Raf Vallone

Raffaele "Raf" Vallone (17 February 1916 – 31 October 2002) was an Italian actor and footballer. One of the top male Italian stars of the 1950s and 1960s, he first became known for his association with the neorealist movement, and found success in several international productions. On stage, he was closely associated with the works of Arthur Miller. He played the role of Eddie Carbone in A View from the Bridge several times, including Sidney Lumet's 1962 film adaptation, for which he won the David di Donatello for Best Actor.

Early life Vallone was born in Tropea, Calabria, the son of a lawyer, and moved to Turin at an early age. He attended Liceo classico Cavour and studied law and philosophy at the University of Turin, where his professors included Leone Ginzburg and future President Luigi Einaudi. After graduation, he was employed at his father's law firm.

In 1941, Vallone became the culture editor for the culture section of L'Unità, then the official newspaper of the Italian Communist Party, and also a film and drama critic for the Turin newspaper La Stampa. An anti-fascist, he joined the Italian resistance organization Giustizia e Libertà in 1943, after the Badoglio Proclamation. He was arrested and incarcerated in Como, but escaped during a prisoner transfer, swimming across Lake Como in the process. He played for Novara in the 1939–40 season, and retired after 1941.

Acting career Vallone made his film debut in 1942 as an extra in We the Living, but he was not initially interested in an acting career. Nevertheless, he was cast as a soldier competing with Vittorio Gassman for the love of Silvana Mangano in Riso amaro (Bitter Rice; 1949).

Personal life Vallone was married to actress Elena Varzi from 1952 until his death. They had three children, two of whom are actors, Eleonora Vallone (born 1955) and Saverio Vallone (born 1958).

Though an avowed communist sympathizer for much of his life, Vallone was never an enrolled member of the Italian Communist Party, due to his opposition to Stalinism.

In 2001, he published his autobiography, L'alfabeto della memoria, with Gremese (Rome).

Death Vallone died from a heart attack in Rome on 31 October 2002. His body was buried at his family chapel in the municipal cemetery of Tropea, his birthplace.

Filmography

We the Living (1942) as a sailor Bitter Rice (1949) as Marco No Peace Under the Olive Tree (1950) as Francesco Dominici The White Line (1950) as Domenico Path of Hope (1950) as Saro Cammarata The Crossroads (1951) as Aldo Marchi The Forbidden Christ (1951) as Bruno Baldi Anna (1951) as Andrea Rome 11:00 (1952) as Carlo The Adventures of Mandrin (1952) as Mandrin Red Shirts (1952) as Giuseppe Garibaldi The Eyes Leave a Trace (1952) as Martín Jordán Sunday Heroes (1952) as Gino Bardi Carne inquieta (1952) as Peppe Lamia Perdonami! (1953) as Marco Gerace Thérèse Raquin (1953) as Laurent Destini di donne (Destinées) (1954) as Callias (segment "Lysistrata") The Beach (1954) as Silvio, the Pontorno's Mayor Storm (1954) as Andrea Obsession (1954) as Aldo Giovanni Human Torpedoes (1954) as Commandant Carlo Ferri The Sign of Venus (1955) as Ignazio Bolognini Andrea Chénier (1955) as Gérard Il segreto di Suor Angela (Le Secret de soeur Angèle) (1956) as Marcello Maglione Passionate Summer (L'isola delle capre/Les Possédées, 1956) as Angelo Love (1956) as Andrea Ambaros Rose Bernd (1957) as Arthur Streckmann Guendalina (1957) as Guido Redaelli, padre di Guendalina The Violet Seller (1958) as Fernando La venganza (1958) as Luis 'El Torcido' La trappola si chiude (Le Piège) (1958) as Gino Carsone Recours en grâce (1960) as Mario Di Donati Two Women (1960) as Giovanni La Garçonnière (1960) as Alberto Fiorini El Cid (1961) as Count Ordóñez A View From the Bridge (1962) as Eddie Carbone Phaedra (1962) as Thanos The Cardinal (1963) as Cardinal Quarenghi The Secret Invasion (1964) as Roberto Rocca - Organizer La scoperta dell'America (1964) Una voglia da morire (1965) as Suo Marito Harlow (1965) as Marino Bello Nevada Smith (1966) as Father Zaccardi Se tutte le donne del mondo (1966) as Mr. Ardonian The Desperate Ones (1967) as Victor Volver a vivir (1967) as Luis Rubio 1001 Nights (1968) La Esclava del paraíso (1968) as Hixxum The Italian Job (1969) as Altabani The Kremlin Letter (1970) as Puppet Maker Death Occurred Last Night (1970) as Amanzio Berzaghi Cannon for Cordoba (1970) as Cordoba A Gunfight (1971) as Francisco Álvarez Perché non ci lasciate in pace? (1971) The Summertime Killer (1972) as Lazzaro Alfredi Un tipo con una faccia strana ti cerca per ucciderti (1973) Honor Thy Father (1973) (TV) as Joseph Bonanno Catholics (1973) as Father General Simona (1974) as L'oncle de Marcelle Small Miracle (1974) (TV) as Father Superior La Casa della paura (1974) as Mr. Dreese Rosebud (1975) as George Nikolaos That Lucky Touch (1975) as Gen. Peruzzi The Human Factor (1975) as Dr. Lupo Decadenza (1975) Marco Visconti (1975, TV series) as Marco Visconti The Other Side of Midnight (1977) as Constantin Demeris The Devil's Advocate (1978) as Bishop Aurelio The Greek Tycoon (1978) as Spyros Tomasis An Almost Perfect Affair (1979) as Federico 'Freddie' Barone Retour à Marseille (1980) as Michel - un émigré de retour à Marseille Lion of the Desert (1980) as Colonel Diodiece Sezona mira u Parizu (1981) I Remember Nelson (1982, TV series) - Caracciolo A Time to Die (1982) as Genco Bari The Scarlet and the Black (1983, TV Movie) as Father Vittorio Christopher Columbus (1985, TV Mini-Series) as José Vizinho Power of Evil (1985) as Laboratory director Der Bierkönig (1990, TV Movie) as Der Baron The Godfather Part III (1990) as Cardinal Lamberto A Season of Giants (1990, TV Movie) as Spanish Ambassador Julianus barát I (1991) as Archbishop Ugrin Julianus barát II (1991) as Archbishop Ugrin Julianus barát III (1991) as Archbishop Ugrin The First Circle (1991, TV Movie) as Pyotr Makaraguine Mit dem Herzen einer Mutter (1992, TV Movie) as Federico De' Conti Toni (1999) as Le vieux / The Old Man Vino santo (2000, TV Movie) as Nonno (final film role)