Alessandro Ruspoli, 9th Prince of Cerveteri

Alessandro Ruspoli with actress Gianna Segale in 1955

Alessandro "Dado", Principe Ruspoli (Rome, 9 December 1924 – Rome, 11 January 2005) was an occasional actor and a playboy and eccentric aristocrat, the 9th Principe di Cerveteri, 9th Marchese di Riano and 14th Conte di Vignanello, who is said to have inspired Federico Fellini into making his famous movie La Dolce Vita. He was the first cousin once removed of Brazilian director Jayme Monjardim. His paternal grandmother's mother, wife of Don Antonio Duca Lante Montefeltro della Rovere, was Mathilda (Tilly) Davis, daughter of wealthy New York real estate developer Thomas E. Davis.^[1] Dado's great-great-great-great-great-uncle was Bartolomeo Ruspoli. He was also the former father-in-law of actress Olivia Wilde, father-in-law of Aileen Getty (former daughter-in-law of Elizabeth Taylor), and a fifth cousin of actor Bart Ruspoli.

Dado was born in Rome in 1924. His mother and father's first wife Claudia dei Conti Matarazzo, who died when he was 9, was heiress to one of the largest fortunes in Brazil. His father Francesco Ruspoli, 8th Prince of Cerveteri, later a poet, fought in both world wars. Dado became known for his extravagant lifestyle in the 1950s and 60s. He was friends with Brigitte Bardot, Salvador Dalí, Truman Capote, Roger Vadim, Roman Polanski, Emmanuelle Arsan and many others.

Filmography

• La casa del sorriso aka The House of Smiles (1988) : Andrea
• The Godfather Part III (1990) : Vanni
• Il giardino dei ciliegi aka The Cherry Orchard (1992)
• The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1 episode, "Florence, May 1908", 1993) : Professor Reale
• Just Say Know (2002) : Himself
• The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: The Perils of Cupid (2007) (V) :
• Marco Ferreri, il regista che venne dal futuro (2007) : Himself

Marriages and children

He married firstly in Rome on 8 December 1947 Nobile Francesca dei Baroni Blanc (Rome, 27 June 1920 – Milan, 27 February 1962), daughter of Nobile Mario dei Baroni Blanc and wife Anita Felici, without issue.

He married secondly at Vignanello, the location of the ancestral residence, Castello Ruspoli, on 5 May 1964, later divorced, Nancy de Girard de Charbonnières (Pouillon, 18 April 1939 –), daughter of Roger Jean de Girard de Charbonnières and wife Andrée Marie Pommarede, and had issue, an only son:

• Francesco Ruspoli, 10th Prince of Cerveteri

Between marriages he had two sons by actress Debra Berger (17 March 1957 –), daughter of William Berger's first marriage:

• Tao dei Principi Ruspoli (Bangkok, 7 November 1975 –), married in Washington, Rappahannock County, Virginia, 7 June 2003 actress Olivia Wilde (New York City, New York, 10 March 1984 –)
• Bartolomeo dei Principi Ruspoli (Rome, 6 October 1978 –), who appeared as himself in his brother's film Just Say Know (2002), married in November 2004 Aileen Getty (14 July 1957 –), daughter of John Paul Getty, Jr. and first wife Abigail "Gail" Harris, aunt of Balthazar Getty and formerly married with issue to Christopher Edward Wilding (New Westminster, Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, 2 February 1955 –), son of Michael Wilding and Elizabeth Taylor, without issue

He married thirdly in Rome on 20 November 1993 Theresa Patricia Genest, and had issue, a daughter and a son:

• Mathilde Mélusine dei Principi Ruspoli (Paris, 25 July 1994 –)
• Théodore Alexandre dei Principi Ruspoli (Paris, 30 April 1997 –)

Ancestry

See also

• Tao Ruspoli
• Ruspoli

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alessandro Ruspoli.

• "Prince Dado Ruspoli". Telegraph Media Group. 15 January 2005. Retrieved 14 January 2008. 
• Dado Ruspoli at the Internet Movie Database
• Alessandro Ruspoli on a genealogical site
• Daily Telegraph obituary