Nel 1971, the Foundation “Civico Museo Biblioteca dell’Attore del Teatro Stabile di Genova” was established; the founding members are the Municipality of Genoa, the Province of Genoa, the Chamber of Commerce of Genoa, and the Teatro Stabile di Genova.
In 1976, the legal personality of the Entity was recognized by presidential decree. In 1982, the new headquarters of the Foundation at Villetta Serra, specially renovated by the Municipality of Genoa, was inaugurated in the presence of the mayor. In 1994, the Liguria region recognized the Museum Library of the Actor as a “Cultural Institution of regional interest.” Known and appreciated nationally in all sectors of theatrical culture, the Civic Museum Library of the Actor is a foundation aimed at the historical and critical study of theater, scenic art, and the conditions of the Italian actor from the beginning of the 18th century onwards.
This purpose is pursued through a Library specialized in dramatic theater and cinema, which currently holds about 40,000 volumes and an archive that preserves about 72,000 autographs; 69,000 photographs; 1,300 scripts; 4,000 sketches, costumes, caricatures, original drawings, posters, bills; 62,000 press cuttings; 7,000 programs. The CMBA also owns a collection of costumes that belonged to actors such as Adelaide Ristori, Ermete Zacconi, Iamberto Picasso, Sergio Tofano, Lilla Brignone, and others. The most precious are the work of Worth and Tirelli.
Among the precious collections of the Museum is also a 19th-century puppet theater, the Teatrino Rissone, which has been exhibited since March 2006 at the Sant’Agostino Museum of Genoa. Also in the same Museum is preserved the studio of Gilberto Govi, along with the actor’s archive.
The Archive, with its collections, plays a major role in the creation of theses and studies on theater, addressed by students and scholars from all parts of Italy and abroad. The privileged contacts for study and research activities are the professors of the disciplines related to theater and performance, both from the University of Genoa and from all Italian universities and DAMS centers.
The CMBA organizes and collaborates in the realization of exhibitions, meetings, guided tours, book presentations, and prepares publications of studies related to the material preserved.
 nasce nel 1966 come settore del Teatro Stabile di Genova, allora diretto da Ivo Chiesa e da Luigi Squarzina, per ospitare le carte, i libri e i cimeli teatrali della "famiglia d'arte" Salvini (Giuseppe, Tommaso, Celso, Guido); nel 1967 viene donato, dall'erede Giuliano Capranica del Grillo, il vastissimo Fondo Adelaide Ristori.){kind=link}