Raf Vallone
Biography
Raf Vallone was an Italian actor and former footballer who became one of his country's leading male stars in the 1950s and 1960s. Born in Tropea, Calabria, he moved to Turin at an early age and first gained attention in neorealist cinema. His breakthrough came with Bitter Rice (1949), a neorealist classic that launched an international career. He played romantic leads in European films such as Thérèse Raquin (1953) before making his American debut in El Cid (1961). Later credits included The Italian Job (1969), The Kremlin Letter (1970), and The Other Side of Midnight (1977). His later career gained renewed attention when Francis Ford Coppola cast him in The Godfather Part III (1990). On the stage, his work was tied to Arthur Miller; he played Eddie Carbone in A View from the Bridge, and the 1962 film version brought him a David di Donatello for best actor. In 1994 Italy made him a Knight's Grand Cross.
86years old at death
- Born Tropea
- Died Rome
- Star sign: AquariusThe sign runs January 20 to February 18
- Raffaele Vallone (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 20
- Career span
- 41 years1949 to 1990
Photos
Share
Did you know?!
A change of course
Before acting, Raf Vallone played Serie A football for Torino as a midfielder and won the Coppa Italia with the club in the 1935-36 season, retiring from the game in 1941.
First role
Vallone first appeared on screen in 1942, playing an extra in We the Living, though acting was not a career he wanted at the start.
Big break
Vallone played a soldier who competed with Vittorio Gassman for Silvana Mangano's love in Bitter Rice, released in 1949. The movie became a neorealist classic and started Vallone on an international career.
A first
Raf Vallone played Count Ordonez in the historical epic El Cid, released in 1961. That role, opposite Charlton Heston, was his first in an American film.
Big break
Francis Ford Coppola gave Raf Vallone a boost late in his career by casting him as Cardinal Lamberto in The Godfather Part III. The character was the future Pope John Paul I, and the film came out in 1990.
Raf Vallone movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Takis Emmanuel appears in three of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Takis Emmanuel's page
Anthony Quinn's page
John Gielgud's page
Keith Carradine's page
George Peppard's page
Box office
What Raf Vallone's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$190 million
5 of the 20 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 20 films: 5 worldwide figure; 3 us gross only; 1 never in cinemas; 11 figure not found.
- 5Worldwide figure
- 3US gross only
- 1Never in cinemas
- 11Figure not found
Highest grossing
The five biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$137M72.0% of the total
- 2$27M14.0% of the total
- 3$14M7.4% of the total
- 4$11M5.9% of the total
- 5$1.5M0.8% of the total
Awards
Two awards and honors.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| David di Donatello for Best Actor | Won | ||
| Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic | Won | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.