Antonio Collalto (dramatist)

Antonio Collalto (1713 – 5 July 1778) was an Italian actor and writer, mainly of comedies in Commedia dell'arte style.

Collalto was born in Florence. As a young man, he was a soldier, but he afterwards became an actor, often playing the masked role of Pantalone. He also wrote many plays for his theater including il Pantalone avaro (The Jealous Pantalone); il Pantalone ringiovanito (The Rejuvenated Pantalone); la Famiglia in Discordia (The Family in Discord); il Pantalone padre severo (Pantalone the Strict Father); il Ritorno il'Argentina (The Return from Argentina); and finally Tre gemelli veneziani (Three Venetian Twins); in four acts from 1775. This latter comedy was very popular and was translated into French. Collalto would play the parts of all three twins. He was applauded as a comedic actor for Italian plays in Paris.

Sources

• Boni, Filippo de' (1852). Biografia degli artisti ovvero dizionario della vita e delle opere dei pittori, degli scultori, degli intagliatori, dei tipografi e dei musici di ogni nazione che fiorirono da'tempi più remoti sino á nostri giorni. Seconda Edizione.. Venice; Googlebooks: Presso Andrea Santini e Figlio. p. 236.