Cesare Gelli (Pistoia, November 28, 1932 – Rome, August 27, 2016) was an Italian actor and character actor. After an intense career in theatre, he embarked on a prolific film career, becoming one of the most recognizable faces of the *commedia all'italiana* genre during the 1970s and 1980s. His most iconic role is undoubtedly that of the Galactic Megadirector Duke Count Balabam in the *Fantozzi* saga by Luciano Salce and Neri Parenti, a character who embodied a grotesque and unattainable authority. He worked with prominent directors such as Mario Monicelli on *Amici miei* (1975) and Steno on *Febbre da cavallo* (1976), often playing gruff authority figures or stern officials. Although he did not receive any major individual awards, his primary recognition lies in his enduring place in the collective imagination as a quintessential figure from a golden age of popular Italian cinema.