# Christian De Sica

Christian De Sica (Italian pronunciation:; born 5 January 1951) is an Italian actor, comedian, television presenter, and filmmaker.

## Life

De Sica was born in Rome, the second son of Italian director Vittorio De Sica and Spanish actress María Mercader. His first cousin once removed was Ramón Mercader, the murderer of Leon Trotsky. After attending Liceo classico in Rome, where he had Carlo Verdone as his deskmate, De Sica worked in a hotel in Venezuela, where he began his career as an artist. He enrolled in Lettere (Literature and Arts) at La Sapienza university (1970) but did not graduate.
He was attracted to music, and participated in the Sanremo Festival singing "Mondo mio" ("My World") (1973). However, the results convinced him to follow in his father's footsteps and devote himself to acting. De Sica developed his own style of comedy and entertainment also in Rai television shows, such as Bambole, non c'è una lira, which gave him a large success in 1978.

## Acting career

With his father's help, he was able to take his first steps in the movie world with such teachers and mentors as Roberto Rossellini (Blaise Pascal, 1971), Vittorio De Sica himself (A Brief Vacation, 1973), Pupi Avati (House of Pleasure for Women, 1976) and Salvatore Samperi (1979 Liquirizia and 1981 Chaste and Pure).
He married Silvia Verdone, sister of Carlo, with whom he had two children, Brando and Mariarosa. He achieved fame in the 1980s: in 1982 Borotalco was released, together with his brother-in-law Verdone, then he filmed Sapore di Mare with Jerry Calà as well as Yuppies, Yuppies 2, Grandi Magazzini and Compagni di Scuola.
After Night club, the last film directed by Italian director Sergio Corbucci, Christian De Sica became one of the most famous interpreters of the "cine-panettone" (comedies that reach movie theatres during the Christmas season) and formed till 2005 a partnership with actor Massimo Boldi. They acted together in the series of Vacanze di Natale and A spasso nel tempo (1996), Paparazzi (1998), Tifosi (1999) and Christmas in Love (2004). By 2002, their films had grossed 300 billion lire ($150 million). Afterwards, he starred in Natale a New York (2006), Natale in crociera (2007) and Natale a Rio (2008). These films, done in burlesque style, tend to be well received at the box office, if not by critics, at times even outstripping better known and expensively made movies such as the Harry Potter series.
As an actor, De Sica has won three David di Donatello awards: a prize for Giovannino in 1976, a special one together with Massimo Boldi in 2000, and the third one in 2009.
He received the America Award of the Italy-USA Foundation in 2016.

## Directing career

Since 1990, Christian De Sica has also been a director: he debuted with Faccione, whose script he wrote and tailor-made for actress Nadia Rinaldi. After Count Max, a homage to the cinema of his father and of Mario Camerini, that he interpreted with Ornella Muti, Anita Ekberg and his mother Maria Mercader, De Sica went on self-directing in Ricky & Barabba (1992), Men Men Men (1995), Tre (1996), Simpatici & antipatici (1998), and The Clan (2005).
A great admirer of Frank Sinatra and above all of Marlon Brando, he named his first child Brando in honour of the American actor. Criticism has often likened his acting to that of Alberto Sordi, from whom De Sica has drawn a lot of his expressions.

