Alvaro Vitali has died, farewell at 75 to the actor who starred as Pierino and Jean Todt

Alvaro Vitali, a beloved face of Italian comedy and the undisputed star of more than 150 films, has died at age 75. The Roman actor died late this afternoon, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Rome, where he had been hospitalized for several days for relapsing bronchopneumonia.

Born Feb. 3, 1950, Vitali had begun his film career in 1969 thanks to Federico Fellini, who had wanted him in Satyricon and then again in Amarcord. He had also starred alongside Alberto Sordi in Polvere di stelle. But great success came in the 1980s with the character of Pierino, the emblem of Italian-style sexy comedy, which established him as a symbol of a popular and irreverent cinema.

Pierino against everybody (1981), Pierino strikes again and Pierino doctor of the S.A.U.B. were just some of the titles that made him famous. Other films, such as Giggi the Bully or Paulo Roberto Cotechiño centravante di sfondamento, followed the same comic-goliardic vein.

In the 2000s, Vitali made a comeback thanks to television. He took part in Striscia la notizia with a series of satirical imitations – most notably that of Jean Todt – alongside Dario Ballantini. In 2006 he was briefly a contestant on the reality show La Fattoria, from which he withdrew because of respiratory problems related to asthma.