Fred Buscaglione(1921-1960)
- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Turin-born Ferdinando Buscaglione (nicknamed Fred) had musical talent
since childhood. He was a professional musician in and around Turin
while still in his teens, playing several different instruments in
nightclubs around the city. World War II interrupted his musical
career, but he eventually joined the Allied Radio Orchestra based on
the island of Sardinia, where he learned to play and sing more modern
American-style "swing" music. After the war he developed his own
singing "character", that of a
Clark Gable-type ladies man and
hard-drinking tough guy with a pencil mustache like Gable wore. His
style caught on and he became a popular singing star in Italy in the
1950s. His talents weren't limited to singing, however. He turned into
a very savvy businessman, making many appearances on TV variety shows
and endorsing and appearing in ads for a variety of products. He also
appeared in almost a dozen movies.
On May 3, 1960, he was killed in a traffic accident in Rome when his Ford Thundrbird plowed into a truck.
On May 3, 1960, he was killed in a traffic accident in Rome when his Ford Thundrbird plowed into a truck.
