Trivia

The standard joke on him was that he had such an interesting, flexible voice (and such an outstanding acting ability) that he could have made everything he read entertaining and intense. In mid-90s, a satirical show on Italy national TV gave him a 2 minutes space (named "Gassman Legge", literally "Gassman Reads") where he just "acted" few lines from banal, utterly non-poetic texts, e.g. the Yellow Pages, a blood test report, a telephone bill, the classifieds page in a local newspaper and so on. The segment was a success.

His mother, Luisa Ambron, from Pisa, Tuscany, was an Italian Jew. His father, Heinrich Gassmann, was German, from Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

In his public appearances, he often criticized moderated cultural positions and gained some enemies in the world of art for his frank judgments.

His mother discouraged him from becoming a lawyer so he took up acting instead.

From 1964 until 1968 he was the partner of actress Juliette Mayniel. They have a son, actor Alessandro Gassmann.

Father of actress Paola Gassman, doctor Vittoria Gassman, actor Alessandro Gassmann and Jacopo Gassman, grandfather of assistant director Tommaso Pagliai.

Shelley Winters says in her biography that during the first year of their union she and Gassman could barely understand each other due to the language barrier.

From 1961 until 1963 he was the partner of actress Annette Stroyberg.

From 1953 until 1960 he was the partner of actress Anna Maria Ferrero.

Founded and ran for years one of the most select acting schools.

Became widely popular with Luchino Visconti's theater company, performing in important plays such as Tennessee Williams' "Un tram che si chiama desiderio" (A Streetcar Named Desire) or William Shakespeare's "Rosalinda".

Shelley Winters confesses in her biography that Gassman was traumatized because of his WW2 era, when he served a little among the Facists and he sometimes woke up at night howling like a wolf.

Studied acting at the Accademia Nazionale d'Arte Drammatica in Rome.

From 1950 until 1952 he was the partner of actress Elvi Lissiak.

Shares his birthday with actress Yvonne De Carlo.

Often worked with director Dino Risi, making sixteen movies together.