Cochi e Renato

A blend of pointed satirical numbers and wildly unpredictable stage behavior propelled Cochi e Renato—born Aurelio Ponzoni and Renalto Pozzetto—into one of the most enduringly popular acts in Italian show business. Onstage Cochi adopted the persona of an intellectual artist while Renato assumed the role of a farmer, and in those guises the pair headlined two hit television programs: Those of Sunday, broadcast in 1968, and The Poet and the Peasant, which followed in 1973. Having known each other since childhood, they spent their early years dancing and improvising original songs together. Although Cochi later worked as a French, English, and Spanish interpreter at the Milan Airport and Renato trained as a cooling system technician, their shared passion for musical theater pulled them back into collaboration. They made their first cabaret appearance at Milan’s Tavern dell’Oca in the 1964-1965 season, after which they released a string of distinctive albums and took roles in several early-’70s films. Parting ways in the late ’70s, each pursued an independent path; Renato found success in a series of popular movies, whereas Cochi struggled to recapture comparable acclaim. Unable to secure backing from any film producer, he returned to the theater and reappeared on television in 1992. Nearly twenty years after their separation, the duo rejoined forces in 2000, signing with the Raiuno Production Company to star in eight hour-long films.