Famous Italian Playwrights

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 1 
Luigi Pirandello
(Italian Playwright and Novelist & Winner of 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature)
Luigi Pirandello
3
Birthdate: June 28, 1867
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Agrigento, Italy
Died: December 10, 1936

Luigi Pirandello was an Italian novelist, short story writer, poet, and dramatist. Best remembered for his plays, Pirandello was honored with the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature in 1934. An Italian nationalist, Pirandello supported Fascism; he asked the Fascist government to melt down his Nobel Prize medal for the Abyssinia Campaign.

 2 
Roberto Rossellini
(Film director, Actor, Film producer, Playwright, Screenwriter, Racecar driver)
Roberto Rossellini
8
Birthdate: May 8, 1906
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Rome
Died: June 3, 1977

One of the pioneers of neo-realism, Italian filmmaker Roberto Rossellini was part of the French nouvelle vague movement. Born to the man who had set up Italy’s first cinema, Rossellini later grew up to make films such as Rome, Open City. He was also known for his scandalous affair with Ingrid Bergman.

 3 
Dario Fo
(Winner of 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature)
Dario Fo
5
Birthdate: March 24, 1926
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Sangiano, Italy
Died: October 13, 2016

Nobel Prize-winning Italian playwright Dario Fo, best remembered for the play Mistero Buffo, donned many hats and made his presence felt as an actor, stage director and designer, and painter. He and his wife, actor Franca Rame, did everything from writing sketches for the show Canzonissima to founding theater companies.

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 4 
Gabriele D'Annunzio
(Former Member of Italian Chamber of Deputies (1897-1900))
Gabriele D'Annunzio
6
Birthdate: March 12, 1863
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Pescara, Italy
Died: March 1, 1938

Known for literary works like Il Piacere and La Gioconda, Italian journalist, poet and playwright Gabriele D'Annunzio dominated the second period of Italian Decadentism. He became a national war hero during the First World War. His political endeavours include establishing and leading the short-lived Italian Regency of Carnaro in Fiume. He is often described as the forerunner of Italian fascism.  

 5 
Carlo Goldoni
(Italian Librettist and Playwright Credited with Producing Some of Italy's Best-Loved and Most Famous Plays)
Carlo Goldoni
4
Birthdate: February 25, 1707
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Venice, Italy
Died: February 6, 1793

Carlo Goldoni was an Italian librettist and playwright from the Republic of Venice. He is credited with producing some of Italy's best-loved and most famous plays. His plays are often admired for their ingenious mix of honesty and wit. One of his most famous works, Servant of Two Masters, has been translated into many languages.

 6 
Plautus
(Roman Playwright Whose Work Influenced the Works of Shakespeare and Molière)
Plautus
3
Birthdate: 0254 AD
Birthplace: Sarsina, Italy
Died: 0184 AD

Plautus was a Roman playwright best remembered for his comedies. He wrote Palliata comoedia, a genre devised by Livius Andronicus, and his comedies are among the earliest of Latin literature to have survived in their totality. Plautus' works had a great impact on future writers like Molière and William Shakespeare.

 7 
Giambattista della Porta
(Scholar, Polymath)
Giambattista della Porta
4
Birthdate: November 1, 1535
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Vico Equense, Italy
Died: February 4, 1615

Giambattista della Porta was an Italian scholar, polymath, and playwright. He was active in Naples at the time of the Scientific Revolution and Reformation in the 16th century. He was knowledgeable in different fields, including occult philosophy, astrology, meteorology, alchemy, mathematics, and natural philosophy. In his later years, he collected rare specimens and grew exotic plants. 

 8 
Italo Svevo
(Best Known for His Classic Modernist Novel 'La Coscienza Di Zeno')
Italo Svevo
4
Birthdate: December 19, 1861
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Trieste, Italy
Died: September 13, 1928

Italo Svevo was an Italian writer, playwright, novelist, short story writer, and businessman. Svevo was regarded as a pioneer of psychological fiction. He is remembered for his work La coscienza di Zeno, which is considered his magnum opus. Svevo is widely regarded as an important writer of the 20th century whose works had an influence on later generations of writers.

