (1986)
- Box Office 3D: The Filmest of Films (2011)
References
- Colombo, G.; L, W.W.I.S.R.; Italy, W.W. (2006). Who's Who in Italy. International red series. Who's Who in Italy. p. 874. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
GREGGIO Ezio, (Dott), actor, film producer, journalist bom Cossato/Biella, April 7, 1954 ...
- Franco, Luigi (24 May 2013). "Ezio Greggio, un tapiro per il conduttore: lo stipendio pagato all'estero". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- Berni, Federico (25 May 2013). "Monza I pm indagano sugli stipendi di Ezio Greggio versati a Monaco". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 25 May 2013.