Remembering Ciccio Ingrassia

Francesco Ingrassia was born on October 5, 1922 in Palermo, Italy. He began his career in the 1950s. He met Franco Franchi in 1954 and the two formed a memorable comedy team of Franco & Ciccio, in which they appeared in over 130 films and television appearances. Ingrassia proved he was more than a comic by working alone with such film directors as Fellini, Comencini and Pasolini. His performance in Fellini's film “Amarcord” (1973) was memorable. He even won a David di Donatello for Best Supporting Actor. Ingrassia was the Tornatore's first choice for the leading role in "Nuovo Cinema Paradiso". For questions of co-production he was replaced by Philippe Noiret. During his career Ciccio appeared in 10 Euro-westerns from “Two Mafia Men in the Far West” in 1964 to “Two Sons of Trinity” in 1972. His only son, Giampiero Ingrassia [1961- ], is a respected actor of theatre and television. Ciccio died on April 28, 2003 in Rome. Today we remember Ciccio Ingrassia on what would have been his 90^th birthday.