Pippo Baudo Italian TV presenter Date of Birth: 07.06.1936 Country: Italy

1. Biography of Pippo Baudo
2. Early Life and Career
3. Television Success and Career Ups and Downs
4. Later Career and Personal Life

Biography of Pippo Baudo

Pippo Baudo, the Italian television presenter, is often referred to by his nickname, Superpippo. He was also the artistic director and president of the Teatro Stabile di Catania (Catania Stable Theater). Baudo is considered one of the founding fathers of Italian television.

Early Life and Career

Pippo Baudo was born on June 7, 1936, in the municipality of Militello in Val di Catania in Sicily, Italy. While studying law at the University of Catania, he dabbled in show business as an artist and presenter, and also learned to play the piano. Despite his obvious interest in the entertainment industry, Baudo graduated from university with a degree in law.

In the late 1950s, Baudo became a singer and pianist in the Orchestra Moonlight, and in 1959, he made his first appearance on Italian television during an episode of "Caravella dei Successi" in Palermo.

Television Success and Career Ups and Downs

Baudo achieved success as a presenter for several RAI programs, the leading Italian television and radio company, and also served as an artistic director. He signed a contract with Mediaset, the country's largest commercial television and radio company, but was unable to recreate the success of his past.

A career resurgence occurred when Baudo became the host of the show "Novecento" on RAI, which eventually led to his role as the host of the popular Sunday daytime show "Domenica In" and the Italian Song Festival. In the 1970s, Baudo assisted in the organization of the private Catania channel, Antenna Sicilia, and also worked on it.

In 1987, after a conflict with RAI president Enrico Manca, Baudo became the host of the Mediaset program "Festival." However, a few years later, he returned to RAI. His show "Serata d'Onore" was broadcasted on Rai Due.

In 1997, Baudo returned to Mediaset, but his programs "La canzone del secolo" and "Tiramisù" achieved minimal success. Two years later, in 1999, Baudo received an offer from Rai Tre to host the new prime-time program "Giorno dopo Giorno," which is now called "Novecento."

Later Career and Personal Life

In 2002, Baudo served as the host of the Sanremo Music Festival, which was a challenging task after the festival's previous year's failure. His co-hosts were actresses Manuela Arcuri and Vittoria Belvedere.

Baudo left RAI again in 2004 but returned the following year with the program "Sabato Italiano" on Rai Uno. In 2007, Baudo hosted the Sanremo Festival for the twelfth time, alongside Michelle Hunziker, an actress and model, earning €750,000 for the role. He returned to the festival once again in 2008. Today, Baudo is considered the record holder for hosting the Sanremo Festival.

In 1986, Baudo married Italian opera soprano Katia Ricciarelli, but they divorced in 2004. He has two children, Tiziana from his first marriage, born in 1970, and Alessandro, born in 1962. Baudo currently resides in Australia.