The son of Italian theatre critic Antonio Cervi, Gino Cervi was one of the most famous Italian actors, first on stage, then on screen and finally on television. He appeared in his first play in 1924, a year after his father's death. He won world fame with three movies directed by Alessandro Blasetti: Aldebaran (1936), Ettore Fieramosca (1938), and Un'avventura di Salvator Rosa (1939). After the WWII, his film career flourished, and then on television, he found new fame as Inspector Jules Maigret in a series of TV Movies based on the novels of Georges Simenon.