Ubaldo Pantani is an actor, impersonator and comedian born in Cecina in 1971. His career took off thanks to the collaboration with Gialappa’s Band, which launched him in the most beloved television programs of the nineties and two thousand. It is in the cult formats of the Milanese group that its most iconic parodies are born: Lapo Elkann, Massimo Giletti and a long series of protagonists from the world of football become its workhorses, giving it transversal popularity. He thus became a regular face ofQuelli che il calcio for many editions, consolidating his place in the Olympus of Italian television comedy. Today his career is experiencing a new phase of great visibility thanks to the role of co-host at Sanremo 2026, where he brings all his chameleonic talent to the Ariston stage.
The story with Virginia Raffaele
The best-known sentimental page of his life is the one that linked him to Virginia Raffaele for about five years. Two artists with a lot in common: the passion for comedy, the talent for imitations, an uncommon sensitivity. Their partnership was also visible at work, as demonstrated by their appearance together at the MTV Awards in Florence in 2013, where the complicity between the two was evident to all.
The relationship ended in silence, without public statements or explanations. Both chose confidentiality even at the moment of separation. After some time, it was Virginia Raffaele who revealed something more intimate, saying that what hurt her the most was not so much the end of love but the separation from Pantani’s daughter, with whom she had built a deep bond. Words that conveyed the real weight of that separation.
The daughter and the choice of discretion
Before the story with Raffaele, Pantani had already become a father. Virtually nothing is known about the girl’s mother: the comedian has always built an insurmountable wall around his family, keeping his daughter away from social media, photographers and media curiosities. A choice consistent with his character, shy by nature despite decades spent in the spotlight. Today, while Sanremo gives him a new national showcase, Pantani seems to have found his balance: maximum exposure on stage, maximum protection off.
