Mario Maffei was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor whose career spanned over five decades. He began his career as an assistant director in 1936, working on the film Pioggia d'estate directed by Mario Monicelli. During World War II, Maffei focused on documentary filmmaking, returning to fiction films post-war. He made his acting debut in 1947 with roles in Tombolo, paradiso nero and Le avventure di Pinocchio. Between 1963