A journey between comedy and social commitment

Lino Banfi will be among the protagonists of the show “Noi e…”, which ends on Rai1 the marathon of solidarity and charity for Unicef. The comedian from Puglia will be present with his granddaughter Virginia.

“Noi E… 2024”, this evening on Rai 1 the charity event for Unicef: the program, the guests and how to make a donation

The actor has an important career behind him, beginning in 1960 with Shoulder Screamers and who sees his last participation in a film in Italian laughter in 2022. He's also gotten in on the act with TV shows, the latest being Dancing with the stars which allowed him to further explore his intimacy.

Lino Banfi, here is the

Pasquale Zagaria was born at Andria on July 9, 1932 but was not registered in the civil registry until two days later. He is the son of Riccardo Zagaria and Nunzia Collia, who when Lino was three years old moved to Canosa di Puglia until he came of age. He is an Italian actor, comedian, screenwriter and cabaret artist. He embarked on the path to the seminary pushed by his deeply Catholic family, but within him prevailed the love of performing which led him to begin as a singer in village musical festivals.

The suggestion comes from the bishop Giuseppe Di Donnawhich invited him to undertake a career as a comic actor, because during the parish plays where he played Judas, Saint John and Saint Peter, everyone laughed. For his parents, this should not become a real job; Banfi pays the consequences by experiencing periods of economic difficulty and finding himself in the hands of loan sharks. When he moved to Milan, he slept in buildings under construction, in train stations or in hospitals so as not to be cold.

The name

In 1954, he tried his hand at variety theater Milanafter entering the company of Arturo Vetrani. He brings typical elements of his country with sayings and expressions, as he will continue to do later by centering his comedy on dialect and funny words. Initially his name is Lino Zaga, then Totò tells him that it is good luck to shorten first names but not last names. It was her manager, elementary teacher and husband of Maresa Horn, who chose her last name, taking the first name from the class register of her students, namely Aureliano Banfi.

The beginnings

Subsequently, he moved to Rome where he debuted on television in the program Antonello Falqui from 1964, Studio One Librarywhere he plays the role of a valet, reciting a few lines with an Apulian accent. In the following years he participated in the television program Special for you on Rai 2 in 1969 Renzo Arbore and in 1972 with the Cabaret Sancarlino with Carletto Sposito et Anna Mazzamaurothen continuing with Enrico Montesano et Lando Fiorini. His film debut dates back to 1960 with the film Screamers at the bar.

Cinema

Lino Banfi is considered among the seventies and eighties as one of the sexy Italian comedies. He stars alongside Renzo Montagnani, Alvaro Vitali, Mario Carotenuto, Gianfranco D'Angelo, Edwige Fenech, Gloria Guida, Laura Antonelli, Jimmy il Fenomeno and Nadia Cassini in films such as The high school student in the repeating class, The Honorable Member with his lover under the bed, The wife in white… the pepper lover, The night nurse, The teacher goes to boarding school, The teacher comes to the house, The teacher dances… with the whole class and many others. Banfi also played the unforgettable character of Oronzo Canà in L'allenatore nel pallone and its sequel. In total, he played in more than 100 films, between comedies and tragedies.

The fictions

Lino Banfi was able to enter household televisions also through fiction. One of them is Un medico in famiglia, of which he was part of the cast in 1998 playing the role of Libero Martini, a character completely different from those played in the seventies and eighties. This series achieved excellent audiences from the first season, reaching more than 10,000,000 viewers and, of the ten seasons carried out, he not only participated in the seventh of 2011, and voiced his character in the animated series namesake. Un difetto di famiglia and Un posto tranquillo followed in 2003, the year in which he won the Telegatto for his entire career. In 2011, he was a commissioner in the Canale 5 miniseries Il commissario di Zagaria.

Reality

In 2022 he participates in the third edition of Il Cantante Mascherato, with his daughter Rosanna, with the chick mask. From October 21 to November 4, 2023, he competed in the 18th edition of Ballando con le stelle as a couple with Alessandra Tripoli but withdrew from the third show.

Awards

In 2001, he was appointed ambassador to Unicef, in 2019 Luigi Di Mari appointed him a member of the Italian commission to Unesco. A year earlier, he presented “Bontà Banfi”, a line of typical Apulian products that he selected and with his image. In 2021, he supports the Italian national team at the Euro with his slogans. He lends his voice to the short film “Agli eroi del nostro tempo” which celebrates healthcare workers engaged in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. On July 14, 2024, on the occasion of his birthday, the town of Canosa di Puglia dedicated the Teatro Lembo foyer to him.

The family

On March 1, 1962, he married Lucia Lagrasta (1938-2023) after 10 years of engagement. Together, they had two children: Rosanna, also an actress, and Walter (1968), director and film producer. The woman gave him two grandchildren: Virginia (1993) and Pietro (1998). Lino runs a restaurant with his children, “Orecchietteria Banfi”, near Cavour Square, in the Prati district, in Rome. He is a supporter of Roma and declares himself politically right-wing.