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Bernardo Bertolucci, the Italian director whose films were known for their colorful visual style, was born in Parma, Italy. He attended Rome University and became famous as a poet. He served as assistant director for Pier Paolo Pasolini in the film Accattone (1961) and directed The Grim Reaper (1962). His second film, Before the Revolution (1964), which was released in 1971, received an Academy Award nomination for best screenplay. Bertolucci also received an Academy Award nomination as best director for Last Tango in Paris (1972), and the best director and best screenplay for the film The Last Emperor (1987), which walked away with nine Academy Awards.

One of France's most beloved character stars from the 1950s through and including the 1980s was the Italian-born Lino Ventura. Born Angiolino Joseph Pascal Ventura to Giovanni Ventura and Luisa Borrini, on July 14, 1919, in Parma (northern) Italy, young Lino moved with his family at a young age to Paris, where he grew up. A school dropout at age eight, Lino drifted from job to job (mechanic's apprentice, etc.), unable to decide on what to do for a living. Marrying in 1942 at age 23, he and wife Odette Ventura had four children.

Lino finally found a career calling as a Greek/Roman-styled wrestler and went on to become a professional European champion in 1950. He was forced to abandon this sporting life, however, after incurring a serious injury in the ring. Looking for gangster types for his next film, director Jacques Becker gave the inexperienced 34-year-old his first acting job as bad guy support to star Jean Gabin in the crime thriller Touchez pas au grisbi (1954) [Grisbi]. Gabin was impressed and did more than just encourage Lino to pursue acting as a living. Lino went on to appear with Gabin in several of the star's subsequent movies, often playing a gangster, including Razzia (1955) [Razzia], Crime and Punishment (1956), Speaking of Murder (1957) [Crime and Punishment] and Inspector Maigret (1958) [Inspector Maigret].

A tough, brutish, burly-framed presence, Lino came into his own as a tough-nut character star in the 1960s playing both sides of the moral fence. Adept in both light comedy and dark-edged drama, he appeared in scores of films now considered classic French cinema. His homely, craggy-looking mug took the form of various criminals types as in Second Wind (1966) [Second Breath] and Happy New Year (1973) [Happy New Year], as well as dogged, good-guy inspectors in The French Detective (1975) [The French Detective], Illustrious Corpses (1976) [Illustrious Corpses'], and The Grilling (1981). Lino bore a patented weight-of-the-world-on-his-shoulders countenance that audiences sympathized with, even when playing the arch-villain. Over the course of three decades he built up an impressive gallery of blue-collar protagonists. Not to be missed are his embittered, vengeful husband in Witness in the City (1959) [Witness in the City]; corrupt police chief Tiger Brown in Three Penny Opera (1963) [The Threepenny Opera]; a WWII French Resistance fighter in Army of Shadows (1969) [Army in the Shadows]; and Mafia boss Vito Genovese in Charles Bronson's The Valachi Papers (1972), among many, many others. Toward the end of his career he played Jean Valjean in a French production of Les Misérables (1982) for which he received a Cesar award nomination (i.e, the French "Oscar"). He performed practically until the time of his fatal heart attack in 1987 at age 68 in his beloved France. Survivors included his wife of 45 years and children. Daughter Mylene died in a plane crash in 1998 and wife Odette died in 2013.

Michael "The Miz" Mizanin was born in Cleveland, OH on October 8th, 1980 to Barbara and George Mizanin. He graduated with honors from Normandy High School before attending Miami University of Ohio (where he was a member of the Theta Chi Fraternity).

While in college, he auditioned for The Real World after seeing a casting call on MTV. Despite doubts about his ability to perform on a reality show, Mike went on to become one of the most popular cast members of the show's 10th Season, subtitled "Back to New York." It was on this show where he debuted his wrestling alter ego: "The Miz." In the years following, Mike "The Miz" became a mainstay on MTV, hosting various popular shows on the network and competing on The Real World's sister show, "Real World/Road Rules."

"The Miz" went from alter ego to reality after Mike moved to Los Angeles, where he auditioned for the WWE's "Tough Enough." Despite finishing in second place, Mike's performance impressed the WWE executives enough for them to grant him a developmental contract.

