Ermete Zacconi

Born Sept. 14, 1857, in Montecchio, Reggio nell’Emilia; died Oct. 14, 1948, in Viareggio. Italian actor.

Zacconi made his stage debut as a child, performing with his parents. Over a period beginning in the 1880’s he held a leading position in troupes directed by G. Emmanuel, G. B. Marini, and V. Marini. Zacconi developed as an actor during the period when naturalism was established in the Western European theater. In order to understand the psychology of the “scientifically examined man,” he studied psychopathology, theories on the effects of heredity, and related subjects. He was able to reproduce exactly the clinical symptoms of an unhealthy psyche.

Zacconi’s most famous role was that of Oswald in Ibsen’s Ghosts. His repertoire also included the roles of Nikita in L. N. Tolstoy’s The Power of Darkness, Kusovkin in Turgenev’s The Boarder, and Corrado in Giacometti’s Civil Death.

Zacconi organized his own troupe in 1894. At E. Duse’s invitation, he performed with her troupe in 1899, 1901, and 1921. He performed in Paris in 1911 and 1921 with great success, and he made acting tours of Russia and the Soviet Union in 1898, in 1917 and 1918, and in 1922. Beginning in 1912, Zacconi appeared in motion pictures.