With his malleable face dominated by large brown eyes, a seemingly perpetual hangdog expression and a facility for mimicry, Scottish actor Tom Conti proved to be a gifted comedic player, often cast in a variety of ethnic roles. This son of an Italian immigrant and a Scottish mother, both of whom were hairdressers, received his training at Glasgow's Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. In the late 1950s, Conti joined the Citizens' Theatre where he made his stage debut. It was more than a decade later, though, before he enjoyed the first fruits of success, starting with a well-praise turn
