Mario (マリオ, Mario^?) is a fictional character in the Mario video game franchise by Nintendo, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the eponymous protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation. Though originally only appearing in platform games, starting with Donkey Kong, Mario currently appears in varied video game genres such as racing, puzzle, party, role-playing, fighting, and sports.

Mario is depicted as a short, pudgy, Italian plumber who lives in the Mushroom Kingdom. He repeatedly rescues Princess Peach from the turtle-like villain Bowser and stops his numerous plans to destroy him and take over the kingdom. Mario also has other enemies and rivals, including Donkey Kong and Wario. Since 1995, he has been voiced by Charles Martinet.

As Nintendo's mascot, Mario is said to be the most famous character in video game history.Mario games, as a whole, have sold more than 210 million units, making the Mario franchise the best-selling video game franchise of all time. Outside of the Super Mario platform series, he has appeared in video games of other genres, including the Mario Kart racing series, sports games, such as the Mario Tennis and Mario Golf series, role-playing video games such as Paper Mario and Super Mario RPG, and educational games, such as Mario is Missing! and Mario's Time Machine. He has inspired television shows, film, comics, and a line of licensed merchandise.

Mario Del Monaco (July 27, 1915 – October 16, 1982) was an Italian tenor who is regarded as one of the greatest dramatic tenors of the 20th century.

Del Monaco was born in Florence to a musical upper-class family. As a young boy he studied the violin but had a passion for singing. He graduated from the Rossini Conservatory at Pesaro, where he first met and sang with Renata Tebaldi, with whom he would form something of an operatic dream team of the 1950s. His early mentors as a singer included Arturo Melocchi, his teacher at Pesaro, and Maestro Raffaelli, who recognized his talent and helped launch his career.

That career began in earnest with Del Monaco's debut on December 31, 1940, as Pinkerton at the Puccini Theater in Milan. (His initial appearance in an opera had occurred the previous year, however, in Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana in Pesaro.) He sang in Italy during the Second World War and married, in 1941, Rina Filipini. In 1946, he appeared at London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, for the first time. During the ensuing years he became famous not only in London but also across the operatic world for his powerful, metallic voice. It was almost heldentenor-like in scope but Del Monaco was no Wagnerian, confining his activities overwhelmingly to the Italian repertoire.

Mario O'Hara is an award winning Filipino film director, film producer and screenwriter known for his sense of realism often with dark but realistic social messages. He is of American descent.

A native of Zamboanga, O'Hara collaborated often with the acclaimed director Lino Brocka in his 1970s films. He wrote the screenplay for Brocka's You Were Judged and Found Wanting (Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, 1974), one of Brocka's rare attempts at a broad canvas, about life in a small provincial town.

O'Hara's 2004 film Babae sa Breakwater addresses issues of poverty in Manila and was met with some considerable success.^{[citation needed]}

Due to his claustrophobia he is unable to attend film festivals internationally.^{[citation needed]}

Suso Cecchi d'Amico (21 July 1914, Rome – 31 July 2010, Rome) was an Italian screenwriter and actress. She won the 1980 David di Donatello Award for lifetime career. She worked with virtually all of the most celebrated post-war Italian film directors, and wrote or co-wrote many award winning films—among them:

Cecchi d'Amico wrote the lyrics for Nino Rota's opera I due timidi and collaborated on the script of William Wyler's Roman Holiday. She was a member of the jury at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival. She was awarded the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the 1994 Venice film festival.

Suso Cecchi d'Amico was born as Giovanna Cecchi and was the daughter of writer Emilio Cecchi. In 1938, she married the musicologist Fedele D'Amico (nickname: Lele), son of theatre critic Silvio D'Amico. They had three children who have themselves made significant contributions to Italian culture: Masolino, Silvia, and Catherine. Suso Cecchi d'Amico died in Rome at the age of 96.

Mario Monicelli (Italian pronunciation: [ˈmarjo moniˈtʃɛlli]; 16 May 1915 – 29 November 2010) was an Italian director and screenwriter and one of the masters of the Commedia all'Italiana (Comedy Italian style), six times nominated for Oscar.

Monicelli was born in Viareggio and was the youngest son of the Mantuan journalist Tommaso Monicelli. His older brother Giorgio worked as writer and translator. Another older brother, Franco, was a journalist.

He attended studies in the local lyceum, and entered into the film world through his friendship with Giacomo Forzano, son of the playwright Giovacchino Forzano, who had been encharged by Benito Mussolini with the founding of cinema studios in Tirrenia. Monicelli lived a carefree youth, and many of the cinematic jokes he later shot in Amici Miei were taken from his experience.

Monicelli made his first short in 1934, a collaboration with his friend Alberto Mondadori. He followed this work up with the silent film I ragazzi della Via Paal (an adaptation of the novel The Paul Street Boys), which was an award-winner in the Venice Film Festival. His first feature length work was made in 1937 (Pioggia d'estate, "Summer Rain"). In the years 1939–1942 Monicelli also produced numerous screenplays (up to 40), and worked as an assistant director.