| Intro | Italian footballer (1920-2002) |
| Was |
Athlete Football player Association football player Painter |
| From | Italy |
| Type |
Arts Sports |
| Gender | male |
| Birth | 24 October 1920, Treviso |
| Death |
9 July 2002, Treviso (aged 81 years) |
Cesare Benedetti (24 October 1920 in Treviso – 9 July 2002) was an Italian football player and a painter.
Football
He played for 3 seasons (37 games, 1 goal) in the Serie A for A.S. Roma and Salernitana Calcio 1919, winning the Serie A in the 1940/41 season with Roma.
Painting
After retirement as a footballer, he became a noted painter. He was accepted at the House of Grimaldi, painting portraits of Grace Kelly, Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, Caroline, Princess of Hanover and other dignitaries. He painted in the United States as well (including the portrait of Caroline Kennedy at 4 years of age). He also painted portraits of several Popes, including Pope John XXIII, Pope Pius XII, Pope Paul VI and a magnificent two-meters-high portrait of Pope John Paul II that hangs in the hall of the Treviso cathedral (Duomo di Treviso), earning himself the nickname “Painter of Popes” (“pittore dei Papi”).