born umberto sacripanti in rome, sacripante debuted on stage in 1921, and in 1926 he became first actor in the theatrical company teatro degli indipendenti directed by anton giulio bragaglia. he made his film debut in 1930, and in a short time he became one of the most active character actors of his time. thanks to his good knowledge of german language, he was also often cast in german and austrian productions. he also worked as general organizer for the production company cines, and also was secretary of the national syndicate of film actors.