Massimo Troisi (; 19 February 1953 – 4 June 1994) was an Italian actor, cabaret performer, comedian, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his works in the films I'm Starting back from Three (1981) and Il Postino: The Postman (1994), for which he was posthumously nominated for two Oscars. He won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for his performance in the film What Time Is It? (1989). Nicknamed "the comedian of feelings", he is considered one of the most important actors of Italian theater and cinema.

Early years and TV star

Troisi was born into a large family in San Giorgio a Cremano, a town near Naples. His father Alfredo was a train engineer. Some of his family experiences were later told in his first films. After secondary school, Troisi wrote some poems inspired by his favourite author, Pier Paolo Pasolini, winning a youth poetry prize in his name, while also imitating him in sketches. In 1969 he started to play in a small local theatre together with some childhood friends (including Lello Arena and Enzo Decaro).

Troisi was just 41.

Years before he had scheduled a heart transplant but did not proceed with it, telling Radford: "You know, I don’t really want this new heart. You know why. Because the heart is the centre of emotion, and an actor is a man of emotion. Who knows what kind of an actor I’m going to be with someone else’s heart inside of me."

References

  • A website for those who hold Massimo in their hearts