Massimo Boldi

Boldi entered show business as a drummer. He played in the group I Mimitoki before joining the better-known La pattuglia azzurra ("The Blue Patrol"), which was headed by a young Claudio Lippi. He went on to be a drummer in Gino Paoli's orchestra and many other bands.

Boldi's continued his drumming career at the Derby night club, established in 1959 as a jazz venue by Gianni Bongiovanni and his wife Angela. Among the artists he worked with were Enzo Jannacci, Cochi and Renato, Giorgio Gaber, Bruno Lauzi, Umberto Bindi, Gino Paoli, Paolo Villaggio, Walter Waldi and Enrico Intra, joint founder of the Derby Club. There, at the suggestion of Bongiovanni, he became a stand-up comedian, creating characters that soon became popular in the club and, after appearances on local television, outside. In those years he and Teo Teocoli performed as a duo, both in the Derby Club and on television.

On Antenna 3, a local television station in Legnano, Boldi and Teocoli performed "Non lo sapessi ma lo so" ("I didn't know, but I know now"), a program that was claimed to show the way for a new generation of comedians. Directed by Beppe Recchia, it was broadcast every Wednesday evening from 20:30 to midnight. The title came from a Boldi catch phrase that appeared in a song he wrote with his friends Enzo Jannacci and Paolo Beldì.

An ad-lib by Teocoli gave rise to Boldi's most famous and popular character, Massima Cipollino, the improbable, blundering presenter of a private newscast, in which he would take calls from the program director on a telephone on his desk, replying on air "Vvvvvvv....vvvaaaaaa Beneeeeeee!!!!!" ("Oooooo Kaaaaaay!!!!!"). He would then break the telephone while hanging up. After this, Boldi appeared in many programs on Italian national television, not always with Teocoli.

On the Rai Uno program Canzonissima, Boldi played one of his most successful characters, "Mario Vigorone", before moving on to the program A Tutto Gag, directed by Romolo Siena, in which Boldi played a Tuscan cook with the catch phrase "Come dite voi a Milano?" ("How do you say in Milan?"). On the RAI he also made Saltimbanchi si muore, La Tappazzeria, and Fantastico 8, programs made under the management of Adriano Celentano. On Mediaset, he took part in Drive In, Risatissima, Grand Hotel, Sabato al circo, La strana coppia.

In Una rotonda sul mare, Boldi and Teocoli played a parody of the Diabolik stories. Boldi was the seemingly mad thief "Diaboldik", and Teocoli played a certain "Inspector Rinko", a clear reference to Inspector Ginko, the thief in the black leotard.

On Canale 5 Boldi took part in a season of Striscia la notizia (1996–1997), Scherzi a parte (2002) and – in 2008 with Lorella Cuccarini – an edition of La sai l'ultima?. Canale 5 also gave Boldi his first fictional television role, as Lorenzo Fumagalli ("big dad") in the series Un ciclone in famiglia, directed by Carlo Vanzina.