Max Giusti | |
|---|---|
 Giusti in 2024 | |
| Born | Massimiliano Giusti (1968-07-28) 28 July 1968 Rome, Italy |
| Occupations |
|
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Spouse |
Benedetta Bellini (m. 2009) |
| Children | 2 |
Massimiliano Giusti (born 28 July 1968), known professionally as Max Giusti, is an Italian comedian, cabaret artist, impersonator, television presenter, radio personality, actor, voice actor and playwright.
Biography
Of Marche origins on his father's side (Monterubbiano) and Sardinian on his mother's side (Norbello), Massimiliano Giusti was born in Rome in 1968.[1] He grew up in the Portuense neighborhood of Rome, in Casetta Mattei and began his television career at a very young age.[2]
Television
He made his television debut in 1991, appearing in two Rai 2 programs, Stasera mi butto and Ricomincio da due (the latter with Raffaella Carrà).[3] In 1993, he participated in Mi raccomando alongside Massimo Ranieri, while later he took part in Mio capitano (1996) and the humorous program Seven show (1998–1999).[4]
In 2001, he was one of the hosts of Stracult, a show that also featured Max Tortora and Éva Henger, which gained considerable popularity. He showcased his skills as an impersonator in Quelli che... il calcio, La grande notte del lunedì sera, alongside Gene Gnocchi and Simona Ventura, and in Cocktail d'amore, hosted by Amanda Lear, in which he imitated Cristiano Malgioglio.[5][6] In 2003, he hosted Gli isolati, a satirical program based on the reality show L'isola dei famosi, which was a success with audiences and critics. In the summer of 2006, he co-hosted the first season of Matinée, broadcast on Rai 2, with Sabrina Nobile. Also in 2006, he was part of the cast of the RAI drama Raccontami, directed by Riccardo Donna and Tiziana Aristarco, where he played Marshal Mollica.
In 2007, he took over the hosting of Stile Libero Max, a show that revives the Libero format made famous by Teo Mammucari.[7] Regular guests include comedian Lucia Ocone and music critic and renowned Italian rock guitarist Richard Benson. In 2007, he co-starred as Inspector Raffaele Marchetti in the cast of Distretto di Polizia 7, directed by Alessandro Capone, and was also present in the eighth season, which aired from September 2008. In the fall of 2008, he was also on air in the second season of the series Raccontami.[8] Since September 2008, he has hosted one of Rai Uno's most important and controversial programs, Affari tuoi, replacing his colleague Flavio Insinna.[9]
In September 2009, he returned to host the prime-time show Affari tuoi on Rai 1, which was part of the 2010 Italian Lottery. On Canale 5, he was once again among the stars of the new season of Distretto di Polizia, directed by Alberto Ferrari.[10] In the 2009–2010 season of Quelli che... il calcio, Max was not part of the cast, but when Affari tuoi wasn't on the air for the Italian national football team, he made cameo appearances. In the spring of 2010, having replaced Fabrizio Frizzi with Soliti ignoti - Identità nascoste, he continued his hosting duties with the show Stasera è la tua sera, which aired for four consecutive Thursdays in prime time. In June 2010, he co-starred with Fabrizio Frizzi in the variety show Attenti a quei due - La sfida.[11]
On 8 December 2010, he hosted the program Il pubblico da casa, a spin-off of the successful Da Da Da program, which relies exclusively on viewers' televoting. Viewers choose which categories of TV personalities, selected from RAI archives, will win the episode. From February 13, 2012, he returned to hosting Affari tuoi on Rai 1. On June 2, 2013, he hosted his final episode of the "Gioco dei pacchi". In five years of hosting, he has opened over 900 packages. Since January 2013, he has hosted the new Rai 1 variety show Riusciranno i nostri eroi, alongside actresses Laura Chiatti and Donatella Finocchiaro and showman Cristiano Malgioglio.[12] In the summer of 2014, he hosted the comedy-sports program Maxinho do Brazil on Rai Sport 1, dedicated to the Brazilian World Cup.[13]
On 31 May 2015, he was a guest, alongside Cristiano Malgioglio, on Quelli che... il calcio, hosted by Nicola Savino.[6] On 2 June he hosted La partita del cuore on Rai 1, alongside Amadeus, Claudio Lippi and Pupo.[14] From 11 September to 20 November 2015, she was a contestant on the program Tale e quale show, hosted by Carlo Conti on Rai 1.
From 29 August 2016, she joined Discovery, hosting the first season of the game show Boom! on Nove, which was later renewed for two more seasons. She later hosted the quiz-upfront Quizzovery for the channel, and in an episode of Cucine da incubo, she even made a crossover with her game show. From 27 August 2018, she hosted another quiz, Chi ti conosce?,[15] which closed due to low ratings after 30 episodes on 5 October and the cooking show C'è posto per 30?.[16]
In 2020, she and Marco Mazzocchi participated in the eighth season of Pechino Express as the Gladiatori duo, eliminated in the semifinals.[17] He then hosted the new season of Boss in Incognito on Rai 2.
In 2021, he participated in the second season of Il cantante mascherato wearing the Wolf Mask, finishing third.[18]
He then made his first move to Sky: from 1 September he hosted Guess My Age - Indovina l'età on TV8, replacing Enrico Papi, but this experience ended in the spring with the definitive closure of the game show.[19] He also hosted the third round of the ninth season of Pechino Express on Sky Uno.[20]
In 2024 and 2025, Giusti appeared on several programs: in the third and fourth editions of Sky's GialappaShow,[21] where he imitated chef Alessandro Borghese in a parody of the program 4 ristoranti; in TV8's Gialappa's Night, where he imitated Aurelio De Laurentiis; as a contestant on Rai 1's game show Chi può batterci?; as the host for the fifth time of Boss in Incognito and the game show 99 da battere on Rai 2;[22] and as a regular guest on Che tempo che fa on Nove as Cristiano Malgioglio.[23] He also appeared as a contestant on the first episode of the eleventh edition of Stasera tutto è possibile.[24]
In June 2025, his move to Mediaset was announced.[25] In September, it was announced that he would host the Canale 5 game show Caduta libera, taking over from longtime host Gerry Scotti on December.[26][27] He will then move on to host The Wall, Scherzi a parte, and the new prime-time game show The 1% Club.[28][29]
Theater
Author and actor of numerous plays with his friend and then-girlfriend Selvaggia Lucarelli, he starred in Ceasefire in 1994, followed by 30 anni, Come un pesce fuor d'acqua and Il grande sfracello. In 2001, at the Palatenda Theater in Rome, he had the opportunity to work with Dario Fo and Enrico Montesano in Rassegna Mostrocomico.
Also in 2001, he directed Il GladiAttore, while the following year he produced Lo scemo del villaggio globale, a play on the theme of globalization, albeit with a touch of sarcasm. Now an established actor, he was directed by Pietro Garinei in Aggiungi un posto a tavola (2002) and Se il tempo fosse un gambero (2005). In 2008, he performed Max Giusti at the PalaLottomatica in Rome on 16 April and 14 July. It will be repeated on 26 July 2008. In 2017 he returns to the stage with Cattivissimo Max and Va tutto bene.[30] From October 2022 to January 2024 he will be at the theatre with Il Marchese del Grillo.[31] It is then the turn of Bollicine.[32]
Cinema
His career has also branched out into film, where he made his debut in 2000 with Carlo Vanzina's comedy E adesso sesso. He had previously been part of the cast of the television film Ladri si nasce by Pier Francesco Pingitore and its sequel, Ladri si diventa, both aired on Canale 5.[1]
In 2001, he had a role in Tom Tykwer's Heaven, while in 2004, he returned to more congenial genres with The Jokes, again by Vanzina. His latest big-screen roles include Ice on Fire, with Raoul Bova and Donatella Finocchiaro, and Nero bifamiliare, by Federico Zampaglione. On the big screen, he attempted dubbing for the first time in his career, lending his voice to Gru, the protagonist of the Universal Pictures film Despicable Me, a role he would continue in subsequent feature films in the franchise.[4] In 2019 he played one of the protagonists in the film Appena un minuto, directed by Francesco Mandelli.[33]
Personal life
On 4 July 2009, he married Benedetta Bellini, with whom he had two children: Matteo, born on 23 November 2010, and Caterina, born on 9 June 2012.[34]
He runs a tennis club in Rome, a sport he is a passionate fan of.[35]
On 3 October 2010, on the occasion of the national day for the fight against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, he participated in a free concert in Arzignano together with Lucio Dalla, Luca Carboni, Giusy Ferreri, Francesco Grollo, Fiorella Mannoia, Marco Mengoni, Ron and Statuto.[36]
Filmography
Actor
Cinema
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Ladri si nasce | Pier Francesco Pingitore |
| 2001 | Ladri si diventa | David Emmer |
| 2002 | E adesso sesso | Carlo Vanzina |
| L'ispettore Derrick... e Harry! | David Emmer | |
| Heaven | Tom Tykwer | |
| 2004 | The Jokes | Carlo Vanzina |
| 2006 | Ice on Fire | Umberto Marino |
| 2007 | Nero bifamiliare | Federico Zampaglione |
| 2018 | Famosi in 7 giorni | Gianluca Vannucci |
| 2019 | Appena un minuto | Francesco Mandelli |
| 2023 | La seconda chance | Umberto Carteni |
| 2024 | Dicono di te |
Television
| Year | Title | Network | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–2008 | Raccontami | Rai 1 | Riccardo Donna e Tiziana Aristarco |
| 2007–2009 | Distretto di Polizia | Canale 5 | Alessandro Capone e Alberto Ferrari |
Voice actor
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Despicable Me | Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud and Sergio Pablos |
| 2013 | Despicable Me 2 | Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud |
| 2015 | Minions | Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda |
| 2017 | Despicable Me 3 | Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud |
| 2022 | Minions: The Rise of Gru | Kyle Balda |
| 2024 | Despicable Me 4 | Chris Renaud |
Television program
| Year | Title | Network | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Stasera mi butto | Rai 2 | Competitor |
| Ricomincio da due | Regular guest | ||
| 1994 | Mi raccomando | Rai 1 | Host |
| 1996 | Mio capitano | ||
| 1998–1999 | Seven Show | Italia 7 | Comic |
| 2001, 2003–2004 | Stracult | Rai 2 | Host |
| 2001–2008, 2015–2017 | Quelli che... il calcio | Imitator | |
| 2002–2003 | La grande notte del lunedì sera | Host | |
| 2003 | Gli isolati | ||
| Cocktail d'amore | Imitator | ||
| 2006 | Matinée | Host | |
| 2007 | Stile Libero Max | ||
| 2008–2013 | Affari tuoi | Rai 1 | |
| 2010 | Stasera è la tua sera | ||
| 2010–2011 | Attenti a quei due - La sfida | ||
| 2010 | Il pubblico da casa | ||
| 2011 | Colpo d'occhio - L'apparenza inganna | ||
| Un minuto per vincere | |||
| 2012 | Super Club | Rai 2 | |
| 100% Comico | |||
| 2013 | Riusciranno i nostri eroi | Rai 1 | |
| 2014 | Maxinho do Brazil | Rai Sport 1 | |
| SuperMaxTV | Rai 2 | ||
| La papera non fa l'eco | |||
| Concerto di Natale | |||
| 2015 | La partita del cuore | Rai 1 | |
| Techetechete' | Narrator of the seventy-fifth episode. | ||
| Tale e quale show | Competitor | ||
| Tale e quale show - Il torneo | |||
| 2016 | DopoFestival | Host | |
| 2016–2019 | Boom! | Nove | |
| 2018 | C'è posto per 30? | ||
| 2018–2019 | Chi ti conosce? | ||
| Mai dire Talk | Italia 1 | Imitator | |
| 2020 | Pechino Express | Rai 2 | Competitor |
| 2022 | Sky Uno | Co-host | |
| 2020–2025 | Boss in incognito | Rai 2 | Host |
| 2021 | Il cantante mascherato | Rai 1 | Competitor |
| Va tutto bene! | Rai 2 | Host | |
| 2021–2022 | Guess My Age - Indovina l'età | TV8 | |
| 2022 | Alessandro Borghese - Celebrity Chef | Competitor | |
| 2023 | Fake Show - Diffidate delle imitazioni | Rai 2 | Host |
| 2024 | Chi può batterci? | Rai 1 | Competitor |
| 2024–2025 | GialappaShow | TV8 | Imitator |
| Che tempo che fa | Nove | Regular guest | |
| 2025 | 99 da battere | Rai 2 | Host |
| 2025–present | Caduta libera | Canale 5 | |
| 2026–present | The Wall |
Radio
| Year | Title | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 2010–2015 | Radio 2 SuperMax | Rai Radio 2 |
| 2015–2016 | Cattive compagnie |
References
- ^ a b "Max Giusti". abmanagement.it.
- ^ "A casa di Max Giusti: "Verde e piscina condominiale, la mia felicità è in periferia. Benvenuti a Pis Angeles"". la Repubblica (in Italian).
- ^ "Max Giusti". rai.it.
- ^ a b "Max Giusti: gli inizi in tv negli anni Novanta, ha doppiato Gru in Cattivissimo me, 7 segreti". Corriere della Sera (in Italian).
- ^ "Max Giusti". Magazine Collection (in Italian).
- ^ a b "Max Giusti: "Nel mio show trent'anni di personaggi"". ilmessaggero.it (in Italian).
- ^ "Novità. Torna Libero , versione di Max Giusti". film.it (in Italian).
- ^ "Max Giusti: età, moglie e figli, dove vive, la storia con Selvaggia Lucarelli. Vita privata e carriera". TvBlog.it (in Italian).
- ^ "Affari tuoi, Max Giusti dal 15 settembre 2008 apre i pacchi in uno studio rinnovato". CineTivu (in Italian).
- ^ "Max Giusti in Distretto di polizia". TGcom24 (in Italian).
- ^ "Attenti a quei due: la puntata pilota con Fabrizio Frizzi e Max Giusti in liveblogging su TvBlog. Vince Frizzi". TvBlog.it (in Italian).
- ^ "Max Giusti: "Riusciranno i nostri eroi era l'unico varietà all'italiana in prima serata"". TvBlog (in Italian).
- ^ "Mondiali 2014: Gialappa's vs Max Giusti, parte la sfida per "l'altra telecronaca"". TvBlog.it (in Italian).
- ^ "La partita del cuore 2015: stasera allo Juventus Stadium si sfidano cantanti e campioni". All Music Italia (in Italian).
- ^ "Max Giusti ci racconta Chi ti conosce?, il nuovo divertente game show in partenza su Nove". TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (in Italian).
- ^ "Max Giusti su Nove con C'è posto per 30?". TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (in Italian).
- ^ "Chi è Max Giusti, il gladiatore in coppia con Marco Mazzocchi che ci fa sorridere a Pechino Express". Cosmopolitan Italia (in Italian).
- ^ "Il cantante mascherato, il Lupo è Max Giusti". TvBlog.it (in Italian).
- ^ "Max Giusti: "Con Guess my age voglio far divertire e divertirmi"". TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (in Italian).
- ^ "E Pechino Express ritorna con Enzo Miccio e Max Giusti, il viaggio diretto verso Dubai". lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it (in Italian).
- ^ "Max Giusti: "Per il GialappaShow ho ricominciato a imitare"". TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (in Italian).
- ^ "99 da battere: Max Giusti e la carica dei 100 mattacchioni". TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (in Italian).
- ^ "Chi può batterci? su Rai 1 con Marco Liorni: puntate, ospiti vip e come funziona il gioco". 7colli.it (in Italian).
- ^ "Max Giusti a Stasera tutto è possibile, chi è il conduttore: età, dove vive, la moglie, la figlia, la storia con Selvaggia Lucarelli e la carriera". ilmessaggero.it (in Italian).
- ^ "Max Giusti entra a far parte in esclusiva della squadra Mediaset". ANSA (in Italian).
- ^ "Max Giusti: "Caduta libera la mia nuova avventura su Canale 5"". ANSA (in Italian).
- ^ "Max Giusti: "A Caduta libera mi divertirò a provare la botola, ma di nascosto!"". TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (in Italian).
- ^ "Max Giusti, svolta totale su Canale 5: rilancerà Scherzi a parte. Pier Silvio punta tutto su di lui". libero.it (in Italian).
- ^ "Mediaset, Max Giusti condurrà Caduta Libera e The Wall". ilmattino.it (in Italian).
- ^ "Max Giusti - Va tutto bene". Teatro Olimpico (in Italian). Retrieved 24 December 2025.
- ^ "Il Marchese del Grillo (Max Giusti): Date e Biglietti". teatro.it (in Italian).
- ^ "Teatro Celebrazioni || Max Giusti a Bologna". Teatro Celebrazioni (in Italian).
- ^ "Appena un minuto, con Max Giusti". RAI Ufficio Stampa.
- ^ "Max Giusti, chi è la moglie Benedetta e la lunga storia con Lucarelli". libero.it.
- ^ "Max Giusti, la casa dei sogni: "Vivo in una villetta a Roma. Verde e piscina condominiale, la mia felicità è in periferia"". corriereadriatico.it (in Italian).
- ^ "Luca Carboni con Ron per la giornata nazionale lotta contro la SLA". Luca Carboni: PersoneSilenziose Blog. Archived from the original on 16 November 2010.
External links
- Max Giusti at IMDb
