Actor-director Francesco Nuti 'serious' after fall (3)

Prato, September 21 - Actor and film director Francesco Nuti has been taken to a Florence hospital in serious condition after a fall in his Prato home Tuesday, hospital sources aid Wednesday. Doctors said he was not in a life-threatening condition. Former comedian Nuti, 61, has struggled with depression and poor health over the past 20 years. In April 2003 he was revived by an emergency medical team after being found unconscious in his Roman home. Nuti had been in ill health and house-bound for months, reportedly suffering from depression and alcoholism after a series of career setbacks. The Tuscan former stand-up had a string of box-office hits in the early '80s - most notably 'Io, Chiara e Lo Scuro' - before losing his whimsical touch in an attempt to woo serious critics. Several top entertainers issued appeals for action to help pull Nuti out of his apparent downward spiral.