Enzo Staiola, the former child actor who played Bruno Ricci in the 1948 classic Bicycle Thieves, has passed away.
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The Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported on June 4 the death of Staiola, who gained international fame for his role in the Oscar-winning drama. Italian journalist Emanuele Carioti, a friend of Staiola’s family, confirmed his death to The Washington Post and said complications from a fall caused it. He was 85.
Staiola’s co-star in Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di Biciclette) was Lamberto Maggiorani, who played Antonio Ricci, his struggling father. Maggiorani was a factory worker who became an actor, chosen by director Vittorio De Sica to bring working-class authenticity to the film. In the story, Antonio and his son search for a thief and the stolen bicycle that he needs to work and support his family.
The Italian Neo-realist film features Staiola as Bruno Ricci, a boy with expressive eyes who represents childhood innocence while navigating post-war Rome with his father.
Bicycle Thieves went on to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.
Enzo Staiola’s Career Beyond Bicycle Thieves
After his breakout role in Bicycle Thieves (also known as The Bicycle Thief), Staiola appeared in several other films. These included Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s 1954 drama The Barefoot Contessa, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner. He also acted in 1950s Italian films such as Hearts Without Borders, Vulcano, Guilt is Not Mine, and A Tale of Five Women, per IMDb. Later, in 1977, he had a small role in Flavio Mogherini’s The Girl in the Yellow Pyjamas.
However, after his early success, Staiola stepped away from acting and pursued a career as a mathematics teacher and later as a clerk in a land registry office. Later in life, he was candid about his younger years spent on film sets.
“In the end, it was a real pain in the ass,” he admitted to La Repubblica in 2023. “As a kid, I could never play with my friends because if I made a mark on my face, I couldn’t make movies anymore. Then it was also a bit boring, the times of cinema are very long.”