For years he has portrayed the character of 'Mariangela', Fantozzi's daughter in the
popular Italian Fantozzi series, with
Paolo Villaggio. The part required that Fantozzi's little daughter was so ugly that only a man could portray her.
Because of this character, the nickname 'Mariangela' (which besides is a quite common female name in Italy) became
popular during the late 70s, 80s and partly the 90s in Italy, to indicate a girl who was not exactly a beauty.
