Massimo Ranieri (born Giovanni Calone, May 3, 1951), is an Italian pop singer, film and stage actor.

He was born in Naples (at Santa Lucia), the fourth of eight children in the family. When he was 10, young Giovanni would sing at restaurants, wedding receptions, etc. He was discovered by a music producer about 4 years later and was flown to New York to record an EP under the name of Gianni Rock.

He recorded 4 songs in 1964: Tanti auguri signora, Se mi aspetti stasera, Non chiudere la porta, and La Prima Volta. None of the records were successful, because young Gianni's voice was changing. Two years later, he would later re-emerge under his new stage name, Massimo Ranieri. In 1966, he made his TV debut singing "Bene Mio". A year later, he made another TV appearance singing, "Pietà per chi ti ama". In 1968, he recorded 2 more songs: "Da Bambino", Ma L'amore cos'è" and "Preghiera". But it wasn't until 1969, when he really became successful and became a teen idol making all the young girls scream for him, when he sang "O Sole Mio" on live TV. Soon, in most every TV appearance he made, you could hear the girls screaming in the background. That same year, he had a string of hits: "Rita", "Se bruciasse la citta", "Quando l'amore diventa poesia", "Il mio amore resta sempre" and "Zingara". In 1970, "Vent'anni", "Sogno d'amore", "Sei l'amore mio", "Aranjuez Amore Mio", "Candida". During that year, Massimo decided to venture into acting.

His screen debut, Metello received rave reviews by critics, and he even won an award for portraying the title character. He co-starred with Anna Magnani in La Sciantosa, later that year. In 1971, "Adagio Veneziano", "Via del Conservatorio", "Io e Te". He represented Italy in the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Ireland, where he placed 5th with the song, "L'Amore E' Un Attimo. " That same year he had fathered a daughter, Cristiana, out of wedlock with Franca Sebastiani. He didn't want to have anything to do with her, saying that he was too young and inexperienced, and that it was damage to his career. He didn't have any contact with her until she was about 20. In 1972, "Ti Ruberei", "O Surdato 'nnamurato", "Erba di Casa Mia". In 1973, "Amo Ancora Lei". He returned to the Eurovision Song Contest that year in Luxembourg to represent Italy with "Chi sarà con te", where he placed 13th. And in 1974, "Te Voglio Bene Assaie", "Immagina", "Per Una Donna". During that year, he filmed Salvo D'Acquisto, where he portrayed a Carabinieri policeman who was executed by the Nazis during World War II.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Massimo Ranieri, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Giovanni Calone, dit Massimo Ranieri, né le 3 mai 1951 à Borgo Santa Lucia, un quartier de Naples en Italie, est un chanteur et acteur italien.

En décembre 1970, sa victoire au célèbre show italien Canzonissima avec la chanson Vent'anni lui avait ouvert les portes de la compétition européenne, Concours Eurovision de la chanson, déjà très en déclin en Italie. À Dublin, il termina 5e avec le titre L'amore è un'attimo. Comme c'était l'usage à l'époque, les gagnants et les mieux classés de l'Eurovision enregistraient leur titre en plusieurs langues. Il obtient un bon succès européen, tant en Allemagne Die Liebe ist ein Traum en Espagne Todo es tan fugaz qu'en France Pour un instant d'amour.

En 1971, il tint auprès de Ottavia Piccolo, le 1er rôle masculin dans le film de Bolognini Metello. Il sortit un album consacré à la chanson napolitaine. Il publia aussi deux versions chantées de l'Adagio d'Albinoni.

La chanson Erba di casa mia lui permit de gagner Canzonissima en décembre 1972 (et donc son ticket pour l’Eurovision).

Massimo Ranieri a représenté l'Italie au Concours Eurovision de la chanson en 1973 avec le titre Chi sara' con te. Il est arrivé en 13e position.

Depuis 1977, Massimo Ranieri vit une partie de l'année à Eclassan, en Ardèche, ou il possède une maison.

En 1988, il remporta le Festival de Sanremo avec Perdere l'amore (ré-enregistré bien plus tard par Lara Fabian). Il reste en Italie un artiste complet et prolifique (chanson, cinéma, théâtre, télévision).

Le 16 octobre 2002, Massimo Ranieri a été nommé Ambassadeur de bonne volonté de l’Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture (FAO).

Fin 2007, il conduit sur Raiuno le primetime du vendredi soir Tutte donne tranne me. Il tourne pour la Rai 1 les pièces de l'auteur napolitain Edoardo de Filippo.

Source: Article "Massimo Ranieri" de Wikipédia en français, soumis à la licence CC-BY-SA 3.0.