Born in Naples, Taranto started his career as a child actor in 1918 starring in some local stage companies. After studying mime and dance he joined the company of Salvatore Cafiero. In 1928 he successfully entered into the sceneggiata genre: invited on tour in the United States, he returned with "a pianola tape and a thousand dollars", used to finance his first company of variety, which lasted only fifteen days and ended in total disaster. In 1933 he debuted on dramatic theater and in revue, a genre he focused until the 1950s.
Taranto achieved large notoriety thanks to two macchiette (i.e. comic musical monologues caricaturing stock characters), Ciccio Formaggio and the Baron Carlo Mazza, two caricatural characters of proven success that he reprised several times during his career.
He debuted in cinema in 1938, but achieved some success just in the fifties. In 1953 he won a Nastro d'Argento for Best Actor for his performance in Luigi Zampa's Anni facili. In the sixties he was several times sidekick of Totò in a number of successful comedies and starred in numerous musicarelli films.
Taranto also starred in a number of TV-films, took part to several television and radio variety shows and recorded several songs. In 1985 RAI honored the artist with a monographic documentary series in four parts, Taranto Story.
Filmography
Actor
1973
Seguirà una brillantissima farsa... (TV Series)
1973
La fucilazione di Pulcinella (TV Movie) as
Pulcinella
1971
Venga a fare il soldato da noi as
Captain Re
1970
Ninì Tirabusciò, la donna che inventò la mossa as
Armando / Professor Vincelli
1970
Le terre del sacramento (TV Mini Series) as
Filoteo Natalizio
- Episode #1.5 (1970) - Filoteo Natalizio
- Episode #1.4 (1970) - Filoteo Natalizio
- Episode #1.3 (1970) - Filoteo Natalizio
- Episode #1.2 (1970) - Filoteo Natalizio
- Episode #1.1 (1970) - Filoteo Natalizio
1970
Mezzanotte d'amore as
Antonio
1970
Lisa dagli occhi blu as
General
1969
Pensando a te as
Filippo Puglisi
1969
Il suo nome è Donna Rosa as
Antonio Belmonte
1969
Il ragazzo che sorride as
Filippo Leccisi
1968
Operazione ricchezza
1968
Chimera as
José Da Costa
1968
Franco, Ciccio e le vedove allegre as
Sacristan
1968
Spine d'arancio (TV Movie) as
Antonio
1968
L'oro del mondo as
Filippo Pugliese
1967
Il ragazzo che sapeva amare as
Nini Pannunzio
1967
Nel sole as
Physics Teacher
1967
Stasera mi butto as
Father of Marisa
1966
Don Giacinto a forza (TV Movie) as
Giacinto
1966
Mi vedrai tornare as
Nostromo Spampinato
1966
No One Can Judge Me as
Antonio Pezzullo
1966
Perdono as
Antonio Pezzullo
1966
Rita the Mosquito as
Director of education
1966
Dio, come ti amo! as
Vincenzo Di Francesco
1965
Non son degno di te as
Antonio Todisco
1965
Se non avessi più te as
Ten. Antonio Todisco
1965
Te lo leggo negli occhi as
Gennaro
1965
I papà nascono negli armadi (TV Movie) as
Raimondo Curatolo
1964
Napoleone a Firenze
1964
So in Love as
Maresciallo Antonio Todisco
1964
Michele Settespiriti (TV Mini Series) as
Michele Assante, Settespiriti
- Il fratello d'America (1964) - Michele Assante, Settespiriti
