Who is Eduardo De Filippo?

"De Filippo embodies the three fundamental facets of theater, as he is an actor, playwright, and stage director, and he is specifically one of the best we know."

Ricard Salvat
 

Eduardo De Filippo was born in Naples on May 24, 1900, and passed away in Rome on October 31, 1984. His theatrical life began at a very young age, under the guidance of his father Eduardo Scarpetta, an important comic actor who introduced him to the magic of the profession, along with his siblings, Peppino and Titina. From a very young age, Eduardo stood out for his comic talents in both dialectal theater and variety shows.

"I was six or seven years old, and I spent whole days and evenings at the theater. Being the son of an artist made it simple for me. I saw a comedy from backstage or from a corner of the audience, or with my head between the bars of the gallery railings, who knows how many times. I distinctly remember that in the end, the actors I admired the most awakened critical thoughts in me: 'Before this line, there should be a long pause, at least three breaths.'"

Eduardo De Filippo
 

In 1920, he wrote his first comedy, "Farmacia di turno." The three brothers joined the "Molinari" company in 1929, for which Eduardo wrote and starred in one of his most famous works, "Natale in Casa Cupiello." In 1931, all three of them founded the Humorous Company "I De Filippo," where he would write, direct, and act, and it remained active until 1945 when Peppino separated from it to pursue other artistic activities. With this company, he achieved resounding success, such as with his comedy "Chi è cchiù felice ’e me!" (Who's Happier Than Me?) and Luigi Pirandello's "Il berretto a sonagli" (The Rattle Hat). Individually during these years, he also appeared in various films.

Later, he acquired and restored the "Teatro San Ferdinando" in Naples, an 18th-century building that had been severely damaged during World War II. There, he performed many of his own works and those of other authors, elevating the Neapolitan dialect to the status of a cultural theatrical language. Among his notable productions from that time are "Napoli milionaria" (1945), "La grande magia" (1948), "Questi fantasmi!" (1946), "Mia famiglia" (1953), "Bene mio e core mio" (1956), "L'arte della commedia" (1964), and "Gli esami non finiscono mai" (1973).

Some of the plays he wrote brought him worldwide fame, such as "Filumena Marturano" (1946), translated into about twenty languages and adapted to film as "Marriage Italian Style" (1964) by Vittorio de Sica, starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. Another significant success was "Sabato, domenica e lunedì" (1959), which remained on Broadway for nearly two years and was also performed at London's Old Vic Theater, directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring Laurence Olivier (1973).

Eduardo De Filippo was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Birmingham (1977) and La Sapienza University in Rome (1980). In 1973, he was made a Knight of the Grand Cross in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, and in 1981, President Sandro Pertini, using his constitutional prerogatives, appointed him a senator for life.

Naples is the source of observation and inspiration for Eduardo, as he is known there, and is a symbol and emblem for the city's residents, like few playwrights have managed to be. This is one of the essences of what we believe theater can represent for our society. Eduardo's example, becoming the heart of a community, is a beacon for our culture, often mistreated and always in constant reconstruction.