Tino Rossi
Biography
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.
Known For

Champs-Elysées

Champs-Elysées

Sacrée soirée

Les Rendez-vous du dimanche

Midi Première

Numéro un

Numéro un

Le Grand Échiquier
All Movies (30)
- Sheila, toutes ces vies-là2022 · as Self (archive footage)
- Les Trésors de Marcel Pagnol2019 · as Franz Schubert (archive footage)
- The Donkey of Zigliara1971 · as Tino Rossi
- Till the End of the World1963
- Tourments1954 · as Jacques Duffot
- Royal Affairs in Versailles1953 · as Gondolier
- Her Last Christmas1952 · as Marc Damiani
- In the Land of the Sun1951 · as Titin Olivieri
- Paris Still Sings!1951 · as Self
- Sending of Flowers1950 · as Paul Delmet
- Marlène1949 · as Manuel Ceccaldi
- Two Loves1949 · as Sylvain Vincent / Désiré Vincent
- The Pretty Miller Girl1948 · as Franz Schubert
- The Unknown Singer1947 · as Julien Mortal / Paolo
- Destiny1946 · as André Cartier / Fred Cartier
- Le Gardian1946 · as Renaud
- Song of the Clouds1946 · as Sylvio
- The Island of Love1944 · as Orsani aka Bicchi
- My Love is Near You1943 · as Jacques Marton
- Le Chant de l'exilé1943 · as Ramon Etcheverry
- Le soleil a toujours raison1943 · as Tonio
- Fièvres1942 · as le ténor Jean Dupray
- Lights of Paris1938 · as Carlo Ferrari
- Naples Under the Kiss of Fire1937 · as Mario Esposito
- To the Sound of Guitars1936 · as Jeannot
- Marinella1936 · as Tino Pirelli
- Justin de Marseille1935 · as Le chanteur
- L'affaire Coquelet1935
- Adémaï au Moyen Âge1935
- Moscow Nights1934
All TV Shows (17)
- Sacrée soirée1987 · as Self (archive footage)
- Champs-Elysées1982 · as Self
- Champs-Elysées1982 · as Self (archive footage)
- Fan School1977 · as Self
- 30 millions d'amis1976 · as Self
- Numéro un1975 · as Self - Host
- Numéro un1975 · as Self
- Système 21975 · as Self
- Les Rendez-vous du dimanche1975 · as Self
- Midi Première1975 · as Self
- Midi trente1972 · as Self
- Le Grand Échiquier1972 · as Self
- Le Grand Échiquier1972 · as Self - Main Guest
- Le Grand Échiquier1972 · as Self (archive footage)
- Cadet Rousselle1971 · as Self
- Samedi soir1971 · as Self
- Discorama1959 · as Self