Cesare Danova

Cesare Danova, an Italian actor known for his tall, dark, and handsome appearance, was described as a Renaissance man. As a boy, he seemed destined to become a professional athlete, but his family encouraged him to pursue a medical career. According to his own account, he studied medicine with such intensity that he suffered a nervous breakdown shortly before completing his degree. During his recovery, a friend arranged for him to meet Dino De Laurentiis, a prominent Italian producer, who was so impressed that he arranged a screen test for Danova. Thinking it was a joke, Danova insisted on seeing the results himself. Soon after, he was cast as the lead in *La figlia del capitano* (1947) (*The Captain's Daughter*), marking the start of his career as an Italian action star. Over the next two decades, Danova appeared in nearly 20 European films, often playing dashing leads who rode horses, jumped through windows, dueled, and romanced actresses such as Gina Lollobrigida. Known for his aristocratic bearing, he frequently portrayed noblemen. Standing six-foot-four, Danova was also an accomplished athlete. From age 12, he engaged in daily strenuous workouts, becoming a fencing champion by 15 and a member of the Italian National Rugby Team by 17. In addition to playing golf, tennis, and croquet, Danova was an amateur swimming champion, an expert horseman and polo player, and a master archer. He once won the Robin Hood Trophy by embedding one arrow inside another within the bullseye of a target. A licensed pilot, he flew his own planes, including models such as the Beechcraft, Piper, Cherokee, and Cessna. Danova was also a descendant of the medieval artist Filippo Lippi and had a passion for collecting antiques and paintings. He described himself as a fair painter and taught himself to draw using a 75-cent how-to-draw book. Danova owned a library of over 3,000 books, each written in one of the five languages he knew: Italian, English, Spanish, French, and German. He loved the theater and performed onstage in Rome, Venice, Spain, New York, and Los Angeles. He carried a small leprechaun good luck charm and a shamrock, which he had bought in Ireland. Danova traveled to Ireland many times and once said, "I love Ireland and I go there every chance I get." After appearing in nearly 20 European films, Danova was noticed by MGM's head of talent in *Don Giovanni* (1955), his first film to be shown in the U.S. Impressed, the studio signed him to a long-term contract in June 1956, and he left his flourishing European career for Hollywood. At the time, rumors suggested that MGM had found its Ben-Hur (a role also sought by Tony Curtis and Kirk Douglas) for the upcoming remake directed by William Wyler. The studio indicated it expected big things from Danova but stated it was too soon to confirm whether he would play the lead until he perfected his English. It was no secret, however, that Danova had been brought to America by Wyler to be groomed for the role. Hollywood columnist Bob Thomas referred to Danova as the "new Italian sensation," and others compared him to Tyrone Power (I) and Robert Taylor, a glamour boy expected to fill the shoes of Rudolph Valentino. When Danova arrived in Hollywood, he did not speak English and refused to memorize lines by rote. He spent the next six months learning the language, a task made easier by his self-professed love of words and fluency in four other languages. With a background in classical acting and his newfound English fluency, Danova was ready for his big break. However, just as filming was set to begin in March 1957, Wyler decided against casting an actor with an accent and instead chose Charlton Heston, who would later win the Best Actor Oscar for the role. Danova was shocked, as the role would likely have made him an international star. Although Wyler no longer wanted him, MGM did. The studio had expected important things from him when they signed him, but now had no definite plans. Danova's career stalled for the next two years. MGM kept him on its payroll, paying him well for doing nothing. Danova admitted that, though he was not bitter, the lack of work day after day was enough to drive him crazy. He stayed busy reading, writing, taking diction lessons, building furniture, and spending time with his two sons, Fabrizio and Marco, by English actress Pamela Matthews, whom he had married in 1955. Finally, with MGM's consent, Danova made his American debut in Los Angeles opposite Paul Muni in a musical version of *Grand Hotel* (1932). The film flopped, and he then traveled to Cuba to appear in *Catch Me If You Can* (1959), a film starring Gilbert Roland and Dina Merrill. Financed by soon-to-be-deposed Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, it was apparently never released. Danova's American film debut was as the lover of Leslie Caron in the now-forgotten *The Man Who Understood Women* (1959), starring Henry Fonda. When Danova first came to America, he stated that he wished to lose his accent so he could play the role he most wanted: that of an American cowboy. In 1958, he got his wish. He made his American television debut in a first-season episode of *The Rifleman* (1958) titled "Duel of Honor," the first