Rossano Brazzi (18 September 1916 – 24 December 1994) was an Italian actor.

Biography

Brazzi was born in

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

, Italy, the son of Maria Ghedini and Adelmo Brazzi, an employee of the Rizzoli shoe factory. He was named after Rossano Veneto, where his father was stationed during his military service in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Brazzi attended San Marco University in Florence, Italy, where he was raised from the age of four. He was a lawyer before becoming an actor and made his film debut in 1939. He moved to Hollywood in 1948 and was propelled to international fame with his role in the English-language film '' Three Coins in the Fountain'' (1954), followed by the leading male role in David Lean's '' Summertime'' (1955), opposite Katharine Hepburn. In 1958, he played the lead as Frenchman Emile De Becque in the

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popular ...

musical '' South Pacific''. His other notable English-language films include ''

The Barefoot Contessa ''The Barefoot Contessa'' is a 1954 American drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz about the life and loves of fictional Spanish sex symbol Maria Vargas. It stars Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner, and Edmond O'Brien. The film's sl ...

'' (1954), ''

The Story of Esther Costello ''The Story of Esther Costello'' is a 1957 British drama film starring Joan Crawford, Rossano Brazzi, and Heather Sears. The film is an exposé of large-scale fundraising. ''The Story of Esther Costello'' was produced by David Miller and Ja ...

'' (1957), opposite

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was si ...

, '' Count Your Blessings'' (1959), '' Light in the Piazza'' (1962), and ''

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).

Personal life

Marriages and relationships

In 1940, Brazzi married baroness Lidia Bertolini (1921–1981) to whom he was married until her death from liver cancer in 1981. The couple had no children. However, he did father a son, George Llewellyn Brady (born 24 July 1955), from a relationship with 20-year-old Llewella Humphreys (1934–1992), the daughter of American mobster Murray Humphreys. Llewella Humphreys later changed her name to Luella Brady, an anglicization of Brazzi. In 1984, Rossano Brazzi married Ilse Fischer, a German national, who had been the couple's housekeeper for many years. Originally from Düsseldorf, Fischer had met Brazzi as an infatuated fan in Rome at the age of twenty-four.Rossano Brazzi: Portrait of a "Gentleman of the Cinema"
/ref> This marriage was also childless. Eccentricities Brazzi was known in film production circles for a number of strange traits, including his preference for ordering off-menu and his love of karaoke. He was often referred to among contemporaries by his nickname Merlion.

Death

Brazzi 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 Christmas Eve 1994, aged 78, from a neural virus.

Selected filmography

*''Il destino in tasca'' (1938) *''Piccolo hotel'' (1939) *''Processo e morte di Socrate'' (1939) as Simmia *'' Bridge of Glass'' (1940) as comandante Mario Marchi * '' Kean'' (1940) as Edmund Kean *''Ritorno'' (1940) as Michele Donato, alias Mac Dynar *''La fuerza bruta'' (1941) as Fred *''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language drama ...

'' (1941) as Mario Cavaradossi * '' The Hero of Venice'' (1941) as Guido Fuser, suo figlio *''

The King's Jester ''The King's Jester'' ( it, Il re si diverte) is a 1941 Italian historical drama film directed by Mario Bonnard and starring Michel Simon, María Mercader and Rossano Brazzi. The film is an adaptation of the play ''Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hug ...

'' (1941) as Il re Francesco Iº *'' A Woman Has Fallen'' (1941) as Roberto Frassi *''

We the Living ''We the Living'' is the debut novel of the Russian American novelist Ayn Rand. It is a story of life in post-revolutionary Russia and was Rand's first statement against communism. Rand observes in the foreword that ''We the Living'' was the cl ...

'' (1942) as Leo Kovalenski *'' Girl of the Golden West'' (1942) as William / Manuel *''

The Gorgon ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1942) sa Lamberto Finquinaldo *''I due Foscari'' (1942) as Jacopo Foscari *''Piazza San Sepolcro'' (1942) * ''

Maria Malibran Maria Felicia Malibran (24 March 1808 – 23 September 1836) was a Spanish singer who commonly sang both contralto and soprano parts, and was one of the best-known opera singers of the 19th century. Malibran was known for her stormy personality ...

'' (1943) as Carlo de Beriot *'' Back Then'' (1943) as Pablo, Radrennfahrer und Clown *''Il treno crociato'' (1943) as Il tenente Alberto Lauri *''Silenzio, si gira!'' (1943) as Andrea Corsi *''

The Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments ( Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...

'' (1945) (segment "Non commettere atti impuri") *''La Resa di Titì'' (1945) as Guido, il diplomatico *''La casa senza tempo'' (1945) as Capitano Paolo Sivera *''Paese senza pace'' (1946) as Tita Nane *''Malìa'' (1946) as Cola, cognato di Jana *''

Black Eagle The black eagle (''Ictinaetus malaiensis'') is a bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae, and is the only member of the genus ''Ictinaetus''. They soar over forests in the hilly regions of tropical and subtropical South ...

'' (1946) as Vladimir Dubrowskij *''La monaca di Monza'' (1947) * ''

The Great Dawn ''The Great Dawn'' ( Georgian: ''დიადი განთიადი'', trans. Diadi Gant’iadi; Russian: ''Великое зарево'', trans. Velikoe Zarevo. English-language title: ''They Wanted Peace''.) is a 1938 Soviet Georgian fil ...

'' (1947) as Renzo Gamba *'' Fury'' (1947) as Antonio *'' Bullet for Stefano'' (1947) as Stefano Pelloni *'' The Courier of the King'' (1947) as Julien Sorel * '' The White Devil'' (1947) as Prince André Mdwani as Il diavolo bianco *'' Eleonora Duse'' (1947) as Arrigo Boito *''I contrabbandieri del mare'' (1948) as Mario *'' Little Women'' (1949) as Professor Bhaer *''

Volcano A volcano is a rupture in the Crust (geology), crust of a Planet#Planetary-mass objects, planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic gas, gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Ear ...

'' (1950) as Donato *'' The Fighting Men'' (1950) as Saro Costa *'' Romanzo d'amore'' (1950) as Enrico Toselli *'' The Black Crown'' (1951) as Andrés *''

Tragic Spell ''Tragic Spell'' (Italian: ''Incantesimo tragico (Oliva)'') is a 1951 Italian historical melodrama film directed by Mario Sequi and starring María Félix, Rossano Brazzi and Massimo Serato.Darby p.449 It was shot at Cinecittà Studios in Rome ...

'' (1951) as Pietro *'' Revenge of Black Eagle'' (1951) as Vladimir Dubrovskij * '' The Mistress of Treves'' (1952) as Sigfrido, conte di Treviri *'' The Woman Who Invented Love'' (1952) as Conte Grilli *'' Milady and the Musketeers'' (1952) as Conte de la Fere aka Athos *''

Eran trecento ''They Were Three Hundred'' (Italian: ''Eran trecento'') is a 1952 Italian historical drama film directed by Gian Paolo Callegari and starring Rossano Brazzi, Franca Marzi and Myriam Bru. Di Fiore p.369 It was shot at the Scalera Studios in R ...

'' (1952) as Volpintesta *'' Son of the Hunchback'' (1952) as Philippe de Lagardère *'' L'ingiusta condanna'' (1952) as Carlo Rocchi *''

Prisoner in the Tower of Fire ''Prisoner in the Tower of Fire'' ( it, Prigioniera della torre di fuoco, also known as ''The Prisoner in the Fuoco Tower'') is a 1953 Italian historical drama film written and directed by Giorgio W. Chili. Plot 15th century. Two young people ...

'' (1953) as Cesare Borgia *''Carne de horca'' (1953) as Juan Pablo de Osuna *''C'era una volta Angelo Musco'' (1953) as The story-teller *''La Chair et le Diable'' (1954) as Giuseppe Guardini *'' Three Coins in the Fountain'' (1954) as Georgio Bianchi *''La contessa di Castiglione'' (1954) as Le comte de Cavour *''

'' (1954) as Count Vincenzo Torlato-Favrini *'' Angela'' (1954) as Nino * ''

Barrier of the Law ''Barrier of the Law'' (Italian: ''La barriera della legge'') is a 1954 Italian thriller film directed by Piero Costa and starring Rossano Brazzi, Lea Padovani and Maria Frau. It was shot at the Fert Studios in Turin.Chiti & Poppi p.57 The film' ...

'' (1954) as Lt. Mario Grandi *'' The Last Five Minutes'' (1955) as Dino Moriani *'' Summertime'' (1955) as Renato de Rossi *'' Il conte Aquila'' (1955) as Conte Federico Confalonieri *''Faccia da mascalzone'' (1956) *''

Loser Takes All ''Loser Takes All'' is a 1955 novella by British author Graham Greene. In his dedication Greene said he had not written "this little story" to encourage "adultery, the use of pyjama tops, or registry office weddings. Nor is it meant to discour ...

'' (1956) as Bertrand *''

'' (1957) as Carlo Landi *''

Interlude Interlude may refer to: *a short play or, in general, any representation between parts of a larger stage production *''Entr'acte'', a piece of music performed between acts of a theatrical production *a section in a movement of a musical piece, se ...

'' (1957) as Tonio Fischer *'' Legend of the Lost'' (1957) as Paul Bonnard *'' South Pacific'' (1958) as Emile De Becque *'' A Certain Smile'' (1958) as Luc Ferrand *'' Count Your Blessings'' (1959) as Charles Edouard de Valhubert *'' Siege of Syracuse'' (1960) as Archimede *'' Austerlitz'' (1960) as Lucien Bonaparte *''

Mondo cane ''Mondo Cane'' (literally "Doggish World" or "Dog's World", a mild Italian profanity) is a 1962 Italian mondo documentary film and directed by the trio of Gualtiero Jacopetti, Paolo Cavara, and Franco E. Prosperi, with narration by Stefano S ...

'' (1962) as Himself *'' Light in the Piazza'' (1962) as Signor Naccarelli *''

Rome Adventure ''Rome Adventure'', also known as ''Lovers Must Learn'', is a 1962 romantic drama film, based on the 1932 novel ''Lovers Must Learn'' by Irving Fineman. It was directed by Delmer Daves and stars Troy Donahue, Angie Dickinson, and Suzanne Pleshet ...

'' (1962) as Roberto Orlandi *''

Redhead Red hair (also known as orange hair and ginger hair) is a hair color found in one to two percent of the human population, appearing with greater frequency (two to six percent) among people of Northern or Northwestern European ancestry and ...

'' (1962) as Fabio *'' Three Fables of Love'' (1962) as Leo (segment "Le lièvre et le tortue") *''

Dark Purpose ''Dark Purpose'' is a 1964 film directed by George Marshall and starring Shirley Jones, Rossano Brazzi, and George Sanders. Plot American secretary Karen Williams travels to Italy with her employer, art appraiser Raymond Fountaine, to assess ...

'' (1964) as Count Paolo Barbarelli *''La ragazza in prestito'' (1964) as Mario Menacci *''Instant Love'' (1964) - Claudio DeSantis *'' The Battle of the Villa Fiorita'' (1965) as Lorenzo *'' Un amore'' (1965) as Antonio Dorigo *'' The Christmas That Almost Wasn't'' (1966) as Phineas T. Prune *''

The Bobo ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1967) as Carlos Matabosch *''La ragazza del bersagliere'' (1967) as Fernando Moschino *'' Per amore... per magia...'' (1967) as Il narratore *''

Woman Times Seven ''Woman Times Seven'' ( it, Sette volte donna) is a 1967 sex comedy anthology film directed by Vittorio De Sica. It consists of seven segments, all starring Shirley MacLaine, most of which deal with aspects of adultery. Plot ''Paulette/Funeral ...

'' (1967) as Giorgio (segment "Amateur Night") *''Gli altri, gli altri... e noi'' (1967) *'' King of Africa'' (1968) as Dr. Hamilton *'' Criminal Affair'' (1968) as Ross Simpson (also wrote and directed) *'' Krakatoa, East of Java'' (1969) as Giovanni Borghese *''Il diario segreto di una minorenne (è nata una donna)'' (1968) *''Psychout for Murder'' (1969) as Brigoli *''

'' (1969) as Beckerman *''Vita segreta di una diciottenne'' (1969) *'' The Adventurers'' (1970) as Baron de Coyne *''Intimità proibita di una giovane sposa'' (1970) as Adolfo Rogano *''Trittico'' (1971) as Andrea, the Surgeon *''Mister Kingstreet's War'' (1971) as Major Bernadelli *''Vivi ragazza vivi!'' (1971) as padre di Barbara *'' Drummer of Vengeance'' (1971) as The Sheriff *''Racconti proibiti... di niente vestiti'' (1972) as Lorenzo del Cambio *'' The Great Waltz'' (1972) as Tedesco *'' Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks'' (1974) as Count Frankenstein *''Giro girotondo... con il sesso è bello il mondo'' (1975) *''

Dracula in the Provinces ''Dracula in the Provinces'' ( it, Il cav. Costante Nicosia demoniaco ovvero: Dracula in Brianza, lit. The Noble devilish Costante Nicose or: Dracula in Brianza) is a 1975 Italian horror comedy film directed by Lucio Fulci and starring Lando Buzz ...

'' (1975) as Dr. Paluzzi *''Gli angeli dalle mani bendate'' (1975) *''

Season for Assassins ''Season for Assassins'' ( it, Il tempo degli assassini, also known as ''The Time of the Assassin'' and ''Mad Men'') is a 1975 Italian poliziottesco-drama film written and directed by Marcello Andrei. Cast * Joe Dallesandro as Piero Giaranaldi ...

'' (1975) as Father Eugenio *''Political Asylum'' (1975) as Ambassador Lara *''Caribia'' (1978) *''Mr. Too Little'' (1978) as Zabo The Great *''

Catherine and I ''Io e Caterina'' (internationally released as ''Catherine and I'') is a 1980 Italian comedy film directed by Alberto Sordi. For his performance, Alberto Sordi was awarded with a Globo d'oro for best actor. Plot summary Enrico has a troubled ...

'' (1980) as Arthur *''Champagne... e fagioli'' (1980) as Narrator (uncredited) *'' Omen III: The Final Conflict'' (1981) as DeCarlo *''Anche i ladri hanno un santo'' (1981) *'' Il paramedico'' (1982) as Augusto Pinna *''

The Far Pavilions ''The Far Pavilions'' is an epic novel of British-Indian history by M. M. Kaye, published in 1978, which tells the story of an English officer during the British Raj. There are many parallels between this novel and Rudyard Kipling's '' Kim'' th ...

'' (1982) *''

Hart to Hart ''Hart to Hart'' is an American mystery television series that premiered on August 25, 1979, on ABC. The show stars Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, respectively, a wealthy couple who lead a glamorous jetset life ...

'' (1983) as Pastori *'' Fear City'' (1984) as Carmine *'' Final Justice'' (1985) as Don Lamanna *'' Formula for a Murder'' (1985) as Dr. Sernich *'' The Third Solution'' (1988) as Marini *'' Fatal Frames - Fotogrammi mortali'' (1996) as Dr. Lucidi (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brazzi, Rossano 1916 births 1994 deaths Italian male film actors Italian male television actors Actors from Bologna Actors from Florence 20th-century Italian male actors 20th-century Italian male singers Burials at the Cimitero Flaminio