Paolo Villaggio (30 December 1932 – 3 July 2017) was an Italian actor, voice actor, writer, director and comedian. He is noted for the characters he created with paradoxical and grotesque characteristics: Professor Kranz, the ultra-timid Giandomenico Fracchia, and the obsequious and meek accountant Ugo Fantozzi, perhaps the favourite character in Italian comedy. He authored several books, usually of satirical character. He also acted in dramatic roles, and appeared in several movies. Paolo Villaggio was born in Genova, to Ettore Villaggio (1905–1992), a surveyor originally from Palermo, and Maria, originally from Venice, a German-language teacher. Paolo had a twin brother, Piero, who taught at the University of Pisa. Villaggio went to high school at Liceo ginnasio Andrea Doria, then started studying Law at the university, but never completed his degree. His jobs included being a clerk for the Italsider steel works, which inspired his character Ugo Fantozzi. Maurizio Costanzo discovered his artistic potential and, in 1967, he advised Villaggio to play in a cabaret in Rome. From there, Villaggio was hired for the TV programme Quelli della domenica (The Sunday guys), in which Fantozzi made his first appearance, introduced his characters, the aggressive "Professor Kranz" and the hypocritical "Giandomenico Fracchia"

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