Santo Luigi Cilauro (born 25 November 1961)[1] is an Australian comedian, television and feature film producer, screenwriter, actor, author and cameraman who is also a co-founder of The D-Generation. Known as the weatherman in Frontline, he is also an author and former radio presenter on Triple M, and achieved worldwide fame with the viral video Elektronik Supersonik.[2][failed verification]

Santo Cilauro
Born
Santo Luigi Cilauro

(1961-11-25) 25 November 1961 (age 63)
NationalityAustralian
Other namesSnatto Ghauro, Zladko Vladcik
Alma materUniversity of Melbourne (BA, LL.B.)
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • actor
  • television presenter
  • author
  • radio host
  • producer
  • writer
Known forThe Late Show, The Panel, The Dish, The Castle, Frontline and Santo, Sam and Ed's Cup Fever!
Children2

Early life

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Cilauro was born in 1961 in Melbourne, Australia to parents of Italian descent. Cilauro attended Xavier College and the University of Melbourne and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws in 1987.[1]

In 1984, while walking to his aunt's house in Melbourne, he stumbled across a Juventus press conference during their tour of Australia, and after seeing coach Giovanni Trapattoni struggle to answer questions in English, used his Italian skills to translate, which resulted in Cilauro becoming the team translator for the rest of the tour.[3]

Italian Studies

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In 2021, Cilauro became the patron of the Australasian Centre of Italian Studies.[4]

Acting and production work

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Cilauro started collaborating with Rob Sitch and Tom Gleisner in comedy theatre productions and tours. He is one of the co-founders of The D-Generation.[5]

Cilauro wrote for, and performed in, the troupe's show during its 1986–87 run on ABC TV (which also led to the album The Satanic Sketches). Cilauro continued as a member of the D-Gen when the team hosted their Breakfast Show on Triple M radio (1986–1992), appearing as the simple-minded "Wayne from St Albans" and "Gino Tagliatoni" amongst other roles. Cilauro was a writer/performer on the D-Generation's 1992–1993 sketch comedy The Late Show, appearing on such segments as Graham & the Colonel, The Oz Brothers and Jeff & Terry Bailey.[citation needed]

After the second and last season of The Late Show, Cilauro starred as Stix in the 1994 ABC cop show satire Funky Squad, which he also co-created and served as one of the writer/producer/directors. He went on to help set up the Working Dog production company and was one of the writer/producer/directors of Frontline (1994–97), in which he also had a recurring onscreen role as weatherman Geoffrey Salter. Since then, Cilauro has co-written Working Dog's popular films The Castle (1997) and The Dish (2000) and appeared as a regular member (and occasional host) of the 1998–2003 Network 10 programme The Panel.

Cilauro has been an executive producer of several Working Dog productions, including The Panel, A River Somewhere (1997–98), and All Aussie Adventures (2001–02). He played the Head of Market Research, Theo Tsolakis, on The Hollowmen (2008), a series which Cilauro co-wrote and co-produced. Cilauro also played IT technician Griffin on the Shaun Micallef sitcom Welcher & Welcher (2003) and K2 on the 1996 Working Dog radio sketch Johnny Swank.

During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he hosted a nightly comedy/variety show called Santo, Sam and Ed's Cup Fever! live from Melbourne alongside Ed Kavalee and Sam Pang. In 2014 Cilauro joined his Working Dog colleagues Sitch and Gleisner to stage the group's first play, The Speechmaker.[6]

Filmography

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Films

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Year Production Credit Role Notes Ref.
2012 Any Questions for Ben? Producer, Writer & Camera Operator
2009 Shintaro! Himself Documentary
2007 The Sound of Aus
2004 Herman, the Legal Labrador Sal the Hot Dog Vendor Voice only
2001 Numero Bruno Himself Documentary
2000 The Dish Producer, Writer & Second Unit Director
1997 The Castle Writer & Camera Operator
1996 The Campaign Director, Writer, Producer & Cinematographer Himself – Narrator Documentary
1988 Billy's Shout Director TV Short

Television

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Year(s) Television Show Credit Role Notes Ref.
2016-19 Utopia Creator, Executive Producer, Writer
2016 Pacific Heat Creator, Executive Producer, Writer
2014–Present Have You Been Paying Attention? Panelist Himself
2013–15 Santo, Sam and Ed's Total Football Executive Producer & Writer Himself
2012 Audrey's Kitchen Executive Producer
Santo, Sam and Ed's Sports Fever! Executive Producer & Writer Himself
Pictures of You Executive Producer
2010 Santo, Sam and Ed's Cup Fever! Executive Producer & Writer Himself
2008 The Hollowmen Creator, Producer, Writer & Camera Operator Theo Tsolakis
2007 The Panel: Christmas Wrap Executive Producer Himself
2006
2006–2009 Thank God You're Here Creator, Camera Operator (Series 1–3), Writer & Executive Producer
2004 Russell Coight's Celebrity Challenge
2003 Welcher & Welcher Griffin Griggs
2001–2002 Russell Coight's All Aussie Adventures Writer & Camera Operator
1998–2005 The Panel Executive Producer Himself
1997–1998 A River Somewhere
1995 Funky Squad Creator, Director, Producer & Writer Stix ('Joey Alvarez')
1994–1997 Frontline Geoffrey Salter
1994 Homicide... 30 Years On Himself
1993 Bargearse Director & Writer Poloneck
The Olden Days Various
1992–1993 The Late Show
1988 The D Generation Goes Commercial Writer
1986–1987 The D Generation

Zladko Vladcik

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Cilauro, along with Rob Sitch and Tom Gleisner, created the popular Internet phenomenon character Zladko "ZLAD!" Vladcik, a Molvanian synth-pop musician. Zlad was performed by Cilauro to accompany the Jetlag Travel Guide to Molvanîa.[7][8] Cilauro was, with Sitch and Gleisner, co-author of the Jetlag Travel Guides to Molvanîa, Phaic Tăn and San Sombrèro.

Two music videos were performed by Cilauro as Zladko, for "Elektronik – Supersonik" and "I Am The Anti-Pope".[9][deprecated source]

References

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  1. ^ a b Systems, Student Management (28 June 2006). "Student Information System". sis.unimelb.edu.au. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  2. ^ Lynch, Sean (15 November 2007). "Interview: Santo Cilauro — Funky Squad". webwombat.com.au. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  3. ^ "When Juve came to Melbourne in 1984 and Santo minded their wedding rings".
  4. ^ "ACIS welcomes Santo Cilauro as its new Patron". 29 March 2021.
  5. ^ Hook, Chris (14 January 2014). "Evolution of breakfast radio moves into its next phase with rival stations poised for battle". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  6. ^ Woodhead, Cameron (6 June 2014). "Review: The Speechmaker". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  7. ^ Genevieve Dwyer (15 April 2016). "13 Times Australia Loved Eurovision Harder Than The Europeans!". sbs.com.au. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  8. ^ "Elektronik Supersonik – Zladko Vladcik | EarBleed.com". earbleed.com.
  9. ^ "Zlad! discography". RateYourMusic.
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