'''Tino Rossi''' (April_29, 1907 � September_26, 1983) was a singer and film actor.
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Born ''Constantino Rossi'' in Ajaccio, Corsica, France, he became a tenor of French cabaret and one of the great romantic idols of his time. Gifted with an operatic voice, a "Latin Lover" persona made him a movie star as well. Over his career, Rossi made hundreds of records and appeared in more than 25 films, the most notable of which was the 1953 production, ''Si_Versailles_m'était_conté'' directed by Sacha_Guitry. His romantic ballads had women swooning and his art-songs by Jules_Massenet (1842-1912), Reynaldo_Hahn (1875-1947), and other composers helped draw sold out audiences wherever he performed.
As a young man, he played guitar and sang at a variety of small venues in his hometown of Ajaccio before going on to perform in Marseilles and at resort clubs along the French_Riviera. In the early 1930s he went to Paris and within a few years achieved enormous success, joining a Columbia_Records roster that included the biggest stars of the day such as Lucienne_Boyer, Damia, Pills_et_Tabet, Mireille and Jean_Sablon.
Rossi's success was greatly aided by songwriter Vincent_Scotto (1876-1952), who wrote his first hits and collaborated with him for many years, composing and arranging many Rossi songs. Prior to World_War_II. Rossi was a major box office attraction in the French speaking world but expanded his audience to America with a 1938 visit followed up by wartime tours across the USA and Canada. In 1946, his song "Petit Papa Noël" sold more than thirty million copies worldwide. A Christmas classic for the family, the song still sells by the thousands each Yuletide season. The recipient of many musical awards, including the prestigious Grand_Prix_du_Disque, Tino Rossi is the most popular personality to ever come from Corsica other than Napoleon_Bonaparte.
In 1947 he married Lilia Vetti, a young dancer he met while making a film. They would have a son together in a marriage that lasted for a lifetime. A star of film and the operetta scene, Tino Rossi's career also evolved into the television era, appearing in a number of popular variety shows. Age, and the advent of Rock_and_roll in the 1960s saw him take backstage with the new generation of music lovers but he remained enormously popular with a following built up over fifty years of performing.
In 1982, for his contribution to France and its culture, President François_Mitterrand named Tino Rossi a Commander of the Legion of Honor. That same year Rossi gave his last public performance at the Casino_de_Paris, a show that popular demand turned into a three month stint.
Tino Rossi died of pancreatic cancer in 1983 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France. His body returned to his native Ajaccio for burial in the family plot at the local cemetery. His hometown named a street and the sailing harbor in his honor and on the Left_Bank of the River Seine in Paris, there is Tino Rossi Square.
Rossi, Tino
Rossi, Tino
Rossi, Tino
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