Toth Database - Cinema
Steno, artistic name of Stefano Vanzina
Rome, 19 January 1917 – 13 March 1988
A son of Albert (journalist of the Corriere della Sera) and Julia Boggio, emigrated to Argentina, three years he was orphaned of his father, the family begins to pour in serious economic difficulties. Complete high school and enrolled in the Faculty of law not finishing their university studies.
He graduated in scenography at the Academy of fine arts, in the mid-1930s he began drawing caricatures, cartoons, humorous articles and by adopting the pseudonym of Steno. He joined the editorial staff of the newspaper humorous Marc'Aurelio. He began writing scripts for Sakai, Bragaglia, Freda and Bamba. In 1949, with the devil happiness, begins his directorial debut by directing eight films in collaboration with Mario Monicelli, In 1952, he wrote the screenplay for the movie Toto in color, he directed a large number of comic films, with all actors loved ones to the public, toto, Alberto Sordi, Renato Rascel, Tognazzi, Raimondo Vianello, Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia, Johnny Dorelli, Bud Spencer, Lando Buzzanca, Gigi Proietti, Enrico Montesano, Renato Pozzetto, MarisaAllasio, and many others. Steno was a Director ironic, sometimes irreverent, in 1954 he suffered a censorship for the movie The Adventures of Giacomo Casanova. Married to Maria Teresa Born, he had two sons, Henry and Charles who took his father's footsteps.
Filmography/Director
1949/ To hell with celebrities, Co-directed by Mario Monicelli
1949/ Toto seeks home, Co-directed by Mario Monicelli
1950/ A dog's life, co-directed by Mario Monicelli
1950/ The knight has arrived, Co-directed by Mario Monicelli
1951/ Cops and robbers,Co-directed by Mario Monicelli
1951/ Toto and the Kings of Rome, Co-directed by Mario Monicelli
1952/ Toto and the women, Directed by Mario Monicelli
1952/ Toto in color, Screenwriter, director
1953/ Man the Beast and Virtue, Director and screenplay
1953/ Cinema of the past, Director, actor, screenplay, subject
1953/ A day in pretura, Director and screenplay
1954/ An American in Rome, Story and screenplay
1954/ The Adventures of Giacomo Casanova, Screenplay
1955/ Small Stakes, Story and screenplay
1956/ My Black Son, Director and screenplay
1958/ Guard, thief and waitress, Story and screenplay
1957/ Females three times, Director and actor
1957/ Susanna all cream, Director
1958/ My grandma COP, Director and screenplay
1958/ Toto in the moon, Director, screenplay and subject
1959/ Toto, Eve and the forbidden brush, Director
1959/ The tartassates, Directing and screenplay
1959/ Tough times for vampires, Director
1960/ A military and a half, Directing and screenplay
1960/ Three-square bed, Directing and screenplay
1960/ We like it cold,Directing and screenplay
1961/ Psycosissimo, Directing and screenplay
1961/ The Musketeers at the Sea, Directing and screenplay
1961/ The Girl of a Thousand Months, Directing and screenplay
1962/ The Two Colonels, Director
1962/ Totò diabolicus, Director and actor
1962/ Capocabana Palace, Director
1963/ Toto against the four, Director
1963/ The Heroes of the West, Direction, subject, screenplay
1964/ The Texas Twins
1964/ A monster and a half, Directing and screenplay
1965/ Wrong beds, Director
1965/ Red Roses for Angelica, Directing and screenplay
1966/ Italian love, Directing, subject and screenplay
1967/ The fedmarescialla, Director
1967/ Dorellik arrives,Director
1967/ Italian Capriccio, directing and script episode The Sunday Monster
1969/ Transplantation, Directing and screenplay
1971/ Things of What Of Ours, Directing, subject and screenplay
1971/ The Viking came from the south, Directing, subject and screenplay
1971/ The police thank you, Subject, screenplay,director
1974/ Heedon in Hong Hong, Directing and screenplay
1975/ The Master and the Worker, Director
1976/ Horse fever, Directing and screenplay
1976/ Italy has broken down, Directing, subject and screenplay
1977/ Three Tigers vs. Three Tigers, co-directed Sergio Corbucci
1977/ Double murder, Director
1978/ Piedone the African, Director
1978/ My loves, Director
1979/ Dr. Jekyll and kind lady, Directing and screenplay
1979/ The hot potato, Directing and screenplay
1979/ Egypt's Piedon, Directing and screenplay
1980/ Indian fig, Direction and subject
1981/ When the couple bursts, Directing and screenplay
1981/ The Tango of Jealousy, Directing and screenplay
1982/ God then mates them, Directing and screenplay
1982/ Banana Joe, Directing and screenplay
1982 / Busted, gassed, completely melted, Director and screenplay and screenplay
1983/ Bonnie and Clyde, Italian, Director
1983/ Fairy's Hands, Director and screenplay and screenplay
1984/ Sue me, Director and screenplay and screenplay
1987/ Metropolitan Animals, Directing, subject and screenplay
1987 – 1988/ Big Man, Directed screenplay only 5 episodes
Collaborations
