Tullio Carminati (September 21, 1894 – February 26, 1971) was an Italian actor. He rose to fame in Italy and the United States initially as a

silent film actor A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...

, starring in such films as ''

The Duchess of Buffalo ''The Duchess of Buffalo'' is a 1926 American silent romantic comedy film produced by and starring Constance Talmadge and released through First National Pictures. It is based on the 1916 Broadway stage musical ''Sybil'', which is this film's ...

'' (1926), '' The Bat'' (1926), ''

Honeymoon Hate ''Honeymoon Hate'' is a lost film, lost 1927 American silent film, silent romantic comedy film directed by Luther Reed and written by Doris Anderson, Ethel Doherty, Herman J. Mankiewicz, George Marion Jr., and Alice Muriel Williamson, A.M. Willi ...

'' (1927), and ''

Three Sinners ''Three Sinners'' (1928) is a silent film directed by Rowland V. Lee, starring Pola Negri, and co-starring Warner Baxter, Olga Baclanova, and Paul Lukas. The film was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures, and i ...

'' (1928) alongside

Pola Negri Pola Negri (; born Apolonia Chalupec ; 3 January 1897 – 1 August 1987) was a Polish stage and film actress and singer. She achieved worldwide fame during the silent and golden eras of Hollywood and European film for her tragedienne and femme ...

. Carminati went on to star in '' Stage Madness'' (1927), ''

One Night of Love ''One Night of Love'' is a 1934 American Columbia Pictures romantic musical film set in the opera world, starring Grace Moore and Tullio Carminati. The film was directed by Victor Schertzinger and adapted from the story ''Don't Fall in Love'', by ...

'' (1934), ''

Let's Live Tonight ''Let's Live Tonight'' is a 1935 American musical comedy film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Lilian Harvey, Tullio Carminati and Janet Beecher. The film was made as part of an unsuccessful attempt to establish Harvey, who was a top ...

'' (1935), ''

Paris in Spring ''Paris in Spring'' (also released as ''Paris Love Song'') is a 1935 black and white musical comedy film directed by Lewis Milestone for Paramount Pictures. It is based on a play by Dwight Taylor, with a screen play by Samuel Hoffenstein and F ...

'' (1935) and ''

Three Maxims ''Three Maxims'' is a 1936 British drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Tullio Carminati and Leslie Banks. It was released in the United States under the alternative title '' The Show Goes On''. Separate French and Ger ...

'' (1936). In the latter part of his career he starred in such movies as ''

Beauty and the Devil ''La Beauté du diable'' (literally "the beauty of the devil"; originally released in the UK and USA as ''Beauty and the Devil'') is a 1950 Franco-Italian fantasy film drama directed by René Clair. A tragicomedy set in the early 19th century, it ...

'' (1950), ''

Roman Holiday ''Roman Holiday'' is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed and produced by William Wyler. It stars Audrey Hepburn as a princess out to see Rome on her own and Gregory Peck as a reporter. Hepburn won an Academy Award for Best Actress f ...

'' (1953), ''

War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...

'' (1956), ''

A Breath of Scandal ''A Breath of Scandal'' (released as ''Olympia'' in Italy) is a 1960 American/Italian international co-production romantic comedy-drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, based on the stage play ''Olympia'' by Ferenc Molnár. It stars Sophia Lore ...

'' (1960), ''

El Cid Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043 – 10 July 1099) was a Castilian knight and warlord in medieval Spain. Fighting with both Christian and Muslim armies during his lifetime, he earned the Arabic honorific ''al-sīd'', which would evolve into El ...

'' (1961), and ''

The Cardinal ''The Cardinal'' is a 1963 American drama film produced independently, directed by Otto Preminger and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The screenplay was written by Robert Dozier, based on the novel of the same name (1950) by Henry Morton Robi ...

'' (1963). Beside his film roles, Carminati starred in several plays, including ''

Joan of Arc at the Stake ''Joan of Arc at the Stake'' (Italian: ''Giovanna d'Arco al rogo'') is a 1954 Italian film directed by Roberto Rossellini and starring his wife Ingrid Bergman, which shows a live performance in December 1953 at the San Carlo Theatre in Naples. I ...

'' (which was later adapted into

Rossellini Rossellini is a common Italian surname. Other spellings include: Rosselini. Rossellini may refer to: * Roberto Rossellini, Italian film director ** Renzo Rossellini, producer, son of Roberto ** Isabella Rossellini, actress, daughter of Roberto ** ...

's movie of the same name) and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

productions '' Strictly Dishonorable'' and ''

Music in the Air ''Music in the Air'' is a musical written by Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics and book) and Jerome Kern (music). It introduced songs such as "The Song Is You", "In Egern on the Tegern See" and "I've Told Ev'ry Little Star". The musical premiered on ...

''.

Biography

Carminati was born into a

Dalmatian Italian Dalmatian Italians are the historical Italian national minority living in the region of Dalmatia, now part of Croatia and Montenegro. Since the middle of the 19th century, the community, counting according to some sources nearly 20% of all Dalma ...

family in

Zadar Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar serv ...

(in modern-day

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

), then belonging to the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. After achieving his first successes on the theatrical scene with the companies of Ettore Paladini and

Ermete Novelli Ermete Novelli (5 March 185130 January 1919) was an Italian actor and playwright. Born in Lucca, the son of a prompter, Novelli made his first appearance in 1866, and played character and leading comedy parts in the best companies between 1871 ...

, he had the opportunity to make his debut in the world of cinema, around 1914, thanks to his elegant and refined presence. He took part in about thirty silent films before founding his own production house in the late 1910s. One Night of Love

In 1921 he obtained enough popularity, thanks to his interpretation in ''The Lady with the Camellias'' (from the novel of the same name by

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer ...

) alongside

Alda Borelli Alda Borelli (4 November 1879 - 25 May 1964) was an Italian stage and cinema actress. The sister of Lyda Borelli Lyda Cini, Countess of Monselice (née Borelli, 22 March 1884 – 2 June 1959) was an Italian actress of cinema and theatre. ...

, to induce the diva

Eleonora Duse Eleonora Giulia Amalia Duse ( , ; 3 October 185821 April 1924), often known simply as Duse, was an Italian actress, rated by many as the greatest of her time. She performed in many countries, notably in the plays of Gabriele d'Annunzio and Hen ...

to offer him the direction of her company. He staged Duse's last performances, including ''

The Lady from the Sea ''The Lady from the Sea'' ( no, Fruen fra havet, link=no) is a play written in 1888 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen inspired by the ballad '' Agnete og Havmanden''. The drama introduces the character of Hilde Wangel who is again portrayed i ...

'' written by

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

and ''The Closed Door'' by

Emilio Praga Emilio Praga (18 December 1839 – 26 December 1875) was an Italian writer, painter, poet and librettist. He is the father of the artist Marco Praga. He belongs to the artistic movement Scapigliatura ''Scapigliatura'' () is the name of an arti ...

. During the year 1924 he moved to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and two years later to the United States, where he continued his career with some success until 1940. During the United States period he made a single participation in an Italian-French production in 1934. In America he participated in the 725 performances of the

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

'' Strictly Dishonorable'', being acclaimed for his role as "Latin lover". In this period he also devoted himself to

musical comedies Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

, thus also performing as a singer. In 1932 he was Bruno Mahler in the world premiere of

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over ...

's ''

'' at

Alvin Theater The Neil Simon Theatre, originally the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 250 West 52nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was built for ...

, with

Al Shean Abraham Elieser Adolph Schönberg (May 12, 1868 – August 12, 1949), known as Al Shean, was a comedian and vaudeville performer. Other sources give his birth name variously as Adolf Schönberg, Albert Schönberg, or Alfred Schönberg. He is mos ...

Walter Slezak Walter Slezak (; 3 May 1902 – 21 April 1983) was an Austrian-born film and stage actor active between 1922 and 1976. He mainly appeared in German films before migrating to the United States in 1930 and performing in numerous Hollywood producti ...

and

Marjorie Main Mary Tomlinson (February 24, 1890 – April 10, 1975), professionally known as Marjorie Main, was an American character actress and singer of the Classical Hollywood period, best known as a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player in the 1940s and ...

, reprising the role in the 1933 premiere at Broadway's

44th Street Theatre The 44th Street Theatre was a Broadway theatre located at 216 West 44th Street in New York City from 1912 to 1945. It opened and operated for three years as the Weber and Fields' Music Hall. Its rooftop theatre, the Nora Bayes Theatre, presente ...

. After the beginning of the hostilities 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 opposin ...

he returned to Italy where he was active the most from that moment, although he continued to participate in French, Spanish and American productions. His films of the latter period include ''l'Antigone'' (1946), directed by

Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, stage director, and screenwriter. A major figure of Italian art and culture in the mid-20th century, Visconti was one of the fat ...

, and

René Clair René Clair (11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette, was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. He wen ...

's ''Beauté du diable'' (1950). In 1953 he starred as Saint Dominic in ''

'' alongside

Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films, television movies, and plays.Obituary ''Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, she is often ...

, Marcella Pobbe,

Miriam Pirazzini Miriam Pirazzini (21 August 1918 – 26 December 2016) was an Italian mezzo-soprano and occasionally soprano. She made her formal debut in Rome, in 1944, as Laura Adorno in ''La Gioconda''. For the next twenty years, she was one of Italy's forem ...

Agnese Dubbini Agnese is a given name and a variant of Agnes. Its name day is 21 January in Italy. People with the name Agnese include: *Agnese Allegrini (born 1982), Italian badminton player *Agnese Bonfantini (born 1999), Italian football player *Agnese Kokla ...

Giacinto Prandelli Giacinto Prandelli (8 February 1914 – 14 June 2010) was an Italian operatic tenor, particularly associated with the Italian and French repertoires. Life and career Born in Lumezzane, Italy, Prandelli sang as a boy in a church choir. He stu ...

and Piero De Palma at the

San Carlo Theater The Real Teatro di San Carlo ("Royal Theatre of Saint Charles"), as originally named by the Bourbon monarchy but today known simply as the Teatro (di) San Carlo, is an opera house in Naples, Italy, connected to the Royal Palace and adjacent to ...

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

. In 1954 the play was adapted into a movie directed by

Roberto Rossellini Roberto Gastone Zeffiro Rossellini (8 May 1906 – 3 June 1977) was an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such ...

. He died in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

on 26 February 1971.

Selected filmography

* ''La mia vita per la tua!'' (1914) * ''Romanticismo'' (1915) * ''La collana della felicità'' (1916) * ''Il dossier n. 7'' (1916) * ''Val d'olivi'' (1916) * ''Il presagio'' (1916) * ''La donna di cuori'' (1917) * ''L'aigrette'' (1917) - Enrico di Saint Servant * ''La via della luce'' (1917) * ''La donna abbandonata'' (1917) * ''Kalidaa - la storia di una mummia'' (1917) * ''Il volto del passato'' (1918) * ''La via più lunga'' (1918) * ''La menzogna'' (1918) * ''L'articolo IV'' (1918) * ''Il trono e la seggiola'' (1918) * ''Madame Flirt'' (1918) * ''La fibra del dolore'' (1919) * ''Vertigine'' (1919) * ''La signora senza pace'' (1919) * ''Bimbi lontani'' (1919) * ''La perfetta ebbrezza'' (1920) * ''Amore stanco'' (1920) * ''La bambola e l'amore'' (1920) * ''Il rivale'' (1920) * ''Follie'' (1920) * ''Raffiche'' (1920) * ''Il segreto'' (1920) * ''Al di là della vita'' (1920) * ''Tatiana, la danzatrice polacca'' (1921) * ''Mirtil'' (1921) * ''La principessa d'azzurro'' (1922) * ''La belle Madame Hebért'' (1922) * ''La duchessa Mistero'' (1922) * ''International gran prix'' (1924) * '' Man Against Man'' (1924) * '' The Bat'' (1926) - Detective Moletti * ''

'' (1926) - Vladimir Orloff * '' Stage Madness'' (1927) - Andrew Marlowe * ''

'' (1927) - Prince Dantarini * ''

'' (1928) - Raoul Stanislav * '' The Patriot'' (1928) - Minor Role (uncredited) * '' Gallant Lady'' (1933) - Count Mario Carniri * ''

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Olympia (P ...

'' (1934) - Victor Le Maire * ''

'' (1934) - Giulio Monteverdi *'' The Wedding March'' (1934) - Ruggero Lechatelier * ''

'' (1935) - Nick 'Monte' Kerry * ''

'' (1935) - Paul d'Orlando * ''

'' (1936) - Toni * ''

London Melody ''London Melody'' is a 1937 British musical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Tullio Carminati and Robert Douglas. It was made at British and Dominions Imperial Studios, Elstree and Pinewood Studios by Wilcox's independ ...

'' (1937) - Marius Andreani * ''

Sunset in Vienna ''Sunset in Vienna'' is a 1937 British musical drama film directed by Norman Walker and starring Tullio Carminati, Lilli Palmer and John Garrick. It was made at Pinewood Studios.Wood p.97 A shortened version of the film was released in the Unit ...

'' (1940) - Capt. Antonio 'Toni' Baretti * ''

Safari A safari (; ) is an overland journey to observe wild animals, especially in eastern or southern Africa. The so-called "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo – particularly form an importa ...

'' (1940) - Baron de Courtland * ''La vita torna'' (1943) - Gino Graziolli * ''

Fatal Symphony ''Fatal Symphony'' (Italian: ''Sinfonia fatale'') is a 1947 Italian war-melodrama film directed by Victor Stoloff and starring Douglass Montgomery, Marina Berti and Sarah Churchill. It was screened and awarded a prize at the Lugano Festival.Love ...

'' (1947) * ''L'apocalisse'' (1947) * ''

The Charterhouse of Parma ''The Charterhouse of Parma'' (french: La Chartreuse de Parme, links=no) is a novel by Stendhal published in 1839. Telling the story of an Italian nobleman in the Napoleonic era and later, it was admired by Honoré de Balzac, Balzac, Leo Tolstoy, ...

'' (1948) - Le comte Mosca, le premier ministre * ''

Golden Madonna ''Golden Madonna'' (Italian: ''La madonnina d'oro'') is a 1949 British-Italian drama film directed by Luigi Carpentieri and Ladislao Vajda and starring Phyllis Calvert, Tullio Carminati and Michael Rennie. It was considered a lost film and was o ...

'' (1949) - Signor Migone * ''

'' (1950) - Le Diplomate * ''

Gli uomini non guardano il cielo ''Gli uomini non guardano il cielo'' is a 1952 Italian drama film. Cast *Henri Vidon: Pope Pius X *Tullio Carminati: Cardinal Merry del Val *Isa Miranda Isa Miranda (born Ines Isabella Sampietro; 5 July 1909 – 8 July 1982) was an Italian ...

'' (1952) - Cardinal Merry del Val * ''

'' (1953) - General Provno * ''

Giovanna d'Arco al rogo ''Joan of Arc at the Stake'' (Italian: ''Giovanna d'Arco al rogo'') is a 1954 Italian film directed by Roberto Rossellini and starring his wife Ingrid Bergman, which shows a live performance in December 1953 at the San Carlo Theatre in Naples. ...

'' (1954) - Fra Domenico * ''Good Bye, Sevilla'' (1955) * ''

'' (1956) - Prince Vasili Kuragin * ''Io Caterina'' (1957) * ''

'' (1960) - Albert * ''

'' (1961) - Priest * ''

Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man ''Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man'' is a 1962 American adventure film directed by Martin Ritt based on Ernest Hemingway's semi-autobiographical character Nick Adams, and featuring Richard Beymer as Adams. A.E. Hotchner wrote the screenpla ...

'' (1962) - Rosanna's Father * ''

Swordsman of Siena ''Swordsman of Siena'' ( it, La congiura dei dieci; French: ''Le Mercenaire'') is a 1962 French-Italian adventure film directed by Étienne Périer and Baccio Bandini and starring Stewart Granger, Sylva Koscina and Christine Kaufmann. The film is ...

'' (1962) - Father Giacomo * ''

'' (1963) - Cardinal Giacobbi (final film role)

Bibliography

* Roberta Ascarelli, CARMINATI, Tullio, in Dizionario biografico degli italiani, vol. 34, Roma, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 1988. * V. Bernardoni, ''Dizionario degli attori contemporanei'', Milan. * R. Simoni, ''Trent'anni di critica drammatica'', Turin, 1951. * N. Leonelli, ''Attori tragici, attori comici'', Milan, 1940. * Don Marzio, ''Tullio Carminati, uno che rientra nei ranghi'', in Scenario, XII, 1943, pp. 247–249.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carminati, Tullio 1894 births 1971 deaths Italian male film actors Italian male silent film actors 20th-century Italian male actors Actors from Zadar People from the Kingdom of Dalmatia Italian expatriates in the United States Expatriate male actors in the United States Dalmatian Italians