Alberto Lionello

Alberto Lionello (12 July 1930 – 14 July 1994) was an Italian actor, voice actor, singer, and television presenter born in Milan into a family of Venetian origins. He trained at the Accademia dei Filodrammatici before launching his professional career in 1949 as part of Antonio Gandusio's stage company. His first notable stage success came in 1951 with the play La pulce all'orecchio, after which he spent several years performing with Wanda Osiris's company.

A significant turning point in Lionello's career came in 1960, when he co-hosted Canzonissima, a RAI Saturday night musical program, alongside Lauretta Masiero and Aroldo Tieri. He performed the show's opening theme, "La la la," which reached number 13 on the Italian hit parade. Beginning in 1961, he entered into a seven-year collaboration with the Teatro Stabile in Genoa, where he earned considerable critical recognition, most notably for his work in Zeno's Conscience — a role he later reprised in a television adaptation — and in Carlo Goldoni's The Venetian Twins.

His performance in The Venetian Twins brought Lionello to international stages across 33 countries, including a Broadway appearance in 1968 in the production known on Broadway as The Venetian. His film work spanned several decades, with credits including Of Life and Love (1956), Porcile (1969), How Funny Can Sex Be? (1973), and Dream of a Summer Night (1983), among many others.

Lionello maintained a relationship with actress Erika Blanc from 1978 until his death in 1994. His daughter Gea followed him into the acting profession.