Francesco "Nino" Castelnuovo (28 October 1936 – 6 September 2021) was an Italian actor of film, stage and television, best known for his starring role as Guy Foucher in the French musical film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964).
Castelnuovo's other films include Rocco and His Brothers (1960), Camille 2000 (1969), L'emmerdeur (1973), The Bloodstained Lawn (1973), Massacre Time (1966), The Five Man Army (1969), and The English Patient (1996).
Early life Castelnuovo was born the youngest of three boys in Lecco, Lombardy as the son of maid Emilia Paola (née Sala) and button factory employee Camillo Castelnuovo. He had two older brothers, Pierantonio (b. 1930; d. 1976) and Clemente. After being a house painter, a mechanic and a workman, he moved to Milan, where he started working as a sales agent, and at the same time, he enrolled in the acting school of the Piccolo Teatro in Milan. He became a father for the first time to his son Lorenzo when he married (b. 1955), an Italian actress.
Career In 1957, Castelnuovo debuted as a mime in the RAI children's television show Zurli il mago del giovedì.
He landed a small part in The Facts of Murder (1959), directed by Pietro Germi, and played supporting roles in films, including The Hunchback of Rome, directed by Carlo Lizzani, and Rocco and His Brothers, directed by Luchino Visconti; both were released in 1960.
When the American television show Disneyland travelled to Italy in 1962, he appeared with Annette Funicello in two episodes of the mini-movie, Escapade in Florence, singing, playing the guitar, and adding the Italian verses to the jovial tarantella "Dream Boy".
Castelnuovo's breakthrough role arrived with The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), directed by Jacques Demy, in which he played opposite Catherine Deneuve. Nominated for the American Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the film gained the attention of both film critics and the public, and won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in February of the same year.
After the box-office failures Un mondo nuovo (1966), directed by Vittorio De Sica, and The Reward, directed by Serge Bourguignon, he gained notice as an actor in Italy because of his role of Renzo in the television mini-series I promessi sposi (1967).
He also starred alongside an international cast in The Five Man Army (1969), directed by Don Taylor, as a Mexican revolutionary, and as Armand in Camille 2000 (1969), directed by Radley Metzger.
From then on, Castelnuovo was featured primarily on television serials around Europe, where he portrayed numerous parts. He appeared as the athletically sound spokesman for the corn oil company Cuore from 1977 to 1982.
Castelnuovo also appeared briefly as D'Agostino in The English Patient (1996), and he continued to be active on the Italian theatre stage. In 2002, he starred in a production of the 1931 comedy play The Front Page (Italian title, Prima Pagina). In 2016 he appeared as Kenny Butler in The Legacy Run.
Death Castelnuovo died on 6 September 2021 in Rome at the age of 84.
Selected filmography Year Title Role Notes1956 The Virtuous Bigamist Minor rôle Uncredited1959 The Facts of Murder L'Elettricista 1960 The Angel Wore Red Capt. Trinidad Uncredited Rocco and His Brothers Nino Rossi La garçonnière Vincenzo Everybody Go Home Codegato The Hunchback of Rome Cencio 1961 Laura nuda Franco - Laura's husband A Day for Lionhearts Danilo Day by Day, Desperately Gabriele Dominici 1962 Escapade in Florence Bruno 1963 The Shortest Day Corteggiatore Uncredited The Eye of the Needle Nicola Badalà The Umbrellas of Cherbourg Guy Foucher 1964 Una sporca faccenda The Cavern Mario Scognamiglio 1965 The Double Bed L'amant Segment 2 "Le monstre" The Reward Luis Made in Italy Dr. Gavino Piras Segment "2 'Il Lavoro', episode 2")1966 Un monde nouveau Carlo Andremo in città Ivan, un partigiano Massacre Time Jason 'Junior' Scott Les Créatures Jean Modet 1967 On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who... Marculfo 1968 Code Name: Red Roses Vincent 1969 Psychout for Murder Mario Mercanti di vergini Love and Anger The Director Segment "L'amore" The Five Man Army Luis Dominguez Camille 2000 Armand Duval Diary of a Telephone Operator Piero 1970 The Divorce Piero 1971 Bella di giorno moglie di notte Giorgio 1972 Colpo grosso... grossissimo... anzi probabile Sandro 1973 The Bloodstained Lawn A UNESCO agent L'emmerdeur Bellhop Emilio Trenti1974 Loving in the Rain Giovanni 1975 Strip Nude for Your Killer Carlo Strip First, Then We Talk Giuliano That Malicious Age Napoleone 1975 La collegiale Marco 1979 Star Odyssey Lt. Oliver 'Hollywood' Carrera 1996 The English Patient D'Agostino 2001 With the Killer's Eyes Ernesto Longhi 2003 Senza la parola fine 2010 Il sottile fascino del peccato Padre di Giada 2016 The Legacy Run Kenny Butler
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