Nanni Loy
Nanni Loy (born Giovanni Loi; 23 October 1925 – 21 August 1995) was an Italian film, theatre and TV director. Specifically, Nanni Loy was Sardinian, and one of several notable Sardinian film-makers, including Franco Solinas.
Also recorded as Giovanni Loi · Giovanni Battista Loy
Nanni Loy

Italian magazine Radiocorriere, year XLIII, n. 3, page 13 · Public domain
- Name
- Nanni Loy
- Birth Name
- Giovanni Loi
- Born
- 23 October 1925
- Birthplace
- Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
- Died
- 21 August 1995
- Place of death
- Fregene, Rome, Italy
- Nationality
- Italy · Kingdom of Italy
- Occupation
- film director · actor · screenwriter · theatre director
- Known for
- Four days of Naples
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Documentary summary
Nanni Loy (born Giovanni Loi; 23 October 1925 – 21 August 1995) was an Italian film, theatre and TV director. Specifically, Nanni Loy was Sardinian, and one of several notable Sardinian film-makers, including Franco Solinas.
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Authority files
wikidata · Q53023 · wikipedia · Nanni Loy
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Nanni Loy • Birth Name — Giovanni Loi • Born — 23 October 1925 • Birthplace — Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy • Died — 21 August 1995 • Place of death — Fregene, Rome, Italy • Height — 1.86 m
Biography
Biography
Loy was born in Cagliari, Sardinia: his father was Guglielmo Loy-Donà, a lawyer issue from a distinguished Sardinian-Venetian family, and his mother was the noblewoman Donna Anna Sanjust of the Marquesses of Neoneli. Rosetta Loy, an Italian novelist, is his sister-in-law. He became famous for introducing in Italy the candid camera with his show Specchio segreto (Secret mirror) in 1965. His 1962 film The Four Days of Naples was nominated for two Academy Awards. It also won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 3rd Moscow International Film Festival in 1963. His 1971 film Detenuto in attesa di giudizio was entered into the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival. The star, Alberto Sordi, won the Silver Bear for Best Actor award. He specialized in comedy films such as Padre di famiglia but he also shot films dealing with social themes (Detenuto in attesa di giudizio and Sistemo l'America e torno). Loy died at Fregene, near Rome, in 1995.
Partial filmography
Partial filmography
• Parola di ladro (1956) (with Gianni Puccini) • Il marito (1958) (with Gianni Puccini) • Audace colpo dei soliti ignoti (1959) • A Day for Lionhearts (1961) • The Four Days of Naples (1962) • Beautiful Families (1964) • Made in Italy (1965) • The Head of the Family (1967) • Rosolino Paternò soldato (1970) • In Prison Awaiting Trial (1971) • Sistemo l'America e torno (1973) • Goodnight, Ladies and Gentlemen (1976) • Strange Occasion (1976), fragment "Italian Superman", credited as Anonymous • Basta che non si sappia in giro (1976) • Café Express (1980) • Heads I Win, Tails You Lose (1982) • Where's Picone? (1983) • Amici miei atto III (1985) • Street Kids (1989) • Pacco, doppio pacco e contropaccotto (1993)

Italian director Nanni Loy
Italian magazine Radiocorriere, year XLIII, n. 3, page 13
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1995
Nanni Loy died at Rome.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q53023: Nanni Loy
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
- “Nanni Loy”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority file
- VIAF cluster 79173705 for Nanni Loy, aggregating national library name authorities.
General reference · OCLC
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.http://www.araldicasardegna.org/genealogie/alberi_genealogici/albero_famiglia_sanjust2_carlo.htm See the marriage notice in the Sanjust family tree (in Italian). Retrieved on 2011-12-5.
- 2.The 35th Academy Awards (1963) Nominees and Winners. oscars.org.
- 3.3rd Moscow International Film Festival (1963). MIFF.
- 4.Berlinale 1972: Prize Winners. berlinale.de.
- 5.Passarin, Sara Greta. Nanni Loy, biografia e carriera dell'autore italiano. True News. 2022-06-06.
- 6.John Tagliabue. Nanni Loy, 69, Italian Director Known for Films on Wartime. The New York Times. B7. 23 August 1995.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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