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Rafaela Ottiano

Known For
Acting

Known Credits
38

Gender
Female

Birthday
March 2, 1888 (138 years old)

Place of Birth
Venice, Italy

Rafaela Ottiano

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rafaela Ottiano (4 March 1888 – 18 August 1942) was an Italian-born American stage and film actress.

Born in Venice, Italy, she emigrated with her parents to the United States, and was processed at Ellis Island, in 1910. Ottiano established herself as a stage actress in Europe before arriving in Hollywood in 1924 and appearing in American motion pictures. Ottiano's first film was in the John L. McCutcheon-directed drama The Law and the Lady (1924) opposite actors Len Leo, Alice Lake, and Tyrone Power, Sr.

Ottiano was part of the original 1928 Broadway cast of the Mae West hit play Diamond Lil and reprised her role as Rita when the play was made into a film as She Done Him Wrong (1933), directed by Lowell Sherman. Throughout the 1930s, Rafaela Ottiano would often specialize in roles as sinister, maleveolent, or spiteful women, such as her role in the Tod Browning-directed horror film The Devil-Doll (1936), opposite Lionel Barrymore and Maureen O'Sullivan.

Other notable film roles for Ottiano include Lena in As You Desire Me (1932) with Greta Garbo, Melvyn Douglas, Erich von Stroheim, Owen Moore, and Hedda Hopper; Mrs. Higgins in the Shirley Temple musical-comedy Curly Top (1935); as a matron in the crime-drama Riffraff (1936), starring Jean Harlow and Spencer Tracy; and as Suzette, Greta Garbo's devoted maid, in the Edmund Goulding-directed drama Grand Hotel (1932). When Grand Hotel was turned into a Broadway Musical in 1989, her character was renamed Rafaela Ottiano in honor of the actress.

Ottiano's last film was the musical comedy I Married an Angel (1942), starring Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. During her career in film, she appeared in approximately 45 motion pictures, opposite such actors as Barbara Stanwyck, Conrad Nagel, Peter Lorre, Zasu Pitts, and Katharine Hepburn.

Ottiano lived in the Times Square area during the Prohibition Era and never married. She died in 1942 in East Boston, Massachusetts of intestinal cancer at the age of 54.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Rafaela Ottiano, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Acting

1942The Adventures of Martin Edenas
1941Topper Returnsas Lillian
1940Victoryas Madame Makanoff
1940The Long Voyage Homeas Bella
1940A Little Bit of Heavenas Mme. Lupinsky
1940Vigil in the Nightas Mrs. Henrietta Sullivan
1939Paris Honeymoonas Fluschotska
1938Suezas Maria De Teba
1938Marie Antoinetteas Louise - Marie's Maid (uncredited)
1938I'll Give a Millionas Barmaid
1937The League of Frightened Menas Dora Chapin
1937Maytimeas Ellen
1937Seventh Heavenas Madame Frisson
1936That Girl from Parisas Nikki's Personal Maid (uncredited)
1936Mad Holidayas Ning
1936Anthony Adverseas Signora Bovino
1936The Devil-Dollas Malita
1936Riffraffas Matron (as Rafaelo Ottiano)
1935We're Only Humanas Mrs. Anderson
1935Remember Last Night?as Mme. Bouclier
1935Curly Topas Mrs. Higgins
1935One Frightened Nightas Elvira
1935The Florentine Daggeras Lili Salvatore
1935The Lottery Loveras Gaby's Maid
1935Enchanted Aprilas Francesca
1934Great Expectationsas Mrs. Joe
1934A Lost Ladyas Rosa
1934The Last Gentlemanas Retta Barr, Judd's wife
1934Mandalayas Madame Lacalles
1933Femaleas Della, Alison's Maid (Uncredited)
1933Ann Vickersas Mrs. Feldermans
1933Bondageas Miss Trigge
1933She Done Him Wrongas Russian Rita
1932Grand Hotelas Suzette
1932The Washington Masqueradeas Mona Farrell
1932Night Courtas Evil Tongued Neighbor (uncredited)
1932As You Desire Meas Lena
1926Married?as Maid

Production