Biography
Eduardo De Filippo (Naples, May 24, 1900 – Rome, October 31, 1984) was an Italian playwright, actor, director, screenwriter, and poet. Regarded as one of the most significant Italian theatrical authors of the twentieth century, he wrote numerous plays that he directed and performed himself, later translated and staged internationally by others. A prolific creator, De Filippo also worked in cinema, fulfilling similar roles as in theater. In recognition of his artistic achievements and cultural contributions, he was appointed senator for life in 1981 by President Sandro Pertini and received honorary degrees in literature from the University of Birmingham in 1977 and from the University of Rome La Sapienza in 1980. He was also nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Alongside Luigi Pirandello, Dario Fo, and Carlo Goldoni, Eduardo remains one of the most celebrated and internationally performed Italian playwrights. Born in Naples, he was the natural son of actor and playwright Eduardo Scarpetta and theater seamstress Luisa De Filippo. Eduardo and his brothers were acknowledged by their mother and took her surname, De Filippo. Eduardo Scarpetta, who married Rosa De Filippo on March 16, 1876, fathered three children (Domenico, Maria, and Vincenzo) with her and had an extramarital relationship with his granddaughter Luisa De Filippo (daughter of Luca, Rosa's brother), from which Titina, Eduardo, and Peppino were born.
