Summary
Renzo Cesana (30 October 1907, Rome – 8 November 1970, Hollywood, California)[1][2] was an actor, writer, composer, and songwriter most famed for his title role on the American television show The Continental. He was also known as Renato Cesana.
Renzo Cesana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | October 30, 1907 Rome, Italy |
| Died | November 8, 1970 (aged 63) Hollywood, California, United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
Biography edit
Cesana was the grandson of Luigi Cesana, publisher of one of Rome's largest daily newspapers, Il Messaggero.[3] He emigrated to America as a screenwriter in 1929, to adapt Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer "talkies" for Italian audiences.[4][5] After a failed attempt at becoming a film star, he appeared on radio in San Francisco, then became the U.S. advertising director for a prominent Italian wine, eventually opening his own advertising agency.[6] He returned to Italy to co-write and appear in childhood friend Roberto Rossellini's film Stromboli (1950), then returned to America in 1949 to begin a film and television acting career in Hollywood.[7]
In an era when advertisers and advertising agencies played major roles in program creation and sponsorship, Cesana created The Continental as a radio program that he produced, wrote, and starred in for a Los Angeles station in 1951, where it directly followed The Lonesome Gal, in which a female disk jockey talked soothingly to male listeners. After a brief and unsuccessful run, Cesana convinced a local television station to broadcast a video version of The Continental, which was picked up by the CBS television network in 1952.
The program led to a recording contract with Capitol Records, in which the non-singer Cesana would recite the lyrics of romantic songs to a musical accompaniment. For instance, "Walk The Lonesome Night" was a big hit in which Cesana recited the lyrics along with a piano and a theater organ. It was released on the "Ultra-Lounge Vol. 7: The Crime Scene" as an extra track; but it received massive success when it was originally released.
In 1967, he appeared in That Girl, as Dr. Cessna – an "ink blot" interpreting personality analyst. On September 20, 1967, Cesana appeared in Bewitched, "Business Italian Style" (Season 4, Episode 3). He played an entrepreneur hoping to have Tate & Stephens Advertising Agency introduce Chef Romani Italian Foods to the American market.
Filmography edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Stromboli | The Priest | |
| 1950 | A Lady Without Passport | Asa Sestina, Deported Mobster | |
| 1950 | The Sound of Fury | Dr. Vido Simone | |
| 1951 | The Mark of the Renegade | Father Juan | |
| 1951 | The Light Touch | Father Dolzi | Uncredited |
| 1952 | California Conquest | Fray Lindos | |
| 1958 | Anna of Brooklyn | Il barone Trevassi | |
| 1958 | The Beautiful Legs of Sabrina | James | |
| 1958 | The Naked Maja | Bayeu | |
| 1959 | For the First Time | Angelo | |
| 1959 | The Moralist | The Police Commissioner | |
| 1959 | Hannibal | ||
| 1960 | The Warrior Empress | Paeone | |
| 1961 | Francis of Assisi | Friar | Uncredited |
| 1965 | The Art of Love | Pepe de Winter | |
| 1966 | Three on a Couch | The Ambassador | |
| 1972 | Original: Do Not Project | Brother Dimension | (final film role) |
Further reading edit
- "Renzo Cesana", Biography Index. Volume 2. New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1953.
- "Renzo Cesana", The ASCAP Biographical Dictionary. Third edition. New York: American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, 1966.
References edit
- ^ Social Security Death Index.
- ^ Ancestry.com. California Death Index, 1940-1997 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, US: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000.
- ^ Mark Barron, "They're Asking Continental to Be Wed", The Washington Post, August 9, 1953, p. L5.
- ^ Passenger list, S.S. "Vulcania", Port of New York, 19 February 1929.
- ^ U.S. Census, 1 April 1930, State of California, County of Los Angeles, enumeration district 1253, p. 14A, family 396.
- ^ Mary Desjardins and Mark Williams, "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" In: Susan Merrill Squier (ed.), Communities of the Air, Duke University Press, 2003, p. 272. ISBN 978-0-8223-3095-0.
- ^ Passenger list, S.S. Queen Elizabeth, Port of New York, 21 November 1949.
External links edit
- "Latin Lover", Time magazine, 1951.
- Renzo Cesana at IMDb.