Born in Florence, the son of the baritone Gino Lulli and the elder brother of actor Piero, in 1936 Lulli took part in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War as the commander of a group of Ethiopian troops.

[1][2] In 1943, he entered the Italian resistance movement and became a partisan; Captured by the Nazis, he was deported to Germany but managed to escape and move to the Soviet Union.

[1][2] After the war, Lulli worked as a pharmaceutical sales representative before being noted by Alberto Lattuada, who gave him a major role in The Bandit.

[2][3] The critical and commercial success of the film secured Lulli a long career as a character actor, equally split between villain and working-class roles.

[3] In 1964, he was awarded the Nastro d'Argento for best supporting actor for his performance in Mario Monicelli's The Organizer.