Valentín Parera(1895-1986)
- Actor
Following his father's wishes (his father was a very important mine
engineer) he enters in the Militar Academy but later he abandones and
loses all support from his father. Starting to live on his own
resources, he works in different fields: representant of an inssurance
firm, car industry and very very little roles in french movies, until
he is discovered by Benito Perojo who offers him the marquis role in
"El negro que tenia el alma blanca" (aka the black man that had a white
soul)in 1927. Benito Perojo counts on him for his next four
productions, although almost always in antagonist roles. He also works
under the direction of Florian Rey in "Los claveles de la Virgen" (aka
The Virgin's carnation flowers" in 1928. His elegance and "mondaineté"
makes him an important figure among the last years of spanish silent
movies and the first of french and german sound ones. His real high
point in his career starts when he appears as first figure among with
Conchita Piquer in the rural drama written by Vicente Blasco Ibañez:
"La Bodega" (aka "The Cellar")(B.Perojo, 1930) and the MGM calls him to
work in Hollywood. But the movie in question is cancelled. During his
trip back to Spain on ship in 1931 he meets Grace Moore, famous opera
singer and actress with whom he get married several months later
(Cannes, France, on July 15). In 1934 he signs a contract with FOX for
six months. Nevertheles, his refined aspect is starting to look old
fashioned and the roles he is offered are grotesque (like the dumb
archeologist in "Two and one makes two" (J. Tinling, 1934). He leaves
the scene to assit his wife's contracts until Grace dies in a plane
crash in 1947. After this he lets himself fall in a long period of
inactivity. Later on, he starts various enterprises on television and
lives between Madrid and New York.
