Eduardo Scarpetta

Eduardo Scarpetta (13 March 1853 – 12 November 1925) was an Italian actor and playwright from Naples. Although not from a theatrical family, he was on the stage by the age of four and is today best remembered as the creator of a character that became his stage alter-ego:

Felice Sciosciammocca is a character whose name embodies the quintessential Neapolitan spirit—joyful and wide-eyed with a charming gullibility. The term "Sciosciammocca," which in Neapolitan means "breath in mouth," paints the picture of someone perpetually astounded, perhaps to the point of naiveté, breathing open-mouthed in wonder. Coupled with "Felice" (happy) it denotes a persona that is good-natured and a bit absent-minded, someone who marvels at the world with childlike innocence. The character was a break with the traditional portrayal of the Neapolitan streetwise Everyman and, as an implied stereotype, invites comparison to the well-known, darker historical Neapolitan "mask" of Pulcinella. The character appears prominently in Scarpetta's best-known work, Miseria e Nobiltà (Misery and Nobility) from the year 1888. The work is well known, too, as a 1954 film featuring Neapolitan comic Totò as Felice Sciosciammocca; the film also features a young Sophia Loren.

Scarpetta dedicated much of his early activity to translating into Neapolitan the standard Parisian farce comedy of the day, such as Hennequin, Meilhac, Labiche and Feydeau. His own original comedies comprise some 50 works. He was the illegitimate father of actor and playwright Eduardo De Filippo as well as of Eduardo's brother and sister, Peppino and Titina. He was also a mentor to the actor Gennaro Pantalena who appeared as part of his company.

In 2021, director Mario Martone realized a movie based on the last period of Scarpetta's career, titled Qui rido io (Here I'm the one who laughs, after the inscription on Scarpetta's mansion), and it had its world premiere in competition at the 78th Venice International Film Festival; the role was played by Toni Servillo.