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Robert Alda

 
Actor: Robert Alda
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: Feb 26, 1914 in New York City, New York
  • Died: May 03, 1986 in Los Angeles, California
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '40s-'70s
  • Major Genres: Drama, Comedy
  • Career Highlights: Imitation of Life, The Beast with Five Fingers, Rhapsody in Blue
  • First Major Screen Credit: Rhapsody in Blue (1945)

Biography

Actor Robert Alda studied architecture at NYU, briefly working in this field until choosing show business. He started performing in vaudeville, and in burlesque as a tenor and straight man; by 1934, he was well established on radio. He made a spectacular film debut in Warner Bros.' 1945 biopic Rhapsody in Blue (1945), essaying the role of George Gershwin over the objections of director Irving Rapper, who'd wanted to hold off production until Tyrone Power was available. Alda did as good a job as possible, given the banalities of the scripts, though his piano-playing sequences are obviously faked and tricked up. Alda's starring career faded out rather quickly; he was more successful with second leads and villainous roles, and in the early 1960s became a fixture of Italian sword-and-sandal and spy films. Returning to Broadway in 1950, Alda created the role of Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, winning a Tony Award in the process. In 1954, he starred in the syndicated TV series Secret File USA. Robert Alda was the father of Alan Alda, with whom he appeared in a poignant MASH TV episode of the late 1970s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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Wikipedia: Robert Alda
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Robert Alda

from the trailer for
Rhapsody in Blue (1945)
Born Alfonso Giuseppe Giovanni Roberto D'Abruzzo
February 26, 1914(1914-02-26)
New York City, New York, United States
Died May 3, 1986 (aged 72)
Los Angeles, California, United States
Years active 1945 - 1983
Spouse(s) Joan Brown (1932 - ?)
Flora Martino (? - 1986)

Robert Alda (February 26, 1914 – May 3, 1986), born Alfonso Giuseppe Giovanni Roberto D'Abruzzo, was an American actor. He was the father of actor Alan Alda.

Contents

Life and career

Alda, an Italian American, was born in New York City, New York, the son of Frances (née Tumillo) and Anthony D'Abruzzo, a barber.[1] He graduated from Stuyvesant High School in New York in 1930. He began as a singer and dancer in vaudeville after winning a talent contest, followed by brief work in vaudeville he moved onto burlesque.[2] He is known for portraying George Gershwin in the biopic Rhapsody in Blue (1945). He was very successful on Broadway, starring in Guys and Dolls (1950) for which he won a Tony Award, and in What Makes Sammy Run? (1964).

Alda moved to Italy in the early 1960s and appeared in many successful European films over the next two decades, occasionally returning to the U.S. for appearances such as in the film The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1969).

Alda's first wife, and mother of actor Alan Alda, Joan Brown, was crowned Miss New York in a beauty pageant. Alda was married to his second wife, Flora Martino, until his death.

Alda made two guest appearances with his son on M*A*S*H. His first guest appearance was in the episode "The Consultant"; his second was in "Lend a Hand". The latter episode is of particular note, since it also featured Alda's youngest son by his second wife Flora Martino, Antony Alda, who is also an actor.

Alda died of a stroke caused by embolism on May 3, 1986, aged 72.

Broadway

References

  1. ^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/6/Robert-Alda.html
  2. ^ Strait, Raymond (1983). Alan Alda: A Biography. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 7–9. ISBN 0312017030. 

External links

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Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (1947-1975)

Paul Hartman (1948) · Ray Bolger (1949) · Ezio Pinza (1950) · Robert Alda (1951) · Phil Silvers (1952) · Thomas Mitchell (1953) · Alfred Drake (1954) · Walter Slezak (1955) · Ray Walston (1956) · Rex Harrison (1957) · Robert Preston (1958) · Richard Kiley (1959) · Jackie Gleason (1960) · Richard Burton (1961) · Robert Morse (1962) · Zero Mostel (1963) · Bert Lahr (1964) · Zero Mostel (1965) · Richard Kiley (1966) · Robert Preston (1967) · Robert Goulet (1968) · Jerry Orbach (1969) · Cleavon Little (1970) · Hal Linden (1971) · Phil Silvers (1972) · Ben Vereen (1973) · Christopher Plummer (1974) · John Cullum (1975)

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Learn More
Lend a Hand: M*A*S*H (TV Episode) (1980 Comedy Drama TV Episode)
Love by Appointment (1976 Comedy Film)
The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1969 Action Film)

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