Premiazione oscar roberto benigni biography

This story first appeared in the March 2 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

Roberto Benigni upstaged the other big events at the Oscars, no easy feat considering there was plenty of news: an upset best picture win by Shakespeare in Love, a protest against honoree Elia Kazan and Steven Spielberg&#;s second directing victory for Saving Private Ryan.

The focus of the night had been the contest between Miramax&#;s Shakespeare and DreamWorks&#; Ryan.

For months, there had been accusations of shenanigans in wooing voters and reports of overspending on ads. But that battle took a backseat when Sophia Loren joyously waved the envelope containing the name of foreign-language winner Life Is Beautiful and shouted &#;Roberto!&#;

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The Italian actor-director, then 46, made his way to the podium by walking partway across the tops of the Dorothy Chandler Pa