## Filmography
### Films

| Title | Year | Role(s) | Director | Notes |
| Paulina 1880 | 1972 | Attilio Pandolfini | Jean-Louis Bertuccelli | Feature film debut |
| A Brief Vacation | 1973 | Boy on train | Vittorio De Sica | Cameo appearance |
| The Cousin | 1974 | Ninì Scuderi | Aldo Lado | |
| The Sex Machine | 1975 | Daniele Venturoli | Pasquale Campanile | |
| Sexycop | 1976 | Vito Militiello | Duccio Tessari | |
| House of Pleasure for Women | 1976 | Ugolino Facchini | Pupi Avati | |
| Giovannino | 1976 | Giovannino Calì | Paolo Nuzzi | |
| An Almost Perfect Affair | 1979 | Carlo Barone | Michael Ritchie | |
| Liquirizia | 1979 | Gian Galeazzo Lo Cascio | Salvatore Samperi | |
| Il malato immaginario | 1979 | Claudio Anzalone | Tonino Cervi | |
| Love in First Class | 1980 | Sales assistant | Salvatore Samperi | Cameo appearance |
| I'm Getting a Yacht | 1980 | Attilio | Sergio Corbucci | |
| Chaste and Pure | 1981 | Carletto Morosini | Salvatore Samperi | |
| Teste di quoio | 1981 | Carpets seller | Giorgio Capitani | Cameo appearance |
| Talcum Powder | 1982 | Marcello | Carlo Verdone | |
| Grog | 1982 | TV presenter | Francesco Laudadio | Cameo appearance |
| Viuuulentemente mia | 1982 | Juan Lopez | Carlo Vanzina | |
| Time for Loving | 1983 | Felicino Carraro | Carlo Vanzina | |
| Acqua e sapone | 1983 | Man at fashion show | Carlo Verdone | Cameo appearance |
| Vacanze di Natale | 1983 | Roberto Covelli | Carlo Vanzina | |
| Vacanze in America | 1984 | Father Rodolfo | Carlo Vanzina | |
| Mi faccia causa | 1984 | Giovanni Pennisi | Steno | |
| I pompieri | 1985 | Alberto Spina | Neri Parenti | |
| Yuppies | 1986 | Sandro | Carlo Vanzina | |
| Detective School Dropouts | 1986 | Carlo Lombardi | Filippo Ottoni | |
| Grandi magazzini | 1986 | Antonio Borazzi | Castellano & Pipolo | |
| Yuppies 2 | 1986 | Sandro | Enrico Oldoini | |
| Montecarlo Gran Casinò | 1987 | Furio | Carlo Vanzina | |
| Bellifreschi | 1987 | Mario "Jerry" Marcelli | Enrico Oldoini | |
| I pompieri 2 | 1987 | Alberto Spina | Giorgio Capitani | |
| Compagni di scuola | 1988 | Bruno Ciardulli | Carlo Verdone | |
| Night Club | 1989 | Walter Danesi | Sergio Corbucci | |
| Fratelli d'Italia | 1989 | Cesare Proietti | Neri Parenti | |
| Vacanze di Natale '90 | 1990 | Tony | Enrico Oldoini | |
| Count Max | 1991 | Alfredo / Count Max | Christian De Sica | Also director and screenwriter |
| Faccione | 1991 | None | Christian De Sica | Director and screenwriter |
| Vacanze di Natale '91 | 1991 | Enzo Lambertoni | Enrico Oldoini | |
| Anni 90 | 1992 | Cesare Proietti / Lando Marcelli | Enrico Oldoini | |
| Ricky & Barabba | 1992 | Barabba | Christian De Sica | Also director and screenwriter |
| Anni 90: Parte II | 1993 | Rodolfo Buro / Roberto Torri | Enrico Oldoini | |
| S.P.Q.R.: 2,000 and a Half Years Ago | 1994 | Cesare Atticus | Carlo Vanzina | |
| Men Men Men | 1995 | Vittorio Mannino | Christian De Sica | Also director and screenwriter |
| Vacanze di Natale '95 | 1995 | Remo Proietti | Neri Parenti | |
| 3 | 1996 | Jacopo Del Serchio | Christian De Sica | Also director and screenwriter |
| A spasso nel tempo | 1996 | Ascanio Orsini Varaldo | Carlo Vanzina | |
| A spasso nel tempo - L'avventura continua | 1997 | Ascanio Orsini Varaldo | Carlo Vanzina | |
| Simpatici e antipatici | 1998 | Roberto | Christian De Sica | Also director |
| Paparazzi | 1998 | Cesare Proietti | Neri Parenti | |
| Tifosi | 1999 | Cesare Proietti | Neri Parenti | |
| Vacanze di Natale 2000 | 1999 | Giovanni Covelli | Carlo Vanzina | |
| Chicken Run | 2000 | Rocky (voice) | Peter Lord, Nick Park | Italian voice-over |
| Body Guards | 2000 | Fabio Leone | Neri Parenti | |
| Merry Christmas | 2001 | Fabio Trivellone | Neri Parenti | |
| Christmas on the Nile | 2002 | Mr. Ciulla | Neri Parenti | |
| Natale in India | 2003 | Fabio De Tassis | Neri Parenti | |
| Christmas in Love | 2004 | Fabrizio Barbetti | Neri Parenti | |
| The Clan | 2005 | Franco | Christian De Sica | Also director and screenwriter |
| Natale a Miami | 2005 | Giorgio Bassi | Neri Parenti | |
| Natale a New York | 2006 | Camillo Ferri | Neri Parenti | |
| Natale in crociera | 2007 | Paolo Cioffa | Neri Parenti | |
| Horton Hears a Who! | 2008 | Horton (voice) | Jimmy Hayward, Steve Martino | Italian voice-over |
| Natale a Rio | 2008 | Paolo Berni | Neri Parenti | |
| Natale a Beverly Hills | 2009 | Carlo / Germano | Neri Parenti | |
| The Youngest Son | 2010 | Luciano Baietti | Pupi Avati | |
| The Tourist | 2010 | Colonel Lombardi | Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck | |
| Natale in Sudafrica | 2010 | Carlo Boffa | Neri Parenti | |
| Amici miei - Come tutto ebbe inizio | 2011 | Filippo | Neri Parenti | |
| Vacanze di Natale a Cortina | 2011 | Roberto Covelli | Neri Parenti | |
| Buona giornata | 2012 | Prince Ascanio Cavallini | Carlo Vanzina | |
| The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! | 2012 | Pirate Captain (voice) | Peter Lord, Jeff Newitt | Italian voice-over |
| Lightning Strike | 2012 | Alberto Benni | Neri Parenti | Segment: "Primo episodio" |
| The Unlikely Prince | 2013 | Anastasio | Alessandro Siani | |
| Colpi di fortuna | 2013 | Gabriele Brunelli | Neri Parenti | |
| La scuola più bella del mondo | 2014 | Principal Brogi | Luca Miniero | |
| Vacanze ai Caraibi | 2015 | Mario Grossi Tubi | Neri Parenti | Also screenwriter |
| Fräulein | 2016 | Walter Bonelli | Caterina Carone | |
| Poveri ma ricchi | 2016 | Danilo Tucci | Fausto Brizzi | |
| Poveri ma ricchissimi | 2017 | Danilo Tucci | Fausto Brizzi | |
| Amici come prima | 2018 | Cesare Proietti | Christian De Sica | Also director and screenwriter |
| Sono solo fantasmi | 2019 | Tommaso Di Paola / Vittorio Di Paola | Christian De Sica | Also director and screenwriter |
| La mia banda suona il pop | 2020 | Tony Brando | Fausto Brizzi | |
| In vacanza su Marte | 2020 | Fabio Sinceri | Neri Parenti | |
| Comedians | 2021 | Bernardo Celli | Gabriele Salvatores | |
| Who Framed Santa Claus? | 2021 | Santa Claus | Alessandro Siani | |
| Watch Out, We're Mad! | 2022 | Torsillo | YouNuts! | |
| The Price of Family | 2022 | Carlo Delle Fave | Giovanni Bognetti | |
| The Price of Nonna's Inheritance | 2024 | Carlo Delle Fave | Giovanni Bognetti | |
| Another Summer Holiday | 2024 | Pierluigi Nardi Masciulli | Paolo Virzì | |
| Cortina Express | 2024 | Lucio De Roberti | Eros Puglielli | |

### Television

| Title | Year | Role(s) | Network | Notes |
| Blaise Pascal | 1972 | Lieutenant | Rai 1 | Miniseries; cameo appearance |
| Alle sette della sera | 1974–1975 | Himself / Host | Rai 2 | Variety show |
| La compagnia stabile della canzone con varietà e con comica finale | 1975 | Himself / Host | Rai 1 | Special |
| Bambole, non c'e una lira | 1978 | Various | Rai 1 | Variety show |
| Paris-Vichy | 1979 | Arnold | France 2 | Television movie |
| Studio 80 | 1980 | Himself / Host | Rai 1 | Variety show |
| Sotto le stelle | 1982 | Himself / Host | Rai 1 | Musical program (season 2) |
| Flipper | 1983 | Photographer | Rai 1 | Television movie |
| Cinema che follia! | 1988 | Himself / Host | Rai 2 | Variety show |
| Belli freschi | 1993 | Various | Canale 5 | Sketch comedy |
| Lo zio d'America | 2002–2006 | Massimo Ricciardi | Rai 1 | 12 episodes |
| Attenti a quei tre | 2004 | Luca | Rai 1 | Miniseries |
| Tale e quale show | 2012–2014, 2017, 2021 | Himself / Judge | Rai 1 | Talent show (seasons 1–4, 7, 11) |
| Un matrimonio | 2013–2014 | Pippo Dagnini | Rai 1 | 6 episodes |
| Striscia la notizia | 2015 | Himself / Guest host | Canale 5 | Variety show (from September 28–October 24) |
| Mozart in the Jungle | 2016 | Mr. Beppi | Prime Video | 5 episodes |
| Miss Italia | 2017 | Himself / Judge | La7 | Annual beauty contest |
| Christian De Sica: Una serata tra amici | 2021 | Himself / Host | Rai 1 | Special |
| Gigolò per caso | 2023 | Giacomo Bremer | Prime Video | 6 episodes |