Cesco Baseggio

Francesco "Cesco" Baseggio (1897–1971) was an Italian stage, film and television actor. He was born in Venice, and was identified with Venetian roles during his film career. He appeared in a mixture of serious, dramatic films, as well as comedies such as The Brambilla Family Go on Holiday (1941). On the stage he frequently appeared in plays by Carlo Goldoni.

Life and career
Baseggio started his career at 16 years old in an amateur theater society. He took part in the WWI, where he served in the military engineering corps and later as director of Teatri del Soldato ('Soldier Theaters') in Albania. After the war he worked in the Ars Veneta and Carlo Micheluzzi's companies, before forming his own company in 1926.

In 1935 Baseggio started his film career, mostly consisting of supporting and character roles. In 1936 he entered the Carlo Goldoni-specialized Compagnia del Teatro di Venezia, with which he achieved his major personal critical accomplishments. After the World War II, he started a critically acclaimed collaboration with Giorgio Strehler. He also worked as a stage director, a playwright of comedies in Venetian language, and a voice actor.