Cesare Gravina (23 January 1858 – 16 September 1954) was an Italian actor of the

silent era A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...

who appeared in more than 70 films from 1911 to 1929. Born in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, Gravina was an orchestra conductor in his native Italy. As the conductor at

La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...

, he worked with performers such as

Mary Garden Mary Garden (20 February 1874 – 3 January 1967) was a Scottish-American operatic lyric soprano, then mezzo-soprano, with a substantial career in France and America in the first third of the 20th century. She spent the latter part of her chil ...

and

Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyric tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles that r ...

. At some point, he left music to become a character actor, not explaining his reasons for the career change with no one. As the owner of many theaters in South America, Gravina became financially secure to retire from motion pictures by 1924, but he preferred to remain in acting.

Partial filmography

* '' The White Pearl'' (1915) - Setsu * ''

Madame Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lut ...

'' (1915) - The Soothsayer * '' Poor Little Peppina'' (1916) - Villato * '' Hulda from Holland'' (1916) - Apartment Neighbor (uncredited) * '' Less Than the Dust'' (1916) - Jawan * '' The Price She Paid'' (1917) - Moldini * '' The Siren'' (1917) - Her Father * '' The Fatal Ring'' (1917) * '' Miss Nobody'' (1917) - 'Daddy' Crespi * '' Let's Get a Divorce'' (1918) - Head Waiter * ''The Mysterious Client'' (1918) - Ton Cavallo * ''The Street of Seven Stars'' (1918) - Minor Role * '' Marriage For Convenience'' (1919) - Lazzare * '' Mothers of Men'' (1920) - Mr. Schultz - Gaston Glass * '' Scratch My Back'' (1920) - Johoda * '' The Penalty'' (1920) - Art Teacher (uncredited) * ''

Madame X ''Madame X'' (original title ''La Femme X'') is a 1908 Play (theatre), play by French playwright Alexandre Bisson (1848–1912). It was novelized in English and adapted for the American stage; it was also adapted for the screen sixteen times ...

'' (1920) - Victor * ''From Now On'' (1920) - Tony Lomazzi * '' The Leopard Woman'' (1920) - Arab (uncredited) * '' Beach of Dreams'' (1921) - Prof. Epnard * ''

God's Country and the Law ''God's Country and the Law'' is a 1921 American silent drama film produced by Pine Tree Pictures and distributed by Arrow Films. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Fred C. Jones and Gladys Leslie in the leading roles. It was adapted from the ...

'' (1921) - 'Poleon * ''

Foolish Wives ''Foolish Wives'' is a 1922 American erotic silent drama film produced and distributed by Universal Pictures under their Super-Jewel banner and written and directed by Erich von Stroheim. The drama features von Stroheim, Rudolph Christians, ...

'' (1922) - Cesare Ventucci * '' Daddy'' (1923) - Cesare Gallo * ''

Merry-Go-Round A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

'' (1923) - Sylvester Urban * '' Circus Days'' (1923) - Luigi, the Clown * '' The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' (1923) - (uncredited) * '' The Humming Bird'' (1924) - Charlot * '' The Virgin'' (1924) - The Money Lender * '' The Family Secret'' (1924) - Tomaso Silvano * ''

Butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

'' (1924) - Von Mandescheid * '' The Rose of Paris'' (1924) - George * '' Those Who Dare'' (1924) - Panka * ''

Greed Greed (or avarice, ) is an insatiable desire for material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions) or social value, such as status or power. Nature of greed The initial motivation for (or purpose of) greed and a ...

'' (1924) - Zwerkow - Junkman (uncredited) * '' The Charmer'' (1925) - Señor Sprott * ''

Contraband Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") is any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It comprises goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes of the leg ...

'' (1925) - Pee Wee Bangs * ''

The Phantom of the Opera The Phantom of the Opera may refer to: Novel * The Phantom of the Opera (novel), ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (novel), 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux Characters * Erik (The Phantom of the Opera), Erik (''The Phantom of the Opera''), the title char ...

'' (1925) - Opera House Manager (uncredited) * '' Fifth Avenue Models'' (1925) - Ludani's Tenement Neighbor * '' An Enemy Of Men'' (1925) - Tony Caruso * '' The Man in Blue'' (1925) - Tony Sartori * '' Don Dare Devil'' (1925) - Esteban Salazar * '' A Woman's Faith'' (1925) - Odillon Turcott * '' The Circus Cyclone'' (1925) - Pepe * '' Flower of Night'' (1925) - Servant * ''

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...

'' (1926) - Count Davigny * '' The Midnight Sun'' (1926) - Opera Director * '' The Blonde Saint'' (1926) - Ilario * '' The Magic Garden'' (1927) - Maestro * '' The Road to Romance'' (1927) - Castro * '' Cheating Cheaters'' (1927) - Tony Verdi * '' The Divine Woman'' (1928) - Gigi * '' The Trail of '98'' (1928) - Henry Kelland - Berna's Grandfather * ''

The Man Who Laughs ''The Man Who Laughs'' (also published under the title ''By Order of the King'' from its subtitle in French) is a Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, originally published in April 1869 under the French title ''L'Homme qui rit''. It takes place in Engl ...

'' (1928) - Ursus * '' How to Handle Women'' (1928) - Tony * '' The Wedding March'' (1928) - Martin Schrammell - Mitzi's father * '' Burning the Wind'' (1929) - Don Ramón Valdez

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gravina, Cesare 1858 births 1954 deaths 19th-century Neapolitan people Italian male film actors Italian male silent film actors Italian emigrants to the United States 20th-century Italian male actors