Enzo Biliotti
Italian postcard. Photo by G. De Virgiliis, Genova. Probably late 1910s or 1920s.
Enzo Biliotti, born Lorenzo Biliotti (Livorno, June 28, 1887 - Bologna, November 19, 1976), was an Italian actor.
Son of Francesco Biliotti and soprano Ines De Frate, Biliotti began his theatrical career as a brilliant actor in the Carini-Gentili Company (1918-1921) to later join that of Gemma Bolognesi. He was also part of that of Virgilio Talli (1922-1924), then of the Piccola Canobbiana of Milan in the 1924-1925 season and then of that of the Teatro d'Arte in Rome in 1925-1926, to be one of Alda Borelli's companions in the 1926. Dina Galli wanted him with her for the entire 1927-1928 season, then he moved to the Dora Migliari-Menichelli company in 1928-1929 and in a revue company directed by Paolo Reni (1929-1930). Guido Salvini hired him for a large-scale production, entrusting him with the character of Fouché in Campo di Maggio (1930) by Giovacchino Forzano, a character he resumed when Forzano himself made the film version of it in 1935. In 1931 he was part of the large cast of Za Bum n. 3 and in 1938 he was with Tumiati-Bagni-Scelzo, where he distinguished himself in a beautiful edition of Manzoni's Adelchi. Also in 1938 he played Federico in As you like it by William Shakespeare, directed by Jacques Copeau, with Massimo Pianforini, Sandro Ruffini, Guido Gatti, Fernando Farese, Nerio Bernardi, Umberto Melnati, Giuseppe Pierozzi, Franco Scandurra, Checco Rissone, Nella Bonora , Letizia Bonini and Zoe Incrocci, staged at the Boboli Gardens in Florence. Finally in 1946 Biliotti was with the company of Lilia Silvi.
In the cinema Biliotti was always employed in character or secondary roles. After his debut in 1916 in Cura da baci directed by Emilio Graziani-Walter and starring Armando Falconi, he acted in three more silent films, all directed by Mario Bonnard. He impersonated e.g. Fra Cristoforo in Bonnard's 1922 adaptation of I promessi sposi. Bonnard would later on also directed him in La gerla di papà Martin (1940), while Biliotti would act again in another adaptation of I promessi sposi (Mario Camerini, 1941), now as Antonio Ferrer. His first sound film was Villafranca (Giovacchino Forzano, 1933), where he superbly interpreted Napoleon III, which he wittily re-proposed in La contessa Castiglione (1942) by Flavio Calzavara. Biliotti specialized in masterfully designing kings, emperors, nobles and fathers of high lineage. Among his tastiest characterizations is that of the Viceroy in Un'avventura di Salvator Rosa/ An Adventure by Salvator Rosa (1939) by Alessandro Blasetti (1939) and King Philip IV in Don Cesare di Bazan (1942) by Riccardo Freda, in addition to the aforementioned French emperor. Married to Lia Di Lorenzo, at the end of the fifties he retired to the Casa di Riposo Lyda Borelli for retired actors in Bologna.
Source: IMDB, Italian Wikipedia
Enzo Biliotti
Italian postcard. Photo by G. De Virgiliis, Genova. Probably late 1910s or 1920s.
Enzo Biliotti, born Lorenzo Biliotti (Livorno, June 28, 1887 - Bologna, November 19, 1976), was an Italian actor.
Son of Francesco Biliotti and soprano Ines De Frate, Biliotti began his theatrical career as a brilliant actor in the Carini-Gentili Company (1918-1921) to later join that of Gemma Bolognesi. He was also part of that of Virgilio Talli (1922-1924), then of the Piccola Canobbiana of Milan in the 1924-1925 season and then of that of the Teatro d'Arte in Rome in 1925-1926, to be one of Alda Borelli's companions in the 1926. Dina Galli wanted him with her for the entire 1927-1928 season, then he moved to the Dora Migliari-Menichelli company in 1928-1929 and in a revue company directed by Paolo Reni (1929-1930). Guido Salvini hired him for a large-scale production, entrusting him with the character of Fouché in Campo di Maggio (1930) by Giovacchino Forzano, a character he resumed when Forzano himself made the film version of it in 1935. In 1931 he was part of the large cast of Za Bum n. 3 and in 1938 he was with Tumiati-Bagni-Scelzo, where he distinguished himself in a beautiful edition of Manzoni's Adelchi. Also in 1938 he played Federico in As you like it by William Shakespeare, directed by Jacques Copeau, with Massimo Pianforini, Sandro Ruffini, Guido Gatti, Fernando Farese, Nerio Bernardi, Umberto Melnati, Giuseppe Pierozzi, Franco Scandurra, Checco Rissone, Nella Bonora , Letizia Bonini and Zoe Incrocci, staged at the Boboli Gardens in Florence. Finally in 1946 Biliotti was with the company of Lilia Silvi.
In the cinema Biliotti was always employed in character or secondary roles. After his debut in 1916 in Cura da baci directed by Emilio Graziani-Walter and starring Armando Falconi, he acted in three more silent films, all directed by Mario Bonnard. He impersonated e.g. Fra Cristoforo in Bonnard's 1922 adaptation of I promessi sposi. Bonnard would later on also directed him in La gerla di papà Martin (1940), while Biliotti would act again in another adaptation of I promessi sposi (Mario Camerini, 1941), now as Antonio Ferrer. His first sound film was Villafranca (Giovacchino Forzano, 1933), where he superbly interpreted Napoleon III, which he wittily re-proposed in La contessa Castiglione (1942) by Flavio Calzavara. Biliotti specialized in masterfully designing kings, emperors, nobles and fathers of high lineage. Among his tastiest characterizations is that of the Viceroy in Un'avventura di Salvator Rosa/ An Adventure by Salvator Rosa (1939) by Alessandro Blasetti (1939) and King Philip IV in Don Cesare di Bazan (1942) by Riccardo Freda, in addition to the aforementioned French emperor. Married to Lia Di Lorenzo, at the end of the fifties he retired to the Casa di Riposo Lyda Borelli for retired actors in Bologna.
Source: IMDB, Italian Wikipedia