Del.icio.usAdriano Celentano
Heavily influenced by his idol, Elvis Presley, and the 1950's rock revolution, he is also known as the most famous dancer of the Hula hoop fad. For the last 40 years he has retained his popularity in Italy, selling millions of records and appearing in numerous TV shows and movies. In the latter respect, he has also been a creator of a comic genre, with his characteristic walking and his facial expressions. For the most part, his films were commercially successful, in fact in the 70s and part of the 80s, he was the king of the Italian box office in low budget movies. As an actor, critics point to "Serafino" (1968), directed by Pietro Germi, as his best effort.
As a director he frequently casts Ornella Muti, Eleonora Giorgi and his wife Claudia Mori. He and Claudia are the parents of Rosalinda and Rosita Celentano, the former most notable to worldwide audiences for playing the Satan character in Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ". He also works often as a host for several Italian television shows.