Former accountant who entered film in the 1950s and gained recognition for his roles in the dark, misanthropic comedies of Marco Ferreri, notably "Queen Bee" (1963) and "The Ape Woman" (1964). Tognazzi has also featured in the works of Mario Monicelli and Dino Risi and is best known to international audiences as the gay nightclub owner in "La Cage aux Folles" (1979) opposite Michel Serrault, who played his transvestite wife. He won a best actor award at Cannes for Bernardo Bertolucci's "Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man" (1981). Son Ricky Tognazzi is also an actor.