Paolo Stoppa


Paolo Stoppa Knight Grand Cross was an Italian actor and dubber.

Biography

Born in Rome, he began as a stage actor in 1927 in the theater in Rome and began acting in films in 1932. As a stage actor, his 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 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 Miracolo a Milano, Rocco e i suoi fratelli, Viva l'Italia!, Il Gattopardo, La matriarca, and Amici miei atto II. He also had a role in the Sergio Leone epic Once Upon a Time in the West and a cameo in Becket.
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 to the Scottish Rite Freemasonry.

Filmography