In the 12 years and counting that followed, The Miz has become one of WWE's biggest stars. He has won the WWE, US, Intercontinental, and Tag Team titles (making him the 25th Triple Crown and 14th Grand Slam Champion in the history of the WWE).

In addition to his wrestling stardom, Mike has established a robust film career as well. He is best known for playing Sgt. Jake Carter in "The Marine 3: Homefront" and "The Marine 4: Moving Target." The next film in the series ("The Marine 5: Battleground") is set to be released in 2017.

Brian Byrnes was born on 3 October 1974 in Parma, Ohio, USA. He is an actor, known for American Crime Story (2016), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013) and Zac and Mia (2017).

Ryan J. Haddad is an actor, playwright, and autobiographical performer based in New York. His acclaimed solo play HI, ARE YOU SINGLE? was presented in The Public Theater's Under the Radar Festival and continues to tour the country. Other New York credits include MY STRAIGHTIES (Ars Nova/ANT Fest), NOOR AND HADI GO TO HOGWARTS (Theater Breaking Through Barriers), and the cabaret FALLING FOR MAKE BELIEVE (Joe's Pub). Regional credits include THE MAIDS, Lucy Thurber's ORPHEUS IN THE BERKSHIRES (Williamstown Theatre Festival), and HI, ARE YOU SINGLE? (Guthrie Theater, Cleveland Play House, Williamstown Theatre Festival). He has a recurring role on the Ryan Murphy Netflix series "The Politician." Additional television: "Bull," "Madam Secretary," and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt." Haddad has performed original work at La MaMa E.T.C., the New Museum, and The LGBT Center of New York City. His plays in development include GOOD TIME CHARLIE and DARK DISABLED STORIES. He is a member of The Public Theater's Emerging Writers Group and a former Queer/Art Performance and Playwriting Fellow, under the mentorship of Moe Angelos. Learn more at www.ryanjhaddad.com and follow him on social at @ryanjhaddad.

David Svoboda was born in Parma, Ohio, USA. He is an actor, known for A Christmas Story (1983). He has been married to Jodi Svoboda since 2005. They have two children and reside in Livonia, Michigan. David's grandmother worked at the Higbee's Department Store in Cleveland, OH where A Christmas Story was filmed. While visiting the set, David was noticed by directors and offered the role.

Paola Pitagora was born on 24 August 1941 in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. She is an actress, known for Fists in the Pocket (1965), Unknown Woman (1969) and I promessi sposi (1967).

Leading Italian actress of all media, born Lydia (or Lidia) Alfonsi in Parma, the daughter of well-to-do middle class parents. She briefly trained in accountancy before venturing on to the stage as a member of student amateur theatrical troupes. With "Gli amici della prose" she performed a play by Luigi Pirandello which won her a best actress competition in Pesaro. Having attracted the attention of one of the judges, the director Anton Giulio Bragaglia, Alfonsi was invited to join his company and duly made her professional theatrical debut in 1946. From 1950, she also appeared on screen, wrote and recited poetry, as well as writing and working in radio as a voice actress. Though acclaimed for her roles on the classical stage (including as Medea, Phaedra and Electra) she is probably best known abroad as a protagonist of peplum and swashbuckler films like Hercules (1958), Morgan the Pirate (1960) and The Trojan Horse (1961) (all starring muscleman Steve Reeves). Alfonsi also co-starred alongside Boris Karloff in Mario Bava 's atmospheric psycho- thriller Black Sabbath (1963) (her character coming to a sticky end at the hands of Milo Quesada). This was originally shot with the cast voicing their lines in English, only for the dialogue to be wiped, dubbed into Italian and subtitled. She had another first-billed role in Lady Dynamite (1973) as the eponymous heroine, exacting Sicilian-style vendetta in Palermo on the local Mafia don responsible for the murder of her husband. For the small screen, Alfonsi essayed the ill-fated 18th century aristocrat Luisa Sanfelice in a seven-episode miniseries.

Alfonsi was named a Grand Officer of the Italian Republic by then-president of Italy Alessandro Pertini. She retired from screen acting in 1997.

Lorenzo Adorni was born on 15 October 1992 in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He is an actor, known for Adagio (2023), L'amor fuggente and Mascarpone (2021).

Manuela Mezzadri was born and raised in Parma, Italy. She started her modeling career at the age of 16 and moved to Milan soon after. She modeled for world renowned designers and has traveled the world for photo shoots, print ads, catalogs, and TV commercials.

She made her acting debut in 2000 landing a starring role in the Italian TV series "Estreme." Some other credits include "Le ragazze di Miss Italia" with Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion Award winner, director Dino Risi and "The story of Adam & Eve" (winner of the Alternative Film Festival 2002) with emerging Italian director Alessandro Aronadio. She soon moved to the United States and proudly became an American in April of 2005.

Manuela is a member of a company specializing hyper realistic pre-deployment training for our military men and women. The program helps improving and refining military and law enforcement skills for current operations, including duties in Afghanistan and Iraq. She very much enjoys working with the dedicated men and women of our armed forces.

She is weapon trained, loves horseback riding and played volleyball in the second division of the Italian league. Manuela is a versatile actress. She speaks English and Spanish in addition to her native Italian.

Paola Borboni was born on 1 January 1900 in Golese di Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. She was an actress, known for Roman Holiday (1953), I Vitelloni (1953) and I Have Lost My Husband (1937). She was married to Bruno Vilar. She died on 9 April 1995 in Bodio Lomnago, Lombardy, Italy.

Giuseppe Verdi was born Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi on October 10, 1813, in Le Roncole di Busseto, Parma, Italy. His parents were landowners and innkeepers. Young Verdi received his first organ lessons at the age of 7. He studied composition privately with Ferdinando Provesi in Busseto. At age 20 he moved to Milan to continue his studies, but the Conservatory of Music rejected him. Verdi took private lessons and associated with Milan's cultural milieu in his pursuit of a musical career. He was patronized by Antonio Barezzi, a merchant, whose daughter, Margherita, was Verdi's student and later became his wife.

His first opera, Oberto (1839), was a successful production by Milan's Theatro La Scala. While Verdi continued working on his second opera, his wife and two children died. The second opera failed, and he suffered a depression and vowed to quit musical career. La Scala impresario, Merelli, persuaded him to write a third opera. Nabucco (1842) made Verdi famous. He followed the Bel Canto style of Gaetano Donizetti and Vincenzo Bellini. Verdi's best operas were based on plays by Victor Hugo, such as 'Ernani' (1844) and 'Rigoletto' (1851). In 1853 Verdi 's masterpiece 'La Traviata' was produced in Venice. It was based on 'The Lady of the Camelias', a play by Alexandre Dumas, fils. At that time Verdi became familiar with the music of Russian composer Mikhail Glinka who was popularized in Europe by Franz Liszt. The music of Mikhail Glinka had certain influence on Verdi's later operas.

In 1861 Verdi wrote 'La forza del destino' commissioned by the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, upon the recommendations by Aleksandr Borodin. It was performed with great success in 1862, and became part of a standard operatic repertoire ever since. His grand-opera 'Aida' (1871) was premiered in Cairo as part of the celebrations of the opening of the Suez Canal, and became an instant success. In his later operas Verdi turned from the style of Bel Canto to more expressive music and orchestration, like in 'Otello' (1887), based on the eponymous play by Shakespeare. Verdi's last and musically most brilliant, rich and expressive opera, 'Falstaff' (1893), was based on the Shakespeare's play "The Merry Wives of Windsor" in the adaptation of Victor Hugo.

Verdi's musical success coincided with the political events of Italian unification during the Austrian occupation. The 'Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves' from his opera 'Nabucco' (1842), became a popular song among supporters of Italian unification. Many of his opera performances were used by the supporters of Victor Emmanuel to shout "Viva Verdi" as a code name for a secret unification message. The name Verdi was used as acronym for "Vittorio Emanuele Re D'Italia" - Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy. Such a code enabled clandestine partisans of Victor Emmanuel, then the King of Sardinia, to gain more supporters in Milan which eventually led to the unification of Italy. Verdi was aware that his popular operas and his name was used as a political tool. Austrian censorship was powerless.

