Francesco Benigno

Francesco Benigno
Francesco Benigno in 2005
Born	4 October 1967 Palermo, Sicily, Italy
Nationality	Italian
Occupation(s)	Actor and singer

Francesco Benigno (born 4 October 1967), is an Italian actor of television, cinema and theatre. He is also a singer, and has directed a short film for which he won the Grifoni D'argento Award (The Silver Griffin Award).

Career

Benigno was born in Palermo, Sicily, the twelfth of thirteen children. He made his first acting debut in 1989, in Mery per sempre, directed by Marco Risi. He played the same role of Natale Sperandeo in the film's sequel, Ragazzi fuori (Boys on the Outside), for which he won two awards as Best Actor, the Ciak d'Oro at the Venice Film Festival, and the Premio Piper. Both films were set in his native Palermo.

Benigno has since performed regularly in cinema, television, and has appeared on stage in two theatrical performances. Benigno appeared on the reality show La Fattoria in 2005, and has made many television guest appearances. He has also released CDs, and sang a live duet with singer Marco Masini at the Sanremo Music Festival in 2009, which was televised by Rai Uno. In 2008, he won the Grifoni D'argento Award for best director of a short film, the autobiographical Benigno.

Filmography

(A partial list)

• Mery per sempre (1989)
• Ragazzi fuori (1990)
• Caldo soffocante (1991)
• Il commissario Corso (1991, television)
• Vacanze di Natale (1991)
• Anni 90 (1992)
• Ultimo respiro (1992)
• Un sogno perso (1992)
• Anni 90-Parte II 1993)
• Miracolo italiano (1994)
• Palermo-Milano solo andata (1995)
• La piovra, season 7 (1995, television mini-series)
• La stanza della scirocco (1998)
• Crimine contro crimine (1998)
• Ultimo (1998, television)
• Ultimo 2 - La sfida (1999, television)
• La Squadra (1999, television)
• Morso della serpente (1999, television)
• Il diavolo e l'acqua santa (1999, television)
• Excellent Cadavers (1999, television)
• Arresti domiciliari (2000)
• Donne di Mafia, (2001, television)
• Blindati, (2003, television)
• Ultimo 3 - L'infiltrato (2004, television)
• Tutte le donne della mia vita (2007)
• L'ultimo padrino (2008, television)

Theatre

• La Valigia di Carne, (1992–1993)
• Sotterraneo, (1994)

Short films

• La Mancia, (1996–1997)
• Ice (Yamaha), (2001–2002)
• Benigno, (2008), which he also directed

Discography

• Io Ragazzo Fuori, (1991)
• Io=Voi, (1993)
• Per Sempre, (1997)
• Con il Cuore in Mano. (2002)
• Nel Cammino della Vita, (2005)
• Abbronzata, (2007)

Awards

(A partial listing)

• Efebo D'oro, for Mery Per Sempre, (1989)
• Ciak d'Oro, Best Actor, Ragazzi Fuori, (1990), Venice Film Festival
• Premio Piper, Best Actor, Ragazzi Fuori, (1990)
• Chiave D'oro Chianciano Terme, for Anni 90
• Premio Pasquino D'oro, (2001)
• Torre D'argento, Best Actor in television fiction, (2002–2003)
• Premio Aragonese, (2005–2006)
• Grifoni D'argento, Best Director of a short film, Benigno, (2008), Giffoni Film Festival