Paolo Stoppa Knight Grand Cross (6 June 1906 – 1 May 1988) was an Italian actor.
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 (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 Miracolo a Milano (1951), Rocco e i suoi fratelli (1960), Viva l'Italia! (1961), Il Gattopardo (1962), La matriarca (1968), and Amici miei atto II (1982). He also had a role in the Sergio Leone epic Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) and a cameo in Becket...More about Paolo Stoppa...