Raf Vallone


Raffaele Vallone , better known as Raf Vallone, was an Italian actor, footballer, and journalist.
One of the top Italian male stars of the 1950s and 1960s, he first became known for his association with the neorealist movement. His performance in Sidney Lumet’s 1962 film adaptation of A View from the Bridge won him the David di Donatello for Best Actor.
In 1994, he was made a Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for his contributions to the arts.

Biography

Born in Tropea, Calabria, the son of a lawyer, Vallone attended Liceo classico Cavour in Turin, studied law and philosophy at the University of Turin, and entered his father's law firm. He played professional football at a young age, playing in Serie A for Torino. He won the Coppa Italia with his team in the 1935–1936 season. He subsequently became the editorial head of the culture section of L'Unità, then the official newspaper of the Italian Communist Party, and also a film and drama critic for the Turin newspaper La Stampa. During World War II, Vallone served with the Communist resistance.
His first film appearance was as a sailor in We the Living, but Vallone was not initially interested in an acting career. Nevertheless, he was cast as a soldier competing with Vittorio Gassman for the love of Silvana Mangano in Riso amaro . The film became a neo-realist classic and Vallone was launched on an international career. In 2001, he published his autobiography, L'alfabeto della memoria, with Gremese. Vallone was married to actress Elena Varzi from 1952 until his death. They had three children, two of whom are actors, Eleonora Vallone and Saverio Vallone.
He died from a heart attack in Rome on 31 October 2002.

Filmography