Luciano De Crescenzo
Luciano De Crescenzo Born (1928-08-18) 18 August 1928 (age 86) Naples, Italy Occupation writer, film actor, director Luciano De Crescenzo (Italian pronunciation: [luˈtʃano de kreʃˈʃɛntso]; born 18 August 1928) is an Italian writer, film actor, director and engineer. Born in Naples, he graduated in engineering and worked for IBM Italy until 1976, when he published the bestseller Così parlò Bellavista (Thus Spake Bellavista), a collection of facts and anecdotes about his city which sold 600,000 copies in Italy and was translated into numerous languages. In 1980 he debuted as actor in Il pap'occhio, under the direction of his friend Renzo Arbore, together with Roberto Benigni. In 1984 he directed the successful movie adaptation of Così parlò Bellavista (in which he also played the main protagonist), followed by Il mistero di Bellavista in 1985. In 1995 he wrote and directed Croce e delizia, featuring Teo Teocoli and Isabella Rossellini. In the meantime he published a long series of books, including novels and popularizations of philosophy. For his work in the field of Greek philosophy he received honorary citizenship of Athens in 1994.