Departures of note

Lucio Montanaro was an Italian actor and comedian from Martina Franca, Apulia, who became one of the most recognizable character actors of the commedia sexy all'italiana genre. Beginning his career in the mid-1970s, he often performed in his native Pugliese dialect and took on a wide variety of roles, from students and soldiers to priests and bartenders, appearing alongside stars such as Lino Banfi, Renzo Montagnani, Alvaro Vitali, Pippo Franco, Mario Merola, Nino D'Angelo, Edwige Fenech and Nadia Cassini.

Over the course of his career he appeared in dozens of films, including La soldatessa alla visita militare, La soldatessa alle grandi manovre, L'infermiera di notte, L'infermiera nella corsia dei militari, La liceale al mare con l'amica di papà, La dottoressa preferisce i marinai, Zappatore and Tradimento. After a long hiatus he returned to the screen in 2008 with L'allenatore nel pallone 2, again alongside Lino Banfi, and also appeared on television in the series Carabinieri and the program Stracult Live Show.

Montanaro also authored two books about his life and career, including an autobiography published in 2019. He died at his home in Martina Franca on 13 August 2026 at the age of 75 after suffering a sudden illness.