Personal details
Born:
- Birthday: 1956-09-05
- Born Place: Genoa, Liguria, Italy
Marcello Cesena
Marcello Cesena (born September 5, 1956, in Genoa, Liguria) is a multifaceted Italian actor, director, screenwriter, and comedian. He began his artistic journey studying architecture at the University of Genoa before leaving to attend the Teatro Stabile acting school. His stage debut came in Luigi Pirandello’s Enrico IV alongside Giorgio Albertazzi, and his first film role was in Pupi Avati’s Una gita scolastica (1983), followed by appearances in other Avati films such as Impiegati (1984), Storia di ragazzi e di ragazze (1989), and Magnificat (1993) . In the early 1990s, Cesena co-founded the satirical comedy troupe Broncoviz with Maurizio Crozza, Ugo Dighero, Mauro Pirovano, and Carla Signoris. They became known for TV parodies on Avanzi, Tunnel, and Hollywood Party, where Cesena also began directing. He directed his first feature film, Peggio di così si muore (1995), and subsequent TV films like Nei secoli dei secoli (1997) and Mari del Sud (2001). Beyond theater and television, Cesena is known for directing commercials for major Italian brands since 1997 and launched his own production agency, Fantasmino Produzioni, in 2010. As a film director, his notable works include the hit sketch comedy Il cosmo sul comò (2008), featuring Aldo, Giovanni e Giacomo . On television, he created and starred as the flamboyant “Jean Claude” in the recurring parody series Sensualità a corte from 2005 onward on Italian programs like Mai dire domenica, Quelli che il calcio, and Honolulu. A true Renaissance figure, Cesena also wrote and published his first novel, Un luogo sicuro, in May 2023, and in 2025, he appeared as an actor in 10 giorni con i suoi, directed by Alessandro Genovesi. He's been married to Alessandro Iovine since April 18, 2020.
