Shirley and Dino

Corinne Benizio ("Shirley", born 1962) and Gilles Benizio ("Dino", born 1957), are a French comic duo known by their stagename Shirley et Dino.

Shirley and Dino
Shirley and Dino at the 30th César Awards
OccupationComedian
Years active1988–present

Biographies and debut

Gilles was born on June 1, 1957 in Villerupt in Meurthe-et-Moselle and Corinne on February 12, 1962 in Dugny, Seine-Saint-Denis.

The couple met at university in 1982, married in 1985, and made their debut the same year with the stage name "Achilles Tonic". In several of their shows, the duo depicted touching stories about unsuccessful naïve clowns.[1]

"They wrote and directed several shows, including Les Étoiles de Monsieur Édmond (I990), Cabaret Citrouille (I997), Varieta (2000), and Shirley and Dino (2002). They got their big break on TV in Patrick Sébastien's TV show Le plus grand Cabaret du Monde ..." (Encyclopedia of French Film Directors[1])

In 2002 they released a partially autobiographical movie 'Cabaret Paradis'.

In 2009 they have played the Baroque King Arthur (opera) by Henry Purcell, and in 2015 they played Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse, a comic ballet by the French Baroque writer Joseph Bodin de Boismortier.

The Shirley et Dino show

Corinne and Gilles created the characters "Shirley and Dino" during an improvisation internship with Ariane Mnouchkine in 2002, and their frequent skits on Patrick Sébastien's TV show "Le plus grand Cabaret du Monde" (The Greatest Cabaret Show of the World) made them famous in France. The release of clips from that show on YouTube in 2011 made them famous around the world, with more than 2.5 million views (as of September 2018).

As 'Shirley and Dino' they played magic tricks that don't work or magic tricks that were "mistakenly" revealed, and sang well-known Chanson style songs off-tune, with the wrong words or misinterpreted lyrics in foreign languages. Shirley, dressed in a 1960s style gingham dress would explain what they are about to do, with outbursts of awkward laughter, and standing in a childish silly posture, while Dino, dressed in a white suit, pants a bit too short, and a wig with two curls on his forehead, constantly interrupts her, mocking her and talking to the crowd.

In 2003 they received the Mulier prize for their "Le Duo" show, as the "Best Sketch Show of the year". According to the official website, Their DVD was sold in more than 1 million copies.[2]

Theater
Year Title Author Director Notes
1988-89 Vive le Music-Hall Shirley and Dino Shirley and Dino
1990-94 Les Étoiles de Monsieur Edmond Shirley and Dino Shirley and Dino
1993-94 Shirley et Dino Shirley and Dino Shirley and Dino
1996 Le Cabaret du Cinquantenaire Shirley and Dino Shirley and Dino
1997-99 Cabaret Citrouille Shirley and Dino Shirley and Dino
1999 Le Retour de Shirley & Dino Shirley and Dino Shirley and Dino
Nouveau Cabaret de Shirley & Dino Shirley and Dino Shirley and Dino
2000 Shirley et Dino présentent Shirley and Dino Shirley and Dino
2000-01 Variéta Shirley and Dino Shirley and Dino
2002 Le duo Shirley and Dino Robert Hossein Molière Award for Best one man show or Sketches show
2003-04 Les fantaisistes Shirley and Dino Robert Hossein (2)
2004-05 Les Dimanches et Lundis de Shirley et Dino Shirley and Dino Robert Hossein (3)
2006 Le soldat rose Louis Chedid Shirley and Dino
2006-07 30 Exceptionnelles Shirley and Dino Shirley and Dino
2007-09 Les Caméléons d'Achille Shirley and Dino Shirley and Dino
2009 King Arthur Henry Purcell Shirley and Dino
2010 Et ReVOILÀ! Shirley and Dino Shirley and Dino
2013-16 Dino fait son Crooner, Shirley fait sa crâneuse Shirley and Dino Shirley and Dino
2015 Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse Joseph Bodin de Boismortier Shirley and Dino

Filmography
Year Title Role Director Notes
2006 Cabaret Paradis Shirley and Dino Shirley and Dino

Television
Year Show Host Notes
2001-06 Le plus grand cabaret du monde Patrick Sébastien Every month

References
  1. Philippe Rège - Encyclopedia of French Film Directors - Volume 1 2009 081086939X- Page 77
  2. Corinne and Gilles' official website (in French)
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