Italian theatre giant Roberto Herlitzka dies at 86

Roberto Herlitzka, one of Italy's most important theatre actors, died at age 86. Heat and exhaustion gradually overcame him two months to the day after his wife Chiara passed away. Born in Turin on October 2, 1937, to a Czech Jewish father and Catholic mother, he survived fascist racial persecution by using his mother's surname, Berruti. After studying at the National Academy of Dramatic Arts, he began acting under Orazio Costa and became a leading figure in Italian theatre from the 1970s-80s. He won a David di Donatello for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Aldo Moro in Marco Bellocchio's "Buongiorno, notte" (2003). His film debut was in Lina Wertmüller's "Film d'amore e d'anarchia" (1973). He also appeared in "La grande bellezza" by Paolo Sorrentino, "Leonora addio" by Paolo Taviani (his last film), and the TV series "Boris" as Orlando Serpentieri. Herlitzka believed theatre is about words and silence, and considered culture essential for a country.