 9 
Curzio Malaparte
(Italian Writer, Filmmaker and Diplomat Known for His War-Related Books 'Kaputt' and 'La pelle')
Curzio Malaparte
4
Birthdate: June 9, 1898
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Prato, Italy
Died: July 19, 1957

Curzio Malaparte was an Italian writer, diplomat, war correspondent, and filmmaker. Many of his works, such as La pelle were adapted into films. In 1926, he co-founded an Italian magazine called 900, which played a major role in the rise of Italian fascism. Curzio Malaparte also served as a co-editor and editor of Fiera Letteraria and La Stampa respectively.

 10 
Pietro Aretino
(Italian Author, Playwright, Satirist and Blackmailer)
Pietro Aretino
4
Birthdate: April 19, 1492
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Tuscany, Italy
Died: October 21, 1556

Pietro Aretino was an Italian author, poet, satirist, and playwright. He wielded influence on contemporary politics and art. An outspoken critic, Aretino was one of the most important and influential writers of his generation. A self-proclaimed sodomite, Pietro Aretino was involved in romantic relationships with men, which was uncommon at that time.

 11 
Eduardo De Filippo
(Actor)
Eduardo De Filippo
3
Birthdate: May 24, 1900
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Naples, Italy
Died: October 31, 1984
 12 
Leonardo Sciascia
(Writer Noted for His Metaphysical Examinations of Political Corruption and Arbitrary Power)
Leonardo Sciascia
4
Birthdate: January 8, 1921
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Racalmuto, Italy
Died: November 20, 1989

Italian author Leonardo Sciascia is best remembered for works on political corruption. Some of his notable works, such as Open Doors and Illustrious Corpses, were turned into films. Initially a member of the Italian Communist Party, he later joined the Radical Party. He was also elected to the European Parliament.

 13 
Vittorio Alfieri
(Dramatist)
Vittorio Alfieri
2
Birthdate: January 16, 1749
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Asti, Italy
Died: October 8, 1803
 14 
Dacia Maraini
(Writer)
Dacia Maraini
2
Birthdate: November 13, 1936
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Fiesole, Italy
 15 
Ennio Flaiano
(Screenwriter)
Ennio Flaiano
2
Birthdate: March 5, 1910
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Pescara, Italy
Died: November 20, 1972
 16 
Massimo Carlotto
(Writer)
Massimo Carlotto
2
Birthdate: June 22, 1956
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Padua, Italy
 17 
Carlo Gozzi
(Playwright)
Carlo Gozzi
2
Birthdate: December 13, 1720
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Venice, Italy
Died: April 4, 1806
 18 
Lucius Accius
(Roman poet)
Lucius Accius
2
Birthdate: 0170 AD
Birthplace: Pesaro, Italy
Died: 0086 AD
 19 
Aloysius Bertrand
(Poet)
Aloysius Bertrand
2
Birthdate: April 20, 1807
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Ceva, Italy
Died: April 29, 1841
 20 
Gian Giorgio Trissino
(Poet)
Gian Giorgio Trissino
1
Birthdate: July 8, 1478
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Vicenza, Italy
Died: December 8, 1550
 21 
Tullio Pinelli
(Screenwriter)
Tullio Pinelli
1
Birthdate: June 24, 1908
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Turin, Italy
Died: March 7, 2009
 22 
Silvio Pellico
(Italian author)
Silvio Pellico
1
Birthdate: June 24, 1789
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Saluzzo, Italy
Died: January 31, 1854
 23 
Giuseppe Giacosa
(Poet)
Giuseppe Giacosa
1
Birthdate: October 21, 1847
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Colleretto Giacosa, Italy
Died: September 1, 1906
 24 
Gnaeus Naevius
(Roman Epic Poet and Dramatist)
Gnaeus Naevius
2
Birthdate: 0270 BC
Birthplace: Capua, Italy
Died: 0201 BC
 25 
Mario Soldati
(Author and director)
Mario Soldati
1
Birthdate: November 17, 1906
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Turin, Italy
Died: June 19, 1999
 26 
Massimo Bontempelli
(Poet)
Massimo Bontempelli
1
Birthdate: May 12, 1878
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Como, Italy
Died: July 21, 1960
 27 
Giovanni Battista Guarini
(Poet)
Giovanni Battista Guarini
1
Birthdate: December 10, 1538
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Ferrara, Italy
Died: October 7, 1612
 28 
Corrado Alvaro
(Journalist)
Corrado Alvaro
1
Birthdate: April 15, 1895
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: San Luca, Italy
Died: June 11, 1956
 29 
Albertino Mussato
(Statesman)
Albertino Mussato
1
Birthdate: 1261 AD
Birthplace: Padua, Italy
Died: May 31, 1329
 30 
Philemon
(Poet)
Philemon
1
Birthdate: 0362 AD
Birthplace: Syracuse, Italy
Died: 0262 AD
 31 
Felice Cavallotti
(Politician)
Felice Cavallotti
1
Birthdate: November 6, 1842
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Milan, Italy
Died: March 6, 1898
 32 
Federico Della Valle
(Playwright)
Federico Della Valle
1
Birthdate: 1560 AD
Birthplace: Asti, Italy
Died: 1628 AD
 33 
Ugo Betti
(Italian Judge and Playwright)
Ugo Betti
1
Birthdate: February 4, 1892
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Camerino, Italy
Died: June 9, 1953

