Editing Totò (section)

==Early life==
Totò was born '''Antonio Vincenzo Stefano Clemente''' on 15 February 1898 in the [[Rione Sanità]], a poor district of [[Naples]], the illegitimate son of Anna Clemente (1881–1947), a Sicilian woman, and the Neapolitan [[Marquess|marquis]] Giuseppe de Curtis (1873–1944).{{r|TotòInfanzia}} His father did not legally recognize him, and Totò so regretted growing up without a father that in 1933, at age 35, he managed to have the marquis Francesco Maria Gagliardi Focas adopt him in exchange for a [[life annuity]].<ref name=TotòInfanzia>{{cite web |author=Domenico de Fabio |title=Omaggio a Antonio de Curtis in arte Totò: l'infanzia |language=it |website=Antoniodecurtis.com |url=http://www.antoniodecurtis.com/infanzia.htm |access-date=24 December 2016 }}</ref> As a consequence, when Marquis de Curtis finally recognized him in 1937 Totò had become an heir of two noble families, ultimately claiming an impressive slew of titles.{{r|TotòInfanzia}}

[[File:Totò 1918.jpg|thumb|Totò as a soldier in 1918]]
Totò's mother wanted him to become a priest, but as early as 1913, at the age of 15, he was already acting as a comedian in small theatres, under the pseudonym Clerment. His early repertoire mostly consisted in imitations of [[Gustavo De Marco]]'s characters.{{r|TotòInfanzia}} In the minor venues where he performed, Totò had the chance to meet famous artists like [[Eduardo De Filippo|Eduardo]] and [[Peppino De Filippo]]. He served in the [[Italian Army]] during [[World War I]] and then went back to acting. He learned the art of the ''[[Guitti (comedians)|guitti]]'', the Neapolitan scriptless comedians, heirs to the tradition of the [[Commedia dell'Arte]], and began developing the trademarks of his style, including a puppet-like, disjointed gesticulation, emphasized facial expressions, and an extreme, sometimes surrealistic, sense of humor, largely based on emphasizing primitive urges such as hunger and sexual desire.<ref>{{cite web |title=Il pianeta Totò |language=it |website=Antoniodecurtis.org |url=http://www.antoniodecurtis.org/ |access-date=24 December 2016 }}</ref>