Introduction

Only one aspect of this biography frustrated me and that was the failure to include much of his stage work in Italy. Rossano, during the late 1930s and 1940s was a huge stage star in Italy. He was the actor see and performed in over 200 plays, including Shakespeare, Chekov, Ibsen and the classic Italian playwrights. He was the John Gielgud/Laurence Olivier of the Italian theatre and won numerous awards for his acting

Similarly, attempting to research his film career across the continent and in South America proved to be equally frustrating. As such, I had no choice but to focus my biography on his English speaking parts and, where I could, include those on mainland Europe and further afield.

Perhaps that part of his career is a project for someone based in Europe.

The biography nearly didn’t get past the first chapter. I began writing it in a similar way to the majority of biographies i.e. he did this, he did that, he qualified in this, he began acting etc etc. The result of those early efforts were mind-numbingly boring. And if I was bored, my reader would be bored. 

I knew, on chatting with his nephew, that this was a man with a sense of humour who liked to see the fun in things. The way I was writing failed to bring out his personality. 

I decided, therefore, to bring him back to life. Getting him to chat, highlighting his body language, the way he stood, the way he laughed, what he found amusing was a revelation. As soon as I rewrote that first early draft, the boredom quickly transformed to a passion and that passion continues to this day.

Many of the photos on this website (that didn’t make it into the book) were taken during my travels to Italy, strolling the same streets as Rossano and pointing out those places that were important to him or that we simply pass while talking. In some cases, it is a bit of a travelogue but it does provide readers and fans more detail and, if they are visiting the area, they may wish to take in those sights. 

This picture, I think, is fantastic and shows Rossano as himself and not the serious Latin Lover. The talented artist, Sarah Bairstow, did this drawing for me plus several others that appear in the book and here on the website.