Raf Vallone

Educated at the University of Turin, Raf Vallone was a professional soccer player and jack-of-all-trades journalist before making a spectacular film acting debut in the neorealist classic Bitter Rice. While Vallone has never wanted for roles of depth and meaning (Giovanni in De Sica's Two Women [1961], Eddie Carbone in Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge [1962]), some producers insist upon casting him only as a jet-setting playboy, nattily attired in the latest fashions, a beautiful girl on each arm. In addition, Vallone has played so many unsavory characters like Mario Bello in 1964's Harlow that one wonders if his first name shouldn't be "Raffish." The actor began curtailing his film work in 1990, not long after his well-rounded portrayal of Cardinal Lamberti in The Godfather III (1990). Raf Vallone is the husband of his one-time co-star, actress Ellen Varzi.

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide