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Tino Rossi

Tino Rossi

Actor · 1907 – 1983 · Ajaccio, Corsica, France

Constantin "Tino" Rossi (29 April 1907 – 26 September 1983) was a French singer and film actor of Corsican origin. Born in Ajaccio, Corsica, Rossi was gifted with a voice well suited for opera. He became a tenor in the French cabaret style. Later, he appeared in various movies. During his career it is reported he recorded over 2000 songs and he appeared in more than 25 films, the most notable of which was the 1954 production, Si Versailles m'était conté... directed by Sacha Guitry. His romantic ballads had especially women swooning and his art songs by Jules Massenet (1842–1912), Reynaldo Hahn (1875–1947), and other composers, sold out theaters wherever he performed. Among his most famous hits, Petit Papa Noel sold over 30 million copies worldwide. Over the course of his 50-year singing career, Tino Rossi recorded over 2000 songs and sold over 200 million albums making him one of the best selling (and mostly forgotten) artists of all time. As a young man, Rossi played guitar and sang in many places of his hometown of Ajaccio, but later he went to perform in Marseille and at resort clubs along the French Riviera. In the early 1930s he went to Paris and within a few years achieved enormous success, joining a Columbia Records roster that included the biggest stars of that time such as Lucienne Boyer, Damia, Pills et Tabet, Mireille, and Jean Sablon. Rossi's success was greatly aided by songwriter Vincent Scotto (1876–1952), who wrote his first hits and collaborated with him for many years, composing and arranging many of Rossi's songs. Prior to World War II, Rossi was a major box office attraction in the French-speaking world, and expanded his audience in 1938 to the U.S. and Canada during a first visit there. Rossi began his film career with a role in Les Nuits Moscovites (1934); his first real success came with Marinella (1936). During the Occupation of France by Nazi Germany Rossi's film career reached its peak, notably with Fièvres (1942), Le Soleil a toujours raison (1943), Mon amour est près de toi (1943) and L'Île d'amour (1944). Like many celebrities, Tino Rossi was arrested on 7 October 1944 by several police officers in search of information on his close Corsican friend, Etienne Leandri, suspected of active collaborationism. Following three months' detention in the prison of Fresnes, near Paris, during which he stubbornly refused the assistance of a lawyer, he was freed from further detention by a judge, who deemed the charge leveled against him void of substance. Tino Rossi who, in October 1943, had loaned his personal car to a resistance network to transport weapons and enable several escapes (including that of a general), accepted—an extremely rare action at the time—exceptional official apologies. In 1946 he recorded his song Petit Papa Noël for a movie. The song remained classic for the family and sold several million copies after being released on CD in 1992. He is the recipient of the prestigious musical award Grand Prix du Disque. Rossi died of pancreatic cancer in 1983 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. His body was transported to Ajaccio for burial in the family grave. His wife died in 2003 aged 79. ... Source: Article "Tino Rossi" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Movies24

  • Movie6.7

    Si Versailles m'était conté

    Royal Affairs in Versailles

    1953 · 32 votes

  • Movie10.0

    Le Gardian

    1946 · 1 votes

  • Movie5.5

    Lumières de Paris

    Lights of Paris

    1938 · 4 votes

  • Movie7.5
  • Movie6.5

    L'âne de Zigliara

    The Donkey of Zigliara

    1971 · 2 votes

  • Movie5.0

    Jusqu'au bout du monde

    Till the End of the World

    1963 · 2 votes

  • Movie6.5

    Fièvres

    1942 · 2 votes

  • Movie8.0

    Paris chante toujours !

    Paris Still Sings!

    1951 · 1 votes

  • Movie4.8

    Les Nuits moscovites

    Moscow Nights

    1934 · 5 votes

  • Movie9.0

    Le Chant de l'exilé

    1943 · 1 votes

  • Movie6.0

    Au pays du soleil

    In the Land of the Sun

    1951 · 3 votes

  • Movie5.5

    Le Chanteur inconnu

    The Unknown Singer

    1947 · 2 votes

  • Movie8.0
  • Movie6.5

    L'Île d'amour

    The Island of Love

    1944 · 2 votes

  • Movie4.8

    Naples au baiser de feu

    Naples Under the Kiss of Fire

    1937 · 6 votes

  • Movie7.0

    Son dernier Noël

    Her Last Christmas

    1952 · 1 votes

  • Movie9.0

    Sérénade aux nuages

    Song of the Clouds

    1946 · 1 votes

  • Movie7.0

    Adémaï au Moyen Âge

    1935 · 1 votes

  • Movie8.0

    Mon amour est près de toi

    My Love is Near You

    1943 · 1 votes

  • Movie6.2

    La Belle Meunière

    The Pretty Miller Girl

    1948 · 5 votes

  • Movie5.9

    Tourments

    1954 · 5 votes

  • Movie5.9

    Justin de Marseille

    1935 · 15 votes

  • Movie7.0

    Destins

    Destiny

    1946 · 1 votes

  • Movie5.4

    Envoi de Fleurs

    Sending of Flowers

    1950 · 5 votes

Series13

  • TV5.7

    Sacrée soirée

    1987 · 5 votes

  • TV6.8

    Champs-Elysées

    1982 · 9 votes

  • TV7.2

    L'École des fans

    Fan School

    1977 · 2 votes

  • TV7.5

    Numéro un

    1975 · 2 votes

  • TV9.0

    Midi Première

    1975 · 2 votes

  • TV6.0
  • TV8.0

    Le Grand Échiquier

    1972 · 3 votes

  • TV6.0

    Midi trente

    1972 · 1 votes

  • TV8.0

    Discorama

    1959 · 1 votes

  • TV6.0

    Samedi soir

    1971 · 1 votes

  • TV6.2

    30 millions d'amis

    1976 · 3 votes

  • TV
  • TV