RIP Corrado Solari

 

Corrado Solari, the historic face of Elisa di Rivombrosa loved by the general public, has died: the cause of the actor's death

Corrado Solari, historic actor of Italian cinema, has passed away at the age of 79. From Elisa di Rivombrosa to cult films, she was famous for her antagonist roles.

Magazine

By Melania Fiata

June 10, 2025

 

Italian cinema loses one of its most unmistakable faces. Corrado Solari died at the age of 79, and he was the actor that the public learned to hate on screen and that his colleagues did not stop admiring in life. A thoroughbred character actor, trained in the theater, he has gone through years and years of Italian entertainment playing antagonists, cynical officials and other characters thanks to which he has left his mark, as in the historic fiction Elisa di Rivombrosa. Yet, off the set, he was anything but: a cultured gentleman, passionate about literature and art, very far from any form of protagonism.

Farewell to Corrado Solari, the causes of death

The villain par excellence of Italian cinema and television has left us: Corrado Solari, an actor with a severe face, a sharp gaze, and a stage presence capable of making even the most marginal character unforgettable, has passed away at the age of 79. The causes of death have not yet been disclosed. With a career spanning over fifty years and a solid theatrical training, he has played numerous complex characters, often antagonists, criminals and authoritarian figures and with a strong expressive intensity. In his private life, however, he was known as a cultured, kind person and deeply passionate about art and literature.

Corrado Solari, an extraordinary career: the face that great directors could not forget

Throughout his career he has worked with some of the most important Italian directors, including Sergio Leone in Giù la testa, Elio Petri in La classe operaia va in paradiso, Damiano Damiani and Marco Bellocchio. He was also one of the symbolic faces of the Italian detective story, participating in films such as Roma a mano armata and La banda del trucido. In the 2000s he achieved new television popularity thanks to Elisa di Rivombrosa and, more recently, he appeared in the series Vita da Carlo by Carlo Verdone. Just in the famous fiction of Canale 5, with Puccini and Preziosi, despite his 'perfidious' role, he was much appreciated by the public. For those who don't know, he was the one who carried out the orders of 'very bad' Luca Ward.

His last film performance was in the film Nel tepore del ballo by Pupi Avati, alongside Massimo Ghini, Isabella Ferrari, Raoul Bova, Giuliana De Sio and others. With his death, the world of entertainment loses an interpreter of great talent and professionalism: a man with a gloomy appearance on the set but with a good, honest and kind soul in everyday life. Especially for this, we are sure that he will always be remembered.

SOLARI, Corrado

Born: 7/21/1948, Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Died: 6/9 /2026, Rome, Lazio, Italy

 

Corrado Solari’s western – actor:

Duck You Sucker – 1971 (Sebastian)