Actor and Director. Son of Pietro (bass tuba at the Opera House) and Maria Righetti (elementary teacher). From an early age he performed in public, first in the "Teatrino delle marionette," then as a white voice in the choir of the Sistine Chapel, directed by maestro Lorenzo Perosi, and at sixteen he recorded a disc of children's tales. After leaving his studies as an accountant, with the money earned with the recording of the disc, he moved to Milan to enroll at the Accademia dei Filodrammatici but due to his strong Roman accent he was advised to desist from being an actor and he decided to transform this defect into an opportunity, trying popular theater, but this attempt also failed and he returned to Rome to start working as an extra at Cinecittà. Meanwhile, he won a contest for voice actors at M.G.M. and became the Italian voice of Oliver Hardy for his character Ollio. He worked as an actor in theater, dubbing, film, and radio. In 1948 he achieved great radio success with his program "Vi parla Alberto Sordi," where historical figures such as Mario Pio and Conte Claro began. In 1950, after having founded a production house with his friend Vittorio De Sica (the "PFC" comic film production, dissolved the following year), and an attempt with "Mamma mia che impressione," a film written and performed by him, directed by Roberto Bavarese, the first successes arrived. Federico Fellini chose him as the protagonist of "Lo sceicco bianco" (1952) and "I vitelloni" (1953). In the theater he performed successfully alongside Wanda Osiris in the performance of "Gran Baraonda" directed by Garinei and Giovannini. From this moment he would give life to a gallery of tragi-comic characters, many of whom would be the embodiment of the typical Italian who, a little cynical and cowardly, a conformist and mama's boy, pursued ideals that would never be realized. In 1965, he made his debut behind the camera with "Fumo di Londra." He won many awards in Italy and abroad. In 1955, U.S. President Harry Truman invited him to Kansas City to give him the keys of the city as a prize for propaganda in favor of America promoted by his character Nando Moriconi. In 1958, the President of the Italian Republic, Giovanni Gronchi, bestowed him with the prestigious position of Knight of the Italian Republic. In 1979, he received honorary citizenship of the city of Plains, Georgia (USA); in the mid-80s, a retrospective of the his films played at Carnegie Hall in New York City; in 1995, he received the "Soundtrack" award from the Entertainment Organization; and in 2000—on the occasion of his 80th birthday—the mayor of Rome made him "Mayor for a day." Among his artistic awards are four Nastri d'Argento, a Silver Bear in Berlin in 1972, a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 1995, and a David di Donatello for Lifetime Achievement in 1999. He was appointed Ambassador of Italian Culture to the World and was given an Honoris Causa Degree in Communication Sciences. His private life has always been armored; no official sentimental bond, no scandal. He has always lived with his sisters, Savina and Aurelia. Privately he held deep faith and secretly made donations to religious organizations.