Roberto Benzi

Roberto Benzi (born 1937) is a French conductor and former child actor.

Roberto Benzi was born on 12 December 1937 in Marseille, France. His parents discovered his musical talent when he was very young and taught him solfège and piano. As a teenager, he starred in two films. When he was about ten years old, he received training from André Cluytens.

In 1960, at the age of 22, he made his first recordings with the Orchestre de Lamoureux of works by Liszt, Beethoven, Bizet, Rossini, Respighi and many others, for the Philips label, all released in Hi-Fi stereo. He also made recordings with The Hague Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra. At the age of 27, he conducted La Boutique fantasque (Rossini/Respighi) for the Louis de Funès film The Sucker (1965). Benzi was conductor of the Orchestre National de Bordeaux, Aquitaine, from 1973 to 1987. He was conductor of the Arnhem Philharmonic in Arnhem, the Netherlands, from the 1989/1990 season to 1998. He later conducted orchestras in Russia and Japan.