Tony Renis

Biografia/Biography

Born in Milan on May 13, 1938, as Elio Cesari. A child of art, his artistic vein is noticeable from his early years of life performing in the theater of the parish of San Lorenzo alle Colonne while the musical side around the mid-1950s paired with his longtime friend Adriano Celentano perform in nightclubs and then in theaters and enjoyed playing famous artists such as Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin.
Years 50-60 are of great success and joy for the artist, he finds himself collaborating with great artists such as Mario Mattoli, Piero Vivarelli, Giorgio Bianchi, Frank Carrol, etc.
He signs a contract with RCA and begins to frequent the most exclusive places and tour the world, Paris, London, St. Moritz, Monte Carlo, and Hollywood
The last years of the 60′ will proved to be very important and successful for the artists bringing songs that we still listen to today. He will be consecrated as a songwriter when he gives Mina (his close friend) the song “Grande Grande Grande” which is so successful that it is spread abroad and has interpretations by artists such as Shirley Bassey (with the title Never Never Never), Pavarotti and Celine Dion ( with the title I hate you then I love you)
He then moved to America and had the opportunity to meet such personalities as F. Sinatra, Q. Jones, S. Wonder). In 1978 he released “DISCO QUANDO” with the Warner Bros. record company. His stay in America led him to produce soundtracks and become a film producer.
He will thus become one of the most famous Italians in the United States and hangs out with VIPs such as Charlton Heston, Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas, and even Ronald Reagan (future U.S. president) and his wife Nancy. Renis produced songs for Lionel Richie, Julio Iglesias, and Diana Ross; in the 1980s he is credited with launching Nikka Costa, the infant prodigy of the music scene and daughter of conductor Don Costa, who climbed the international charts. In 1992 the Lombard artist married Elettra Morini, a dancer at La Scala in Milan, while seven years later thanks to the cartoon “The Magic Sword” (original title: “Quest for Camelot”) he won an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe for the song “The prayer,” performed by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion.
In 2004, he was the artistic director of the Sanremo Festival, hosted on that occasion by Simona Ventura. In 2005, he won a David di Donatello and a Globe Awards nomination with “Merry Christmas in Love,” a song from the movie “Christmas in Love.”

IMDB