Neapolitan actor-director Leopoldo Mastelloni, 80, has been hospitalized in Rome’s Fatebenefratelli hospital following a stroke, with his condition reported as serious. The announcement came from the artist’s entourage.
A stalwart of theater and television—notably remembered for a 1984 blasphemy incident on the program “Blitz” that derailed his TV career—Mastelloni revealed struggles with depression last year in an ANSA interview marking his 79th birthday: “I fear depression, I have dark thoughts.” His plea for financial aid under Italy’s Bacchelli law (for indigent cultural figures) prompted then-Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano to pledge support, but Mastelloni later stated, “I never heard back.”
During a recent 80th-birthday interview (July 12), he announced a September memoir titled *Così fan tutti* (Albatros-Il Filo), chronicling his life as a “culturally bullied” artist. The book features unpublished conversations with Vittorio Gassman, Monica Vitti, and Hanna Schygulla, alongside family anecdotes and photos. “My artistic world—Rosi, Ghirelli, Mastroianni—is gone. In 80 years, no one can accuse me of selling out. I’m broke,” he remarked, critiquing modern celebrity culture’s focus on “followers over talent.”
Born in Naples in 1945 to a family of jurists, Mastelloni debuted at 20 at Teatro Esse, performing works by Artaud and Genet. His career spanned radical cross-dressing performances, open homosexuality, and roles in cult TV shows like *Bambole non c’è una lira* and films including Dario Argento’s *Inferno*. After a TV exile post-blasphemy scandal, he returned in 1988 via Loretta Goggi’s program. Recent credits include Pupi Avati’s *Dante* and *Galla* with Giampaolo Morelli, though he lamented, “What I miss most is theater—I could play King Lear or even a mother.”
His multifaceted legacy includes music recordings, reality TV (*La Fattoria*, 2006), and directing collaborations with Giuseppe Patroni Griffi.