Ugo Betti was an Italian judge and author. Widely regarded as the greatest Italian playwright of all time, Betti wrote 27 plays including The Mistress of the House and Troubled Waters. Dubbed the Italian Kafka, Ugo Betti's works explore human emotions, such as guilt.

 34 
Riccardo Bacchelli
(Writer)
Riccardo Bacchelli
1
Birthdate: April 19, 1891
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Bologna, Italy
Died: October 8, 1985
 35 
Ettore Petrolini
(Actor)
Ettore Petrolini
1
Birthdate: January 13, 1884
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
Died: June 29, 1936
 36 
Scipione Maffei
(Writer)
Scipione Maffei
1
Birthdate: June 1, 1675
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Verona, Italy
Died: February 11, 1755
 37 
Vincenzo Monti
(Poet)
Vincenzo Monti
1
Birthdate: February 19, 1754
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Alfonsine, Italy
Died: October 13, 1828
 38 
George Colman the Elder
(Dramatist)
George Colman the Elder
1
Birthdate: 1732
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
Died: August 14, 1794
 39 
Gasparo Gozzi
(Critic)
Gasparo Gozzi
0
Birthdate: December 4, 1713
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Venice, Italy
Died: December 26, 1786
 40 
Leone de' Sommi
(Writer)
Leone de' Sommi
0
Birthdate: 1525 AD
Birthplace: Mantua, Italy
Died: 1590 AD
 41 
Pietro Garinei
(Playwright)
Pietro Garinei
0
Birthdate: February 1, 1919
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Trieste, Italy
Died: May 9, 2006
 42 
Paolo Rolli
(Librettist)
Paolo Rolli
0
Birthdate: June 13, 1687
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
Died: March 20, 1765
 43 
Giambattista Andreini
(Actor)
Giambattista Andreini
0
Birthdate: February 9, 1576
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
Died: June 7, 1654
 44 
Diego Fabbri
(Playwright)
Diego Fabbri
0
Birthdate: July 2, 1911
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Forli, Italy
Died: August 14, 1980
 45 
Camillo Federici
(Dramatist)
Camillo Federici
0
Birthdate: April 9, 1749
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Garessio, Italy
Died: December 23, 1802
 46 
Giovanni Battista Casti
(Poet)
Giovanni Battista Casti
0
Birthdate: August 29, 1724
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Acquapendente, Italy
Died: February 5, 1803