Tino Rossi(1907-1983)
- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Tino Rossi broke into films in 1934 with
Moscow Nights (1934)
but his first real success came with
Marinella (1936). All his films were
musicals and capitalised on his success as a singer. It is during the
Occupation of France by the Germans that his film career reached its
peak, notably with
Mon amour est près de toi (1943)
and L'île d'amour (1944). At the
Liberation, the French authorities reproached him for associating with
the French Gestapo, but most importantly for actively supporting
collaborationist causes such as the LVF (Légion des Volontaires
Français) who sent French volunteers to work in German factories. He
was arrested in October 1944 and spent three weeks in Fresnes prison
(near Paris). Brought to trial in 1945, his sentence was relatively
light (unlike his fellow actors
Arletty,Mireille Balin,
Josseline Gaël or
Robert Le Vigan) as he only received a
retrospective (and symbolic) work suspension. He then only appeared
sporadically in films concentrating on his singing career.
