In this fascinating biography, Lynn Florkiewicz brings Rossano Brazzi back to life, accompanying him through the streets of Italy as he reflects on his life. Beneath the serious Latin Lover image crafted by Hollywood, she discovers a mischievous and fun man, a scholar and classically trained actor.
A Happy Man Cover Image
From ancient Bologna to glamorous Beverly Hills, Rossano’s career experienced extreme highs and plummeting lows. Along the way, he demonstrated courage in the Italian resistance, became an integral part of Rome’s la dolce vita, and, despite an enduring and loving marriage, engaged in many indiscretions with his leading ladies. A heartthrob of Hollywood’s golden age, Rossano was mobbed by fans worldwide and pursued by countless actresses, including one who offered to pay his wife a million dollars to divorce him!
Rossano, along with his two wives, family, friends, colleagues, and agents, all contribute to his story with anecdotes and insights into the man, not just the actor. In this first-ever biography written about Rossano Brazzi, the author delves deep into his career, personal life, beliefs, humanitarianism, hopes, dreams, and regrets.
This biography is a must-read for fans of Hollywood’s golden age, offering a rare and intimate glimpse into the life of one of its most intriguing stars.
A Happy Man: In Conversation with Rossano Brazzi published 28th September 2024
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About Lynn Florkiewicz:
The Amazon #1 bestselling author of the Lord James Harrington cosy crime series.
Lynn spent three years researching and writing Rossano Brazzi’s authorised biography and became Executive Producer of a restored Rossano Brazzi film, We the Living.
On her reasoning why she tackled this big of a project, Lynn explains: “First, a love of the film musical, South Pacific, in which Rossano plays the lead role. I know him not only from that film but also from The Italian Job, where he drives a sleek red Lamborghini in the Italian Alps. He’s stylish. He’s handsome. On this occasion, though, I found myself thinking, ‘You’re actually a good actor.’ Suddenly I was curious to know more about him. The obvious thing to do is buy a biography of him - only there doesn’t seem to be one.
The quest, triggered by that moment of idle curiosity, became a passion, an obsession, an ongoing project that involved countless hours of movie-watching, purchasing film magazines and newspapers from the 1950s and 1960s, reading memoirs of film stars and directors. Internet searches yielded all sorts of intriguing facts and yet there were many gaps too. Rossano, it turns out, is a hard man to pin down, even though he spent much of his life in the public eye. I needed to know more, and so, I decided to approach his family, not only to discover more about him, but to get their blessing, as it were, on this project.
There are only a handful of Brazzi family members remaining and it took an investigation worthy of a Sherlock Holmes story to track down Rossano’s nephew, Carlo, in the USA, and his three great-nephews, Ben, Eamon and Sean in Argentina. They started to fill in those gaps in Rossano’s life story. As they offered personal anecdotes, photographs and snippets of information heard from their parents and grandparents, they became as excited about this project as me.
Finally, another door opened when I became an Executive Producer during the restoration and re-release of a classic Rossano Brazzi film, We the Living. I’m proud to play a small part in returning it to the screen where it can find new audiences. And I hope this book brings him to life in a different, but just as entertaining and vital way.”
In Our Opinion:
Awell researched and highly interesting biography about one of 'old Hollywoods' icons that reveals many fascinating aspects of the life of the ultimate 'Italian Romeo' - a must read for the lovers of old style romantics. Female First