Lino Ventura
Italian actor
利诺·文图拉 · リノ・ヴァンチュラ · 리노 벤투라
- Born
- 14 July 1919, Parma
- Died
- 22 October 1987, Saint-Cloud
- Citizenship
- Italy, Kingdom of Italy, France
- Sport
- wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling
- Occupation
- film actor, amateur wrestler, professional wrestler, actor
- Height
- 176 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Angiolino Giuseppe Pasquale Ventura (14 July 1919 – 22 October 1987), known as Lino Ventura, was an Italian-born actor, philanthropist, and professional wrestler, who lived and worked for most of his life in France. He was considered one of the greatest leading men of French cinema during the 1960s and 1970s, known for his portrayal of tough characters on both sides of the law in crime dramas.
Born in Parma and raised in Paris, Ventura worked as a professional wrestler before an injury ended his career. He made his film debut as a gangster in the 1954 Jacques Becker film Touchez pas au grisbi and rapidly became one of France's favourite film actors, playing opposite many other great stars and working with such leading directors as Louis Malle, Claude Sautet, and Claude Miller. Usually portraying a tough man, either a criminal or a cop, he also featured as a leader of the Resistance in the Jean-Pierre Melville-directed Army of Shadows (1969). He was nominated for a Cesar Award for his portrayal of Jean Valjean in the 1982 film adaptation of Les Misérables.
Awards and honours
- Silver Shell for Best Actor 1973
- David di Donatello Award for Lifetime Achievement
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q337260 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.