He was born in the Apulian city of Andria and at the age of three, moved to Canosa di Puglia. Lino Banfi became one of the most well-known actors in Italian "sexy comedies" in the 1970s. In the 1980s he reached the peak of his fame by appearing in movies such as "L'allenatore nel pallone", "Vieni avanti cretino", "Il commissario Lo Gatto" and "Occhio, "Malocchio, prezzemolo e finocchio"; he recently portrayed Grandpa Libero in Italian TV series "Un medico in famiglia". During his career nearly all of Lino Banfi's characters spoke with the distinctive pronunciation of the Bari dialect. Lino and his wife Lucia have been married since 1962 and have two children, Walter and Rosanna; Rosanna is also an actress. In 2000, Lino Banfi became a Goodwill Ambassador for the Italian National Committee for UNICEF.