In 1861 Victor Emmanuel became the King of Italy in Turin. From 1861-1865 Giuseppe Verdi was elected representative of Busseto in the newly formed Italian parliament. After Garibaldi's military campaign the capital was moved to Florence, then to Rome, and Verdi returned from politics to music. He lived in Milan during the last years of his life. He was revered and honoured all over the world, and was much visited by his admirers. He died on January 27, 1901, in Milan, and was laid to rest at the Casa di Riposo, a retirement home for elderly musicians that was established by Verdi himself.

Verdi's music was used in hundreds of film scores. His operas has been the staples of operatic repertoire. His canzonas "La donna è mobile" from opera 'Rigoletto' (1851) and "Libiamo ne'lieti calici" (Drinking song) from 'La Traviata' (1853) has been popular concert numbers in performances by the three tenors: Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo and José Carreras.

Noa Zatta was born on 11 June 2001 in Parma, Italy. She is an actress and composer, known for The Invisible Boy (2014), The Invisible Boy: Second Generation (2018) and Thou Shalt Not Kill (2015).

Giuseppe Bertolucci was born on 24 February 1947 in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He was a writer and director, known for Berlinguer: I Love You (1977), Segreti segreti (1985) and The Sweet Sounds of Life (1999). He was married to Lucilla Albano. He died on 16 June 2012 in Diso, Puglia, Italy.

Arturo Toscanini was the most celebrated conductor of his time, considered by many to be the greatest conductor of the twentieth century. He revolutionized musical interpretation by frequently insisting that his orchestras play the music exactly as written, a highly unusual practice in the nineteenth century, when Toscanini began his career. He conducted the world premieres of such operas as Puccini's "La Boheme" and "Turandot", and Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci". During his lifetime and for a short while afterwards,he was revered by critics (and still is by the older ones.) Today's younger critics, however, tend to look down on him, and call his fidelity to the printed score "lack of imagination" - a term which shows a total misunderstanding of Toscanini's achievements.

Michael Konanec was born on 2 February 1981 in Parma, Ohio, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Light Hiding in the Darkness, Necessary Roughness (2011) and Army of One (2020).

Tamara Baroni was born on 3 January 1947 in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. She was an actress, known for Schwarzer Nerz auf zarter Haut (1970), Champagner für Zimmer 17 (1969) and Vacanze sulla Costa Smeralda (1968). She died on 28 December 2022.

Joseph M. Setele was born on 2 February 1968 in Parma, Ohio, USA. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for The Room (2003), Inferno (1999) and Automatic (1995).

Mark Laskowski was born on 15 March 1968 in Parma, Ohio, USA. He is an actor, known for Dark Water (2002), Gintama: The Movie (2010) and Vampire Hunter D (1985). He has been married to Julia Kay since 27 September 1997.

Beatrice Schiros was born on 14 September 1967 in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. She is an actress, known for Like Crazy (2016), Monterossi - La serie (2022) and Tre di troppo (2023).

Francesco Barilli was born on 4 February 1943 in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He is a director and writer, known for L'urlo (2019), Hotel Fear (1978) and The Perfume of the Lady in Black (1974).

Gloria Bellicchi was born on 2 February 1979 in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. She is an actress, known for Yara (2021), R.I.S. - Delitti imperfetti (2005) and Inspector Coliandro (2003). She was previously married to Andrea Prosperi.

Alberto Bevilacqua was born on 27 June 1934 in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He was a writer and director, known for This Kind of Love (1972), Attenti al buffone (1975) and Lady Caliph (1970). He died on 9 September 2013 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

Giovanni Bertolucci was born on 24 June 1940 in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He was a producer and production manager, known for The Conformist (1970), Dove siete? Io sono qui (1993) and The Perfume of the Lady in Black (1974). He was married to Lilletta Bertolucci. He died on 17 February 2005 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

Alessandro Bianchi was born on 10 January 1969 in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He is an actor and writer, known for Come se fosse amore (2002), 500! (2001) and Neurovisione (2008).