Massimo Serato (born Giuseppe Segato; 31 May 1917 – 22 December 1989) was an Italian film actor with a career spanning over 40 years.

Biography

Serato was born in Oderzo, Veneto, Italy and started appearing in films in 1938. He played leading roles in several historical dramas and sword-and-sandal epics, mainly Italian, as well as roles in major international films. His notable appearances include Piccolo mondo antico (1941), The Naked Maja (1958), David and Goliath (1960), The Loves of Hercules (1960), El Cid (1961), 55 Days at Peking (1963) Camille 2000 (1969) and Don't Look Now (1973). In 1947 he won a Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the neorealist war-drama film The Sun Still Rises. He had an affair with the actress Anna Magnani who bore him a son, Luca, whom she affectionately called Cellino. Luca contracted polio at an early age; "In time he was able to walk with steel braces but [he] spent much of his time in a wheelchair." Serato died in Rome in 1989.

Selected filmography