Walter Chiari

Despite being known in show business as a cocaine consumer Chiari enjoyed for years the de facto impunity often accorded to members of his trade (provided he kept his addiction private). The willingness of authorities to prosecute him, mounting a nationwide scandal, was seen by some as an attempt to distract public opinion from the fruitless search for the culprits of the Piazza Fontana bombing, which precipitated Italy in fear.

After his release and partial acquittal (he was deemed non culpable of the trafficking count and received a lenient sentence for the accusation of drug possession for personal use) his career never recovered. The Italian state television was off-limits for him, and all he could aspire to were bit parts in low-key comedies and local television appearances. He concentrated on theatre as a mean to escape the downward spiral and, while never regaining his former fame, he gave some brilliant performances in plays like Sheridan's "The Critic", Marc Terrier's "Six heures plus tard" and Beckett's "Endgame". Read Less