Paolo Stoppa (6 June 1906 – 1 May 1988) was an Italian actor.

Biography

Paolo Stoppa was born in Rome into a family od ministerial official, Luigi Stoppa, and Adriana De Antonis. He began as a stage actor in 1927 in the theater in Rome and began acting in films in 1932. From 1938 to 1940, he worked at the Teatro Eliseo, playing characters from the classical and modern repertoire. Stoppa's most celebrated works include those after World War II, when he met director Luchino Visconti: the two, together with Stoppa's wife, actress Rina Morelli, formed a trio whose adaptations of works by authors such as Chekhov, Shakespeare and Goldoni became highly acclaimed. He gave to the theater a personal touch with his energetic play. He debuted in television in 1960 in the drama series Vita col padre e con la madre, reaching the top of the popularity in the 1970s, in particular in the adaptation of crime novels by Friedrich Dürrenmatt (Il giudice e il suo boia and Il sospetto) and Augusto De Angelis. As a film actor, Stoppa made some 194 appearances between 1932 and his retirement in 1983, with roles in popular classics such as Miracle in Milan (1951), Rocco and His Brothers (1960), Garibaldi (1961), The Leopard (1963), The Libertine (1968), and All My Friends Part 2 (1982). He also had a role in the Sergio Leone epic Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) and a cameo in Becket (1964). Stoppa was also a renowned dubber of films into Italian. He began this activity in the 1930s as dubber of Fred Astaire. Other actors he dubbed include Richard Widmark, Kirk Douglas and Paul Muni. Stoppa was initiated into the Scottish Rite Freemasonry. Stoppa died of leukemia on May 1, 1988. His funeral chamber was set up in the foyer of the Teatro Eliseo, and the funeral ceremony was held at Sant'Ignazio.

Filmography