- Eduardo Ciannelli
Eduardo Ciannelli, sometimes credited as Edward Ciannelli, (
30 August 1889 -8 October 1969 ), was an Italianbaritone andcharacter actor with a long career in American films, mostly playing gangsters and criminals.Ciannelli was born on the island of
Ischia , in theGulf of Naples , the son of a doctor who owned ahealth spa . He studied medicine at theUniversity of Naples , and worked briefly as a doctor, but his love ofopera won out and he became a successful baritone, singing atLa Scala and touring Europe. He went to America after the end ofWorld War I and appeared on Broadway inOscar Hammerstein II 's first musical "Always You " and later in "Rose Marie". He appeared inTheatre Guild productions in the late 1920s, co-starring with the Lunts (Alfred Lunt andLynn Fontanne ), andKatharine Cornell . During that period, he appeared in "Uncle Vanya ", "The Inspector General", "The Front Page ". In 1935, he played Trock Estrella inMaxwell Anderson 's "Winterset" on Broadway and repeated his performance in the film version (1936). He played Cauchon in Shaw's "Saint Joan" in 1936, after which he left Broadway permanently, except for one notable occasion when he returned to play inDore Schary 's "The Devil's Advocate" in 1961 and win theTony Award for Best Featured Actor.His Hollywood career consists of close to 150 film and television appearances. Notable among these are, "
Marked Woman " (1937) withBette Davis , "Gunga Din" (1939) withCary Grant , (perhaps his most famous role, as the fanatical guru) "Strange Cargo" (1940) withJoan Crawford andClark Gable ,Alfred Hitchcock 's "Foreign Correspondent" (1940), "Kitty Foyle" (1940) withGinger Rogers , "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (1943) withGary Cooper andIngrid Bergman , "Passage to Marseille " (1944) withHumphrey Bogart , "The Mask of Dimitrios " (1944), "Incendiary Blonde " (1945) withBetty Hutton , "Gilda " (1946) withRita Hayworth , and "Prince of Foxes" (1949) withOrson Welles .In the 1950s and throughout the 1960s, he divided his time among Italian films such as "Attila" (1954) with
Anthony Quinn andSophia Loren , "Helen of Troy" (1956), appearances in American TV shows such as "Climax Mystery Theater", "Perry Mason", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents ", "Johnny Staccato ", "The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor", "Dr. Kildare" and a few films including "Houseboat" (1958), "The Visit" (1964), "The Chase" (1966) withMarlon Brando , and "The Secret of Santa Vittoria " (1969), with Anthony Quinn andAnna Magnani , which was his last film.Ciannelli was married to Alma Wolfe from 1918 until her death (1968). They had two sons, Eduardo and
Lewis E. Ciannelli , who is also an actor.He died in
Rome .External links
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