1938/ We were seven widows, directed by Mario Mattoli (script)
1939/ You see it as you are ... Do you see it the way you are? , directed by Mario Mattoli (screenplay and Director)
1940/ 1000 km to minute, directed by Mario Mattoli, (Assistant Director)
1940/ Abandonment, directed by Mario Mattoli, (screenplay)
1940/ The pirate are!, directed by Mario Mattoli (script, dialogues, Assistant Director)
1940/ Don't tell me!, directed by Mario Mattoli (script too)
1941/ Light in the darkness, directed by Mario Mattoli (Assistant Director)
1941/ The school of the timid, directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia (screenplay and Director)
1941/ There is a ghost in the Castle, directed by Giorgio Simonelli (screenplay)
1942/ The woman is mobile, directed by Mario Mattoli (subject)
1942/ Tight lips, directed by Mario Mattoli (script too)
1942/ Only a kiss, directed by Giorgio Simonelli (actor)
1942/ Violets in the hair, directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia (Assistant Director and actor)
1942/ Fourth page, directed by Nicola Manzari (screenplay)
1943/ Annabella's Adventure directed by Leo Menardi (1943/ (screenplay)
1943/ Two hearts among savages, directed by Giorgio Simonelli (screenplay)
1943/ Don't sing anymore, directed by Riccardo Freda (story and screenplay)
1943/ Dance your Novel, directed by Giancarlo Cappelli (story and screenplay)
1943/ Thel voyage of Mister Perrichon, by Paolo Moffa (screenplay)
1944/ Uptown, directed by Mario Soldati (screenplay)
1944/ The whole city sings, directed by Riccardo Freda (story and screenplay)
1944/ Ten minutes to live, directed by Andrew young (screenplay)
1945/ Life begins anew , directed by Mario Mattoli (screenplay and Director)
1946/ Black Eagle, directed by Riccardo Freda (screenplay)
1946/ The Angel and the devil, by Mario Camerini (screenplay)
1947/ How lost the war, directed by Carlo Borghesio (script)
1947/ The King's Courier, directed by Gennaro Righelli (screenplay)
1947/ The two orphans, directed by Mario Mattoli (script too)
1947/ The Captain's Daughter, by Mario Camerini (screenplay)
1947/ The Miserables, regia di Riccardo Freda (sceneggiatura)
1947/ The strike of millions, directed by Raffaello Matarazzo (script)
1947/ Follies for the Opera, directed by Mario Costa (story and screenplay)
1948/ The Mysterious Knight , directed by Riccardo Freda (story and screenplay)
1948/ The hero of the road, directed by Carlo Borghesio (script too)
1948/ Fifa e arena, directed by Mario Mattoli (script too)
1948/ Toto the tour of Italy, directed by Mario Mattoli (script)
1949/ Vespro siciliano, directed by Giorgio Pàstina (screenplay)
1949/ Q & a, directed by Mario Soldati (story and screenplay)
1949/ As I discovered America, directed by Carlo Borghesio (script)
1949/ Count Ugolino, directed by Riccardo Freda (screenplay)
1949/ The Wolf of the Sila, directed by Duilio Coletti (story and screenplay)
1949/ The firemen of Viggiù, directed by Mario Mattoli (script too)
1949/ That's me Bandit, directed by Mario Soldati (screenplay)
1950/ Brigadier Musolino, by Mario Camerini (subject)
1950/ The elusive 12, directed by Mario Mattoli (script)
1951/ Damn the taxes!, regia di Mario Mattoli (sceneggiatura)
1951/ Revenge... Sardinian, regia di Mario Mattoli (soggetto e sceneggiatura)
1951/ My heart sings, directed by Mario Mattoli (freeski contests)
1951/ I love murder, directed by Bacci Bandini (story and screenplay)
1951/ Core ' ngrato, directed by Guido Brignone (subject)
1951/ The love that ruins me, directed by Mario Soldati (story and screenplay)
1951/ Tizio, Caio, Sempronio, directed by Marcello Marchesi and Vittorio Metz and Albert Wells (screenplay)
1951/ Napoleon, directed by Carlo Borghesio (script)
1951/ O.K. Nerone, directed by Mario Soldati (story and screenplay)
1952/ 5 paupers in an automobile, directed by Mario Mattoli (script)
1952/ Don Lorenzo, directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia (script too)
1952/ Husband Girls, directed by Eduardo De Filippo (story and screenplay)
1953/ We find ourselves in the gallery, directed by Mauro Bolognini (screenplay)
1954/ I am the Scarlet Pimpernel, directed by Giorgio Simonelli (screenplay)
1961/ Toto, Peppino and the sweet life, directed by Sergio Corbucci (subject)
1964/ The dolls, episode the stretch of eugenics, by Luigi Comencini (screenplay)
1964/ The belle family, directed by Ugo Gregoretti (screenplay)
1965/ Almost perfect crime , by Mario Camerini (subject)
1966/ Pleasant nights, directed by Armando Crispino and Luciano Lucignani (screenplay)
1969/ The Archangel , directed by Giorgio Capitani (screenplay)
1970/ Germany 7 women in head , directed by Stanislao Nievo and Paolo Cavallina (story and screenplay
1971/ Let Us arm ourselves and go!, directed by Nando Cicero (subject)
1979/ Speed Cross directed by Stelvio Massi (story and screenplay)
1986/ Italian Fast Food, directed by Lodovico Gasparini (subject)