Raf Vallone

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Raf Vallone
Vallone in Riso amaro (1949)
Born
Raffaele Vallone

(1916-02-17)17 February 1916
Died31 October 2002(2002-10-31) (aged 86)
Years active1949–2000
SpouseElena Varzi (1952–2002) ( his death) (3 children)
ChildrenEleonora Vallone
Saverio Vallone (b. 1958)
Arabella Vallone (b. 1958)

Raffaele "Raf" Vallone (17 February 1916 – 31 October 2002) was an Italian footballer and international film star.

Born in Tropea, Calabria, the son of a lawyer, Vallone attended Liceo classico Cavour in Turin, and 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 season 1935–1936. 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 (1942), 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 (Bitter Rice) (1949). 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 (Rome). 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 in Rome on 31 October 2002.

Filmography