Alberto Sordi

Already rotund at age 13, Italian-born Alberto Sordi won an Oliver Hardy look-alike contest sponsored by Hollywood's MGM. Sordi subsequently became a professional comedian in his own right, appearing in music halls, on the "legit" stage, and films from 1940. He maintained his connection with Hardy by dubbing the comedian's voice into Italian during the '40s (Laurel & Hardy comedies were among the few Hollywood efforts not banned by Mussolini). Sordi graduated to film stardom with his portrayal of an overaged adolescent in Federico Fellini's Il Vitelloni (1953). Some of his more memorable screen assignments include his portrayal of a peace-loving fascist officer in The Best of Enemies (1962), his performance as an Italian laborer stranded in Sweden in To Bed...or Not to Bed (1963), a count in Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), his enjoyable appearance as "himself" in Fellini's Roma (1972), and his award-winning turn in Why (1972). Having previously co-scripted many of his films, Sordi turned to directing with 1966's Fumo di Londra. He continued to act and direct throughout the '80s and '90s, doing both for his 1998 romantic comedy Incontri Proibiti. - Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide