Robert Rietti, (born Lucio Rietti; 8 February 1923 – 3 April 2015), was an

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, and Oscar-nominated director of Anglo-Italian descent. With over 200 credits to his name, he had a highly prolific career in the American, British and Italian entertainment industries. He was particularly prominent in post-production

dubbing Dubbing (re-recording and mixing) is a post-production process used in filmmaking and video production, often in concert with sound design, in which additional or supplementary recordings are lip-synced and "mixed" with original production sou ...

both foreign and domestic, often overseeing the English-language dubbing of foreign actors' dialogue. He is known for his dubbing work in the ''

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

'' series, ''

Lawrence of Arabia Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–191 ...

'', ''

Once Upon a Time in America ''Once Upon a Time in America'' ( it, C'era una volta in America) is a 1984 epic crime film co-written and directed by Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone and starring Robert De Niro and James Woods. The film is an Italian–American venture prod ...

'', and ''The Guns of Navarone''. He is often credited under the variant name spelling Robert Rietty.

Early life

Born in 1923, Rietti was the younger of two sons of Italian-Jewish actor

Victor Rietti Victor Rietti (29 February 1888 – 3 December 1963) was an Italian-born actor and director who became known through his work in television, especially through the many live television productions of the Italian play ''To Live in Peace'' during ...

and Rachel Rosenay. In 1932, at the age of nine, he joined his father's company ''Teatro Italiano'', making his stage debut in ''Mysterious Currents''. His father (under whom Ida Lupino and June Duprez had studied acting) developed his son's acting career under the name Bobby Rietti. He made his motion picture debut as Fattorino in

Monty Banks Montague (Monty) Banks (18 July 1897 – 7 January 1950), born Mario Bianchi, was a 20th century Italian-born American comedian, film actor, director and producer who achieved success in the UK and the United States. Career Banks was born Mario ...

' comedy ''Heads We Go '' (1933). He soon caught the eye of David O. Selznick, who offered him an extended film contract. Despite letting down Alfred Hitchcock, who handpicked him to play the lead in ''

Sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...

'' (1936), he made 17 motion pictures during the 1930s, remaining a popular child actor throughout that decade. They would later work together in Hitchcock's film ''Frenzy''. Rietti was also active on the stage. At the age of twelve he played Jonathan across

Elisabeth Bergner Elisabeth Bergner (22 August 1897 – 12 May 1986) was an Austrian-British actress. Primarily a stage actress, her career flourished in Berlin and Paris before she moved to London to work in films. Her signature role was Gemma Jones in '' Esca ...

James Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

's last play, ''The Boy David'' (1936), which dramatised the Biblical story of King

Saul Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered t ...

and the young

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

. Altogether, in his boyhood years he acted in eighteen films and over one hundred and twenty plays.

Second World War

His successful career on the stage and in motion pictures was interrupted by the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Rietti and his brother, being Italian, were interned at Ascot internment camp. He later joined the Rifle Brigade, but accepted the army's request for him to head " Stars in Battledress", a group of young actors, which included the young Peter Ustinov and

Terry-Thomas Terry-Thomas (born Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens; 10 July 19118 January 1990) was an English character actor and comedian who became internationally known through his films during the 1950s and 1960s. He often portrayed disreputable members of t ...

, who toured England, and were flown throughout liberated Europe, to entertain Allied troops. In 1945, he was invited by

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Brit ...

to join his production of ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' for troops in the Far East. After the war, he returned to work in the theatre, films, radio, and the latest medium, early

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

Career

Radio

In radio, he teamed up with

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

in the radio series ''The Third Man'' (1951), and then again on the popular series ''

The Black Museum ''The Black Museum'' is a radio crime-drama program produced by Harry Alan Towers, which was broadcast in the USA on the Mutual network in 1952. It was then broadcast in Europe in 1953 on Radio Luxembourg, a commercial radio station, and was not ...

'' (1952), which was broadcast to the US Armed Forces. This was to be the beginning of many collaborations between Rietti and Orson Welles, who remained close friends. He was also a regular on the radio series ''Horatio Hornblower'' (1952) with

Michael Redgrave Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave CBE (20 March 1908 – 21 March 1985) was an English stage and film actor, director, manager and author. He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''Mourning Becomes Elec ...

, ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' (1952), ''Theatre Royal'' (1954) with Sir Laurence Olivier, and the classic ''Sherlock Holmes'' (1954) with

and Ralph Richardson.

Television

His frequent work in television and many guest appearances made him a familiar face in the 1950s and 1960s. He is credited with 164 television appearances. He guest starred together with his father in ''

The Jack Benny Program ''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th century American comedy. He played one role throughout his radio and televis ...

'' (1957) and in '' Harry's Girls'' (1960), which were both directed by his friend

Ralph Levy Ralph Levy (December 18, 1920 – October 15, 2001) was an American producer, film and television director. Biography Ralph Levy was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He directed episodes of several television shows, including '' I Love Lucy'', ...

, director of '' The Burns and Allen Show''. They also performed together in three versions of his father's television success ''To Live in Peace'' and his father's television play ''Against the Stream'' (1959). In 1958,

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth, bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous chara ...

presented ''Candle for the Madonna'', an original television play Robert had written, in which Robert also played the lead.

Films

Among the earliest of his film appearances were with

Leslie Howard Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director and producer.Obituary ''Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and ''Vanity Fair'' and was one o ...

in ''

The Scarlet Pimpernel ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...

'' and with

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thi ...

in ''

The Private Life of Don Juan ''The Private Life of Don Juan'' is a 1934 British comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Douglas Fairbanks, Merle Oberon and Benita Hume. At the age of 51, it was the final role of Fairbanks, who died five years later. Th ...

'' (both 1934). Of his 83 film appearances throughout his career, he is best remembered for contribution to the original

pictures: besides Sean Connery, he was the only actor who appeared in both '' Thunderball'' (1965) and the re-make '' Never Say Never Again'' (1983). Other popular films he appeared in include ''

The Italian Job ''The Italian Job'' is a 1969 British comedy caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley, directed by Peter Collinson, and starring Michael Caine. The film's plot centres around Cockney criminal Charlie Croker, r ...

'' (1969), ''

Sunday Bloody Sunday "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the opening track from their 1983 album ''War'' and was released as the album's third single on 21 March 1983 in the Netherlands and West Germany. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is noted ...

'' (1971), ''

The Omen ''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Spen ...

'' (1976), as well as a cameo in '' Hannibal'' (2001). He played Robert Grant in '' Hell Is Empty'' (1967) for his brother, the producer Ronald Rietti.

Directing ADR

With the growing popularity of epic international films in the 1950s, Rietti gained a reputation for directing the

ADR ADR or adr may refer to: Computing * Asynchronous DRAM refresh, an approach for persistent memory found in some Intel Xeon processors * The adr microformat, part of the hCard microformat * Architectural decision record * Action–domain–respond ...

in many international films like ''

'' (1962) and the James Bond films. Rietti directed ADR in more than 700 Films and received international recognition as the foremost director in this field. He was nominated in Hollywood for the Golden Reel Award (a technical Oscar) for his ADR direction of the English version of ''

'' (1984), in which he directed Robert De Niro's post syncing. He often cast a young

Catherine Zeta Jones Catherine Zeta-Jones (; born 25 September 1969) is a Welsh actress. Known for her versatility, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2010, she was appointed C ...

as a re-voicing artist. Impressed with her talent, he pushed

Samuel Goldwyn Jr. Samuel John Goldwyn Jr. (September 7, 1926 – January 9, 2015) was an American film producer. Early life Samuel Goldwyn Jr. was born on September 7, 1926, in Los Angeles, California, the son of actress Frances Howard (born Frances Howard McL ...

to cast her at a time when the actress was unknown. His own voice was used to re-voice Gregory Peck's German dialogue in '' Guns of Navarone'' (1961); and

' in ''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...

'' (1972). His voice was used in eight of the James Bond films, for which he directed the ADR; his best known work in the series was replacing the voice of

Adolfo Celi Adolfo Celi (; 27 July 1922 – 19 February 1986) was an Italian film actor and director. Born in Curcuraci, Messina, Sicily, Celi appeared in nearly 100 films, specialising in international villains. Although a prominent actor in Italian ...

in '' Thunderball'' (1965) and

Tetsurō Tamba was a Japanese actor with a career spanning five decades. He is best known in the West for his role in the 1967 James Bond film '' You Only Live Twice'' as Tiger Tanaka. Biography Tamba had a part-time job as an interpreter at Supreme Commander ...

in '' You Only Live Twice'' (1967). In the last ten films of

Jack Hawkins John Edward Hawkins, CBE (14 September 1910 – 18 July 1973) was an English actor who worked on stage and in film from the 1930s until the 1970s. One of the most popular British film stars of the 1950s, he was known for his portrayal of mil ...

, who had lost his voice to throat cancer, Hawkins was dubbed by Rietti.

Playwright

Rietti was also a prolific playwright who translated and adapted many Italian plays (notably those of

Luigi Pirandello Luigi Pirandello (; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power ...

), from his native Italian into English. He also wrote several original plays which were produced on the stage, for television, and for radio. He founded and served as executive editor for 18 years of ''Gambit'', a theatre quarterly which published international plays, including many of his own. In recognition of their contribution to the arts, he was knighted together with his father,

, by the Italian government in 1959. Rietti's title Cavaliere was upgraded in 1988 to Cavaliere Ufficiale. In 1957, Rietti played Satan in the

York Mystery Plays The York Mystery Plays, more properly the York Corpus Christi Plays, are a Middle English cycle of 48 mystery plays or pageants covering sacred history from the creation to the Last Judgment. They were traditionally presented on the feast day ...

; one of these performances was attended by the Queen.

Later life and death

In 2012, he received an Honorary Doctorate from the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

for his lifetime achievements and contribution to the Arts. The year also marked an 80-year milestone for the then 89-year-old actor. Rietti remained active in his last years. He lectured to film students at film academies and universities, published an anthology of Italian Plays and was an active member of BAFTA. Rietti died on 3 April 2015 in London, England, aged 92. He is the father of Rabbi Jonathan Rietti, an educator and prominent speaker on Orthodox Judaism, most prominently for the international organisation Gateways.

Selected filmography

* ''

Girls Will Be Boys ''Girls Will Be Boys'' is a 1934 British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Dolly Haas, Cyril Maude and Esmond Knight. It is based on ''The Last Lord'', a play by Kurt Siodmak. The film was shot at Elstree Studios with sets desig ...

'' (1934) * ''

In Town Tonight ''In Town Tonight'' is a BBC radio programme that was broadcast on Saturday evening from 1933 to 1960 (except for a period of 26 weeks in 1937 when ''The BBC presents the ABC'' was broadcast instead). It was an early example of a chat show, ...

'' (1935) * '' Emil and the Detectives'' (1935) * '' Call of the Blood'' (1949) * ''

Prelude to Fame ''Prelude to Fame'' is a 1950 British drama film set in Italy, directed by Fergus McDonell and starring Guy Rolfe, Kathleen Byron and Kathleen Ryan. It is based on the 1924 story "Young Archimides" by Aldous Huxley, about a mathematical prodi ...

'' (1950) * ''

The Black Rider ''The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets'' is a self-billed "musical fable" in the avant-garde tradition created through the collaboration of theatre director Robert Wilson, musician Tom Waits, and writer William S. Burroughs. Wi ...

'' (1954) * ''

They Who Dare ''They Who Dare'' is a 1954 British Second World War war film directed by Lewis Milestone and starring Dirk Bogarde, Denholm Elliott and Akim Tamiroff. The story is based on Operation Anglo that took place during World War II in the Dodecanese ...

'' (1954) * ''

Stock Car Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

'' (1955) * '' Mr. Arkadin'' (1955) * '' Checkpoint'' (1956) * ''

The Truth About Women ''The Truth About Women'' is a 1957 British comedy film directed by Muriel Box and starring Laurence Harvey, Julie Harris, Mai Zetterling and Diane Cilento. Plot When his son-in-law comes to him with a woeful tale of an unhappy relationship and ...

'' (1957) * ''

Tank Force is a 1991 multi-directional shooter arcade game developed and published in Japan by Namco. It was designed by Yutaka Kounoe, whose works include ''Dig Dug'', '' Lucky & Wild'', and ''Point Blank''. The game is the third installment in Namco's ' ...

'' (1958) * '' Bluebeard's Ten Honeymoons'' (1960) * '' Conspiracy of Hearts'' (1960) * '' Sink the Bismarck'' (1960) * ''

The Story of Joseph and His Brethren ''The Story of Joseph and His Brethren'' (Italian: ''Giuseppe venduto dai fratelli'') is a 1961 Yugoslavian/Italian film directed by Irving Rapper and Luciano Ricci. The film is also known as ''Joseph Sold by His Brothers'', ''Joseph and His Bre ...

'' (1961) * '' Middle Course'' (1961) * '' Time to Remember'' (1962) * '' Dr. No'' (1962) as John Strangways and Superintendent Duff (voice) * ''

'' (1962) as Majid (voice) * '' On the Beat'' (1962) * ''

The Scarlet Blade ''The Scarlet Blade'' (released in the United States as ''The Crimson Blade'') is a 1963 British adventure film directed by John Gilling and starring Lionel Jeffries, Oliver Reed, Jack Hedley and June Thorburn. It is a period drama set du ...

'' (1963) * '' Thunderball'' (1965) as

Emilio Largo Emilio Largo is a fictional character and the main antagonist from the 1961 James Bond novel '' Thunderball''. He appears in the 1965 film adaptation, again as the main antagonist, with Italian actor Adolfo Celi filling the role. Largo is also th ...

(voice) * '' The Bible: In the Beginning...'' (1966) as Abraham's Steward * '' You Only Live Twice'' (1967) as Tiger Tanaka (voice) * ''

'' (1969) as Turin Police Chief * '' On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (1969) as Casino Baccarat Official * ''

'' (1971) * ''

Paper Tiger "Paper tiger" is a literal English translation of the Chinese phrase ''zhǐlǎohǔ'' ( zh, s=纸老虎, t=紙老虎). The term refers to something or someone that claims or appears to be powerful or threatening, but is actually ineffectual and ...

'' (1975) as Harok (voice) * '' The Hiding Place'' (1975) as Willem ten Boom * ''

'' (1976) as Monk * '' The Message'' (1976) (voice) * ''The Devil's Men'' (1976) as Sgt. Vendris (voice) * ''No Longer Alone'' (1976) as Joan's father * '' Gulliver's Travels'' (1977) as Reldresal / King of Blefuscu (voice) * ''

Avalanche Express ''Avalanche Express'' is a 1979 Cold War adventure thriller film starring Lee Marvin, Robert Shaw, Maximilian Schell, and Linda Evans and produced and directed by Mark Robson. The plot is about the struggle over a defecting Soviet general. The ...

'' (1979) as Gen. Marakov (voice), replacing the broken English used by Robert Shaw for the character in the original recording. * '' For Your Eyes Only'' (1981) as

Ernst Stavro Blofeld Ernst Stavro Blofeld is a character (arts), fictional character and villain from the James Bond series of novels and films, created by Ian Fleming. A criminal mastermind with aspirations of world domination, he is the archenemy of the Secret In ...

(voice) * '' Never Say Never Again'' (1983) as Italian Minister #1 * ''

Madame Sousatzka ''Madame Sousatzka'' is a 1988 drama film directed by John Schlesinger, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. It is based upon the 1962 novel of the same name by Bernice Rubens. __TOC__ Plot Bengali immigrant Sushila Sen (Shabana Azmi) l ...

'' (1988) as Leo Milev * ''

The March The March can refer to: * March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a 1963 civil rights event * Salt March, when Gandhi in 1930 walked to protest the British salt tax in India * Sherman's March to the Sea during the American Civil War * Long March i ...

'' (1990) as Leo Borelli * ''30 Door Key'' (1991) * '' Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady'' (1991, TV Movie) as Franz Hoffman * '' The Sea Change'' (1998) as Luigi * ''

Hilary and Jackie ''Hilary and Jackie'' is a 1998 British biographical film directed by Anand Tucker, starring Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths as the British classical musician sisters Jacqueline du Pré (cello) and Hilary du Pré (flute). The film covers Jacqu ...

'' (1998) as Italian Flunky * '' Hannibal'' (2001) as Sogliato

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rietti, Robert 1923 births 2015 deaths English male child actors English male film actors English male television actors English male stage actors English male voice actors Male actors from London English Jews Jewish English male actors Film directors from London People from Paddington English people of Italian descent English people of Italian-Jewish descent British Army personnel of World War II British expatriate male actors in the United States Rifle Brigade soldiers