Ondine
Biography
Ondine was the stage name of Robert Olivo, an American actor whose improvisational energy made him a fixture of Andy Warhol's Factory in the 1960s. Born in 1937 and raised in Queens, he was encouraged toward theater by his mother and performed in experimental productions and comic readings at Caffe Cino in Greenwich Village before meeting Warhol. He appeared in a run of Warhol films, among them Couch (1964), Horse (1965), Vinyl (1965) and Chelsea Girls (1966), and his rapid-fire monologues and confrontational wit made him one of the director's favorite subjects. Warhol's 1968 book A: A Novel grew largely out of taped conversations with him. He died in 1989, and was portrayed by Michael Imperioli in the film I Shot Andy Warhol.
51years old at death
- Born Queens
- Died Queens
- Star sign: GeminiThe sign runs May 21 to June 20
- Also credited as Pope Ondine, Robert Olivo and Robert Olivio
Movie Career
- Films
- 3
- Career span
- 7 years1965 to 1972
Every film, newest first
- 1972Silent Night, Bloody NightIMDb rating 5.2
- 1966Chelsea GirlsIMDb rating 5.6
- 1965VinylIMDb rating 4.1
Genres
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Behind the camera
Ondine became a favorite subject of Warhol's thanks to his theatrical manner, confrontational wit and rapid-fire monologues. Warhol's 1968 book A: A Novel drew largely on tape-recorded conversations that featured Ondine.
About the name
Ondine was nicknamed "Pope Ondine" by his friend Danny Fields, who said he chose Pope because Ondine seemed regal, always in command and a very high authority.
A change of course
Ondine had several artistic interests. He went to fashion design school for a short time and also appeared as an extra in Metropolitan Opera productions.
Ondine movies on Netflix
Worked with
Ondine shares two films with Mary Woronov, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Mary Woronov's page
Gerard Malanga's page
John Carradine's page
Patrick O'Neal's page
Philip Bruns's page
Walter Abel's page
All films by Andy Warhol
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.