Walter Chiari

Walter Chiari, stage name of Walter Annichiarico, was a hugely successful Italian stage and screen actor, mostly in comedy roles. Born in Verona, Chiari achieved a certain degree of international success in films such as The Little Hut (1957), Bonjour Tristesse (1958), Chimes at Midnight (1966), and The Valachi Papers (1972). He appeared opposite Anna Magnani in Luchino Visconti's film Bellissima (1951). He also appeared on Broadway in the musical The Gay Life (1961). In the late 1950s and '60s he was one of the main protagonists of the "Dolce Vita", the glitzy and glamorous Italian jet-set scene, centered in Rome and especially focused on the booming cinema industry he was so at ease with.