Lucio Rietti was born of Italian heritage and was "discovered" at the age of 8 by his father, Vittorio Rietti, a veteran actor of the stage and screen. Vittorio noticed that Lucio had memorized a script he had given him and decided to teach him everything he knew. Lucio quickly became a child prodigy and appeared alongside his father in scores of plays.
He was handpicked by Alfred Hitchcock to play the boy in Secret Agent (1936),but had to turn down the part due to his young age. Before turning 11, he had already been in over a dozen films, including the classic Emil and the Detectives (1935),where he starred as the leader of a gang of kids.
During World War II, Lucio and his father were placed in a detention camp due to their Italian heritage. However, Lucio was released after 8 months to organize an army unit made up of professional actors to entertain the troops. It was during this time that his stage name was changed to Robert Rietty.
After the war, Robert returned to public attention and continued to work in every form of entertainment, including radio, stage, motion pictures, and television. He teamed up with Orson Welles on several occasions, including the complete radio crime drama series The Black Museum (1951) and The Third Man (1951-1952).
Robert was also a regular on the radio series Horatio Hornblower and Theater Royal, and made frequent guest appearances on scores of other radio shows. In motion pictures, he continued to work mostly in character parts, with the exception of his performances in Call of the Blood (1948),Prelude to Fame (1950),and Stock Car (1955).
Robert was heavily involved in the theater, starring in dozens of plays, including the Italian play To Live in Peace, which he co-wrote and produced with his father. The play became an instant success, winning many awards, and was later made into two films for television in 1951 and 1952.
Together with his father, Robert was knighted by the Italian Government for their contribution to the Italian entertainment industry. He was later upgraded to a higher knighthood. In television, he guest-starred repeatedly in over 100 TV shows, many of which were shot live.
Robert's most memorable performances were in The Crooked Road (1965),Hell Is Empty (1967),The Italian Job (1969),and The Omen (1976). He also made the change from actor to director, becoming heavily involved in post-production work, directing, and re-voicing. He became known as the "King of Dubbers" and "Man of a Thousand Voices," and worked with many famous stars, including Henry Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Gregory Peck, Orson Welles, John Huston, Rod Steiger, Elizabeth Taylor, Sean Connery, and Walter Matthau.
Although over 85 years old, Robert continues to direct and act today, over 75 years after he started his career.
