Alberto Sordi

This Italian leading man came to prominence in the 1950s, especially in comic or romantic roles. Sordi first gained notice on the Italian stage before making his film debut in 1938. Memorable performances include as one of the young punks in Federico Fellini's "I Vitelloni" (1953), one of the grudging captains in "The Best of Enemies" (1962) and the lovelorn, hot-blooded Italian marooned in frosty Sweden in the finely observed comedy, "To Bed or Not to Bed" (1965), which earned him a Golden Globe Award. He also received a Best Actor citation at the 1972 Berlin Film Festival for his turn as a man mistakenly held prisoner in an Italian jail in "Detenuto in Attesta di Giudizio/In Prison Awaiting Trial/Why."

Sordi began writing film scripts in the 1950s and has frequently directed his own features since the mid-60s.