His father was the actor Vincenzo Cammarano who played successfully the role of Pulcinella for more than thirty years in the San Carlino theater in Naples.
[1][2] Giancola Cammarano and his second wife Caterina Sapuppo moved to Naples when Filippo was in young age.
He first adapted Gennaro D'Avino's Annella tavernara di Porta Capuana, a successful play from 1747, and then some works by Carlo Goldoni.
In the plays, the author introduced a certain realism in the depiction of the behaviors and characters, and often represented the struggle of the poor-folk, as opposed to the intrigues of the nobility.
Filippo Cammarano's plays often offer stories taken from One Thousand and One Nights or even inspired from contemporary facts, like the brigandage.