Known For
Acting
Known Credits
38
Gender
Female
Birthday
March 2, 1888 (138 years old)
Place of Birth
Venice, Italy
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.
| 1942 | The Adventures of Martin Edenas | |
| 1941 | Topper Returnsas Lillian | |
| 1940 | Victoryas Madame Makanoff | |
| 1940 | The Long Voyage Homeas Bella | |
| 1940 | A Little Bit of Heavenas Mme. Lupinsky | |
| 1940 | Vigil in the Nightas Mrs. Henrietta Sullivan | |
| 1939 | Paris Honeymoonas Fluschotska | |
| 1938 | Suezas Maria De Teba | |
| 1938 | Marie Antoinetteas Louise - Marie's Maid (uncredited) | |
| 1938 | I'll Give a Millionas Barmaid | |
| 1937 | The League of Frightened Menas Dora Chapin | |
| 1937 | Maytimeas Ellen | |
| 1937 | Seventh Heavenas Madame Frisson | |
| 1936 | That Girl from Parisas Nikki's Personal Maid (uncredited) | |
| 1936 | Mad Holidayas Ning | |
| 1936 | Anthony Adverseas Signora Bovino | |
| 1936 | The Devil-Dollas Malita | |
| 1936 | Riffraffas Matron (as Rafaelo Ottiano) | |
| 1935 | We're Only Humanas Mrs. Anderson | |
| 1935 | Remember Last Night?as Mme. Bouclier | |
| 1935 | Curly Topas Mrs. Higgins | |
| 1935 | One Frightened Nightas Elvira | |
| 1935 | The Florentine Daggeras Lili Salvatore | |
| 1935 | The Lottery Loveras Gaby's Maid | |
| 1935 | Enchanted Aprilas Francesca | |
| 1934 | Great Expectationsas Mrs. Joe | |
| 1934 | A Lost Ladyas Rosa | |
| 1934 | The Last Gentlemanas Retta Barr, Judd's wife | |
| 1934 | Mandalayas Madame Lacalles | |
| 1933 | Femaleas Della, Alison's Maid (Uncredited) | |
| 1933 | Ann Vickersas Mrs. Feldermans | |
| 1933 | Bondageas Miss Trigge | |
| 1933 | She Done Him Wrongas Russian Rita | |
| 1932 | Grand Hotelas Suzette | |
| 1932 | The Washington Masqueradeas Mona Farrell | |
| 1932 | Night Courtas Evil Tongued Neighbor (uncredited) | |
| 1932 | As You Desire Meas Lena | |
| 1926 | Married?as Maid |