Francesco Andreini

Francesco Andreini (born 1548, Pistoia [Italy]—died Aug. 20, 1624, Mantua) was an Italian actor of commedia dell’arte who, with his wife, Isabella Andreini, was a founder and star performer of the Compagnia dei Gelosi, one of the earliest and most famous of commedia dell’arte troupes.

Andreini began his career as a soldier but was captured by the Turks and was held in slavery by them for several years. Upon his return to Italy, he joined the company of the producer-director Flaminio Scala, playing lovers. He is identified with the character of Capitano Spavento, the braggart Spanish soldier, and in 1607 published descriptions of that role, including dialogue and stage business, as Le bravure del Capitano Spavento (“The Bravery of Captain Spavento”). The Gelosi troupe visited the French court intermittently and traveled all over Europe. Isabella’s death in 1604 led to Andreini’s retirement from the stage and to the dissolution of the Gelosi.