Novelli, Ermete

Born May 5, 1851, in Lucca; died Jan. 29, 1919, in Naples. Italian actor.

Novelli began his acting career at the age of ten. In 1884 he founded his own company, which he headed until his death. He won renown particularly as a comedy actor, performing character roles in plays by C. Goldoni, G. Giacosa, and E. Scribe. He also appeared in farces and witty comic monologues. Among his famous dramatic and tragic roles were Kuzovkin in Turgenev’s The Family Charge, Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, and Corrado in P. Giacometti’s Civilian Death. Novelli possessed a captivating stage presence and a strong temperament. He was acclaimed for his expressive facial mimicry. Novelli’s memoirs, Pages About My Life, were published in Rome in 1919.