Which real life writer featured in the film "Il Postino - The Postman"?

"The Postman", or as it is called in the original Italian, "Il Postino" is a film released in 1994, and based on a novel by Antonio Skármeta (born 1940), a Chilean writer of Croatian descent. It tells the story (which is based in truth but heavily fictionalised) of the friendship between the great Chilean writer Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) and his postman. In the film, as in the novel, the action is moved from Chile to the Italian island of Procida. It is directed by the English film-maker Michael Radford (born 1946).

Sadly, a real life drama accompanied the making of the film. The Italian actor Massimo Troisi (who played the title role), was critically ill in real life with a heart condition brought on by contracting rheumatic fever when he was a child. It is rumoured, though it has not been confirmed, that he postponed heart surgery to finish filming. A double had to be used for all scenes involving him cycling or even walking. He died on the 4th of June, 1994.

The touching and whimsical film achieved both popular and critical acclaim, and was to prove one of the most successful ever foreign language films at the Academy Awards, where Troisi was posthumously nominated for best actor, although the award ultimately went to Mel Gibson for his performance in "Braveheart".