Age: 73
male
Roberto Benigni, (born October 27, 1952, Misericordia, Arezzo, Italy), Italian actor and director known for his comedic work, most notably La vita è bella (1997; Life Is Beautiful), for which he won an Academy Award for best actor. Benigni was the son of a poor tenant farmer who had worked in a German forced-labour camp during World War II. The elder Benigni used humour in retelling his experiences, which helped shape his son’s comedic skill. Benigni briefly attended a Jesuit seminary in Florence, and, after a stint as a magician’s assistant, he joined an underground theatre group in the late 1960s.
Harry had only two loves in his life: magic and Bess. But despite all his efforts, his loved ones rarely got along ... One of the world's most famous illusionists and stuntmen was born in Budapest in 1874 as Erik Weisz, and a few years later he and his family boarded a steamer bound for the United States. He started performing at the age of nine, but at that time he devoted himself to a hanging bar and only as a teenager he switched to magic. Not to mention, his pseudonym is a tribute to the founder of modern magic named Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin. But before he broke through with his new nickname, Harry Houdini subsisted on everything possible - including acting as a "wild man" at a fairground attraction on Coney Island. However, the real turning point came thanks to two coincidences: when he discovered his talent for escapist pieces and when he met his future wife, Bess. The American biographical film benefits not only from the fascinating story of the magician who often tried to die in his pieces, but also from the central acting duo. From his beginnings as a "wildman" carnival act to the internationally famous feat of escaping from a locked trunk in an ice-jammed river, the great Harry Houdini emerged as the world's most captivating magician and escape artist.
