[1] Ferrari was born in Brussels as his father was at the time the Italian consul in the Belgian Congo, and was in Belgium for a diplomatic mission.

[2] He made his acting debut at 9 years old, in Alessandro Blasetti's Ettore Fieramosca and he appeared in over 45 films between 1938 and 2018.

[2] He became first known as "the balilla Paolo", a character he played in numerous radio programs for children and teenagers during the fascist era.

[3] After the war he studied at the Silvio d’Amico Academy of Dramatic Arts.

[2] Ferrari died in Monterotondo on 6 May 2018, at the age of 89.