Mario Caracciolo ''dei Duchi'' di Melito (1883–1958), known professionally as Mario Carillo and in society events as Count
[The younger sons are not entitled to inherit the hereditary title of their father in the ]Nobility of Italy
The nobility of Italy ( Italian: ''Nobiltà italiana'') comprised individuals and their families of the Italian Peninsula, and the islands linked with it, recognized by the sovereigns of the Italian city-states since the Middle Ages, and by the ...
. They all usually bear from birth the junior titles of '' Nobile'' or '' Don''. Mario Caracciolo di Melito, was an Italian actor who worked in silent films in Hollywood in the 1920s.
Biography
Origins
Mario was born as ''
Nobile'' Mario Caracciolo ''
dei Duchi''
f the Dukes
F, or f, is the sixth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounced ), and the plural is ''efs''.
Hi ...
di Melito (aka "
Count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New Yor ...
"
[ Mario Caracciolo di Melito) into a wealthy noble family in ]Naples, Italy
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, in 1883 (some sources claim his birth year as 1894). He is the cadet son of Filippo Caracciolo di Castagneto (1843-1904), 1st Duke di Melito, and wife the Duchess di Melito, born ''Donna'' Emilia Compagna ''dei Baroni'' f the BaronsCompagna.[
Mario served as an officer in the Italian cavalry before moving to the United States. He worked as an ]attaché
In diplomacy, an attaché is a person who is assigned ("to be attached") to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency. Although a loanword from French, in English the word is not modified accord ...
at the Italian embassy in Washington, D.C., where he met and married Miriam Crosby in 1915. The pair had a son, Ludovico (1920-1941).
Hollywood career
Around 1920, he headed out to Hollywood alone to seek work as an actor. He also worked as a physiotherapist at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, where he met Rudolph Valentino
Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor based in the United States who starred ...
. He also had a fling with a young actress named Lucille LeSueur (better by the stage name she took on later, Joan Crawford).[ Over the course of the decade, he appeared in several dozen films before returning to Italy with the aim of starting his own production company] (it does not appear that he was successful in this endeavor).
Later life
Mario died in Rome, Italy, on 3 December 1958; he was survived by his wife.[
There appears to be a case of mistaken identity at the heart of stories in the press that he was the Mario Caracciolo who was given supreme command of the Italian army's technical service by Mussolini during World War II.] This man's full name appears to have been named Mario Caracciolo di Feroleto; the two were around the same age.
Partial filmography
* '' A Stage Romance'' (1922)
* '' The Snitching Hour'' (1922)
* ''Slim Shoulders
''Slim Shoulders'' is a lost 1922 silent film society drama directed by Alan Crosland and starring Irene Castle.
Cast
* Irene Castle - Naomi Warren
*Rod La Rocque
Roderick Ross La Rocque (November 29, 1898 – October 15, 1969) was an ...
'' (1922)
* ''Queen of the Moulin Rouge
''Queen of the Moulin Rouge'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Ray C. Smallwood and starring Martha Mansfield, Joseph Striker
Joseph Striker (December 23, 1898 – February 24, 1974) was an American actor. He appeared in 2 ...
'' (1922)
* ''The Prisoner
''The Prisoner'' is a 1967 British television series about an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village, where his captors designate him as Number Six and try to find out why he abruptl ...
'' (1923)
* ''The Remittance Woman
''The Remittance Woman'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Ethel Clayton, Rockliffe Fellowes, and Mario Carillo. A remittance man (or woman) was one sent away from home (usually Britain) to avoid shame ...
'' (1923)
* '' Rosita'' (1923)
* '' The Song of Love'' (1923)
* ''Stepping Lively
''Stepping Lively'' is a 1924 American silent action film directed by James W. Horne and starring Richard Talmadge, Mildred Harris and Norval MacGregor.Munden p.765
Plot
Cast
* Richard Talmadge as Dave Allen
* Mildred Harris as Evelyn Pendr ...
'' (1924)
* '' His Hour'' (1924)
* '' Eve's Secret'' (1925)
* '' Déclassé'' (1925)
* '' Lost: A Wife'' (1925)
* '' Her Sister from Paris'' (1925)
* '' The Eagle'' (1925)
* '' The Only Thing'' (1925)
* '' ''The Lure of the Wild'' (1925)
* '' Dance Madness'' (1926)
* ''The Girl from Montmartre
''The Girl from Montmartre'' is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film directed by Alfred E. Green
Alfred Edward Green (July 11, 1889 – September 4, 1960) was an American film director. Green entered film in 1912 as an actor for the Sel ...
'' (1926)
* '' Torrent'' (1926)
* '' The Barrier'' (1926)
* '' Don Juan's 3 Nights'' (1926)
* ''Diplomacy
Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...
'' (1926)
* ''Perch of the Devil
''Perch of the Devil'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by King Baggot and starring Mae Busch, Pat O'Malley, and Jane Winton
Jane Winton (October 10, 1905 – September 22, 1959) was an American film actress, dancer, opera so ...
'' (1927)
* '' Evening Clothes'' (1927)
* '' Venus of Venice'' (1927)
* '' Bigger and Better Blondes'' (1927)
* '' Time to Love'' (1927)
* ''Ladies Beware
''Ladies Beware'' is a 1927 American silent crime film directed by Charles Giblyn and starring George O'Hara, Nola Luxford and Kathleen Myers.Munden p.412
Synopsis
Jack, a jewel thief, is advised to leave town by the police. Before he does so ...
'' (1927)
* ''The Private Life of Helen of Troy
''The Private Life of Helen of Troy'' is a 1927 American silent film about Helen of Troy based on the 1925 novel of the same name by John Erskine, and adapted to screen by Gerald Duffy. The film was directed by Alexander Korda and starred Mar ...
'' (1927)
* '' His Tiger Wife'' (1928)
* '' How to Handle Women'' (1928)
* ''Hot News
''Hot News'' is a 1928 American silent comedy film produced and distributed by Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation, an amalgamation of Famous Players-Lasky and Paramount Pictures. Clarence Badger directed and Bebe Daniels starred.
Cast
*Bebe Da ...
'' (1928)
* '' Just Married'' (1928)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carillo, Mario
1883 births
1953 deaths
Counts of Italy
Italian male film actors
Italian male silent film actors
20th-century Italian male actors
Male actors from Naples
Italian expatriates in the United States
House of Caracciolo