Enzo Staiola as Bruno Ricci in ‘Bicycle Thieves’

Italian actor Enzo Staiola, immortalised on screen for playing little Bruno in Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves, passed away on June 6. He was 85.

According to a report in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Staiola passed away in Rome. No immediate cause of his death was given.

Bicycle Thieves is a masterpiece of Italian neo-realist cinema. A moving tale of family, hardship and post-war society, the film followed little Bruno as he accompanied his father around town in search of his lost bicycle. A touching scene finds father and son at a restaurant, eating cheap sandwiches and relaxing in the face of desperation. Indian filmmakers like Satyajit Ray and Anurag Kashyap have named Bicycle Thieves as a major influence on their lives.

Enzo Staiola was eight when he was picked by De Sica for Bicycle Thieves. He appeared in other films (including one with Humphrey Bogart) but his acting career failed to take off. Moving away, Staiola taught mathematics and worked as a clerk at the land registry, before returning for his last film role in the 1978 giallo The Pyjama